💵 Is He Worth the Moo-La?

Scientific Snouts, Traceability Teamwork and Talking to the Target from Ranching.com by CattleMax

January 29, 2024

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NEWS

💵 Is He Worth the Moo-La?

🐂 Bidding on a Bull - Bull buying season is upon us, and thus, the age-old question of a good bull's value. A recent Oklahoma Market Report says it ranges between $7,710 and $12,075 for a commercial cattle operation. Traditionally, a good bull is considered worth five times the calves he sires. Proper documentation, passing a Breeding Soundness Exam, and a breeding soundness warranty may all affect the price, but assessing the potential value considers the future marketing plan and current market conditions. Retaining offspring longer before marketing increases the bull's value, and selecting bulls with favorable genetics is crucial for long-term profit potential.

🎯 Talking to the Target - Michael Uetz, co-founder of Midan Marketing, provided advice at the World Wagyu Conference on adopting a direct-to-consumer business model. He emphasized the importance of understanding target consumers and shared insights from meat consumer segmentation research. He highlighted different consumer groups, such as Connected Trendsetters - those constantly online and seeking information - and Claim Seekers - those who seek claims to clarify what they're purchasing/consuming - and emphasized marketing directly to these segments. 

🐮 Scientific Snouts - Animal agtech startup MyAnIML and the USDA have successfully harnessed the predictive power of technology in managing cattle diseases. Using facial recognition and AI, MyAnIML accurately forecasted bovine pinkeye, offering early detection opportunities crucial for disease prevention, by utilizing subtle changes in livestock muzzles. The collaboration, now extending to predict Bovine Respiratory Disease, highlights the potential of AI in safeguarding cattle health. 

🍔 Coming Soon to Meat Counters Near You - Tufts University researchers have made a breakthrough in cultivated meat production by modifying bovine muscle stem cells to produce their own growth factor internally. This innovation eliminates the need for costly externally added growth factors, significantly reducing production costs. While further optimization is required, researchers anticipate these advancements will bring cost-effective cultivated meat to local supermarkets in the next few years.

📍Traceability Teamwork - U.S. CattleTrace and IMI Global have joined forces in a strategic alliance to establish a unified, voluntary animal disease traceability system. This collaboration aims to build a rapid contact tracing database, adding value for American beef producers and preparing the industry for potential disease outbreaks. The partnership emphasizes the need for unity in achieving comprehensive traceability and offers producers the benefits of value-add traceability opportunities while ensuring readiness for enhanced biosecurity requirements.

RANCHING KNOW-HOW

Whether you feel like your agribusiness is thriving or surviving, Progressive Cattle has a few tips about how to set you up for long-term success with short-term markets.

  • Grow strategically

  • Leverage relationships

  • Maintain financial improvement

The 2024 Ohio State University Extension Beef Team’s Virtual Beef School was hosted earlier this year. This first session was focused on genetic selection and planned calving to better meet the demands for locally grown and marketed beef, and speakers included Al Gahler, OSU Extension Educator in Sandusky County; Dean Kreager, OSU Extension Educator in Licking County; Garth Ruff, OSU Extension Beef Field Specialist.

CATTLE COMMUNITY
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
❝

"While cattle ranching may be measured in acres and herds, its true worth lies in the lessons of hard work, respect for the land, and the enduring spirit of the American frontier."

Theodore Roosevelt
READER POLL

As scientific breakthroughs are made in the production of alternative protein sources, do you feel cultivated meat is a threat to beef producers?

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LAST WEEK’S RESULTS

The partnership between Deere & Company and SpaceX is a small part of a large conversation about accessible, reliable rural connectivity.

Do you have adequate internet access where you are?

66%: Yes - we have reliable access.

17%: Kind of - we have access, but it is not reliable.

17%: No - we have no access at all.

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