Depending on who you talk to, attitudes toward the use of implants in beef cattle production are very different. Most finishing yards are using implants today unless cattle are enrolled in a non-implant, natural or organic program that prohibits their use. Before the feedyard, however, their use decreases the smaller the animal becomes. 

Efficiency of production, quality of product and sustainability are the intuitive goals of the cattle industry. Producers and consumers alike are interested in the economy of scale and acceptance of beef.

Feedlots must adopt innovative strategies to maintain their competitive edge while upholding the highest standards of animal welfare.

With the fall calf prices setting up to be some of the highest since 2014, stocker and feedlot operations may be forced to purchase cattle that are higher risk than they are comfortable with when it comes to the chance of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in order to fill pastures and pens.

When to market your calf crop is one of the most important decisions that a producer must make and can have a significant impact on your operation’s profitability. Market dynamics are usually the main drivers behind when a producer decides to sell their calves.

One of the beef industry’s greatest strengths is its diversity. However, this segmentation often results in a calf being transported as many as four to six times prior to harvest, with each transit event inducing stress.

When going out to tag calves, most cow-calf producers would prefer to find a new bull calf rather than a heifer. For the cow-calf producer, though, could heifers have more potential value than a steer? 

Feedlots face a myriad of input challenges in their day-to-day operations, including recording data they anticipate will carry enough influence to sway their profit-bearing and decision-making processes.

Demand for high-quality beef has been increasing at a rapid pace for the last decade, with no decline in sight. Prior to that, the percentage of cattle grading USDA Prime averaged about 2% to 4% nationally. Today, USDA Prime is often seen in 10% to 15% or more of cattle.