Beef 509

The cattle industry is no different. Diversity among cow-calf producers, feedlot operators and seedstock growers themselves is what enables them to reach a variety of markets. When producers miss their targets, however, this lack of uniformity becomes a major concern.

What must cattle producers do to improve the consistency within their herds? How will the industry as a whole deal with such issues?

It was questions like these that were addressed at the 10^th annual BEEF 509 program.

Held at The Ohio State University’s Department of Animal Sciences on January 13 and 27, the two-day conference aimed to raise cattlemen’s awareness of the beef they produce; teach value and pricing concepts at the feedlot, packing and retail levels; explain production practices that lead to the quality defects that lower beef’s competitiveness with other protein foods; and improve the overall quality and consistency of Ohio’s beef and veal products. The program also incorporated 2005 NBQA quality challenges such as insufficient marbling and low quality grades, excess fat cover, lack of uniformity in cattle and inadequate tenderness.

Thanks to dollars from The Ohio State University, the Ohio Beef Council’s beef checkoff program and the Ohio Cattlemen’s Foundation, 36 cattlemen from across the state had the chance to get a taste of the many ingredients that go into successful cattle production. Interactive workshops and demonstrations challenged the participants to measure their skills in areas such as live animal evaluation, genetic selection, grid pricing, animal harvesting and meat fabrication.

Cattlemen also had the opportunity to become actively engaged in a discussion of emerging trends and issues with a panel of experts from different sectors of the beef industry. Members of the industry panel included Dr. Henry Zerby, OSU Department of Animal Sciences; Dr. Francis Fluharty, OSU Department of Animal Sciences; Elizabeth Harsh, Ohio Beef Council; John Grimes, OSU Extension Highland County; Sam Roberts, United Producers Inc.; and Dr. Steve Boyles, OSU Beef Extension. These experts addressed participants’ concerns and inquiries about such topics as animal identification, feed alternatives, ethanol production, marketing strategies and packer pricing methods.  

To conclude the extensive two-day event, Dr. Zerby announced the carcass results that the exhausted cattlemen had been anxiously anticipating. He explained the quality and yield grade data for each team’s purchased animal and the overall value of the fabricated carcasses.

Despite their expectations, the participants had a difficult time making the transition from their familiar mindsets to that of a packer. This was especially evident during the live auction when teams often out bid the market for the value of their animals. Rather than purchasing their animals with the end result in mind, the teams bought like cattlemen and paid prices that they would have liked to receive as producers. A significant drop in market prices during the 14-day carcass aging period did not help participants either. These factors made earning a profit a much harder task than the teams had predicted.

“The bad news is that not one of your teams turned a final profit,” said Dr. Zerby, laughing as he addressed the participants. “The good news is that none of you will be joining the packing industry anytime soon.”

Losing the least amount of money and taking home the first place prize was the light blue team. Its members included Steve Berning, Minster; Rebecca Corso, Bloomingdale; Douglas Emrick, McConnelsville; Matt Gillespie, Oxford; Chris Hagler, Washington Court House; and Joe Tucker, Galion. Second place was rewarded to the dark green team consisting of Daniel Beckwith, Miamitown; Caitlin Breiteneicher, Canal Winchester; Jim Rismiller, Rossburg; Jay Shafer, Thornville; Joe Siegrist, Celina; and Michael Sword, Washington Court House. Mike Adleta, Mainville; Steve Bauer, Marion; Brad Berry, Pleasantville; Jamie Hagler, Washington Court House; Mike Kocher, Bucyrus; and Andrew Strizak, Cleveland; of the light green team earned third place. Fourth place went to Bob Agle, South Vienna; Brian Cairns, Dellroy; Travis Cooper, Akron; Nathan Gillespie, Hamilton; Ryan Gries, Miamitown; and Adam Horner, McCutchenville; of the dark blue team; fifth went to Douglas Emrick, Jr., McConnelsville; Dave Kaelber, Cardington; Jance Reed, Navarre; Neil Siefring, Coldwater; Mark Stucke, Versailles; and Fred Voge, West Alexandria; of the red team; and sixth went to Justin Bauer, Marion; Mary Ann Berry, Pleasantville; Brian Breece, Mt. Vernon; Rob Duffey, Trenton; Harry Lennex, Chesterhill; and Greg Vahalik, Amsterdam; of the maroon team.

Despite the disappointing results, no one went home empty-handed. The knowledge, hands-on experience and new insights gleaned by the participants will help them create the recipe for success in their cattle operations.