It was a busy, productive and exciting first day in Denver at the 2011 Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show. The
BEEF crew enjoyed a fantastic lineup of speakers for Pfizer Animal Health’s annual Cattlemen’s College, and even if you weren’t able to listen in, I promise to bring you summations of the presentations in the upcoming weeks. A wealth of information was passed along to the cattle ranchers in attendance, and I hope to add that value to your bottom line as I share the speakers’ main points. For now, here are some of my favorite quotes from yesterday.
“So, what does the future hold? It’s always going to be about good cows, good land and good families.” -Sara Shields, San Isabel Ranch
“Multi-generational ranching is a topic that gets a little bit heavy and dramatic.” -Matt Perrier, fifth-generation rancher
“Any trait we deal with –- weaning weight, yearling weight, carcass traits and others -- are controlled by a genetic factor. But the environment is going to play a role as well.” -Darrh Bullock, University of Kentucky
“Heifers need to be in correct body condition for an AI program. It’s probably a bigger problem that we have heifers that are too big (fat) than too small,” -Willie Altenburg, Genex
“Does handling stress cause embryonic loss? Yes. Stress causes a release of prostaglandin. Small doses of prostaglandin can be embryo toxic. So transport cattle right after you AI and handle them quietly and calmly.” -George Perry, South Dakota State University
“Family component of a beef operation is so critical to share with opinion influencers.” - Larry Corrah, Certified Angus Beef
"Antimicrobial resistance should be taken very seriously but the likelihood is strong for unintended consequences of broad-sweeping limitations on antibiotic use. Change is coming and cattlemen have to get involved in shaping that change." - Mike Apley, DVM - Kansas State University
What’s your take on some of these statements? Stay tuned for upcoming blog spots as I expand on these topics and more.
