Every Tuesday and Thursday morning for a semester I’d walk into my animal science fundamentals of nutrition course, coffee in hand, ready to learn about meeting the nutritional requirements of livestock. 

Even after hours of studying, memorizing terms and calculations, this part of livestock production is not my strength. However, I can appreciate the knowledge and attention to detail required to balance a cost-effective nutrition program.

It’s essential for a beef cattle operation to meet the needs of their herd based on the animals’ age, sex, environmental conditions and stage of production. It’s not a one-and-done decision. Reviewing your nutrition program often is necessary to ensure needs are being met. 

Similar to feeding your cattle, feeding your operation for success requires a customized plan. It’s a deliberate and ongoing process that demands dedication, perseverance and strategic decision-making.

What new technologies make sense for you to adopt for your operation? What learning opportunities are available to you to take advantage of? What does sustainable growth look like for your business and goals?

Feeding success

In this issue we strive to help you answer some of these questions. We share some new technologies for cattlemen to consider, aiming to increase efficiency and accuracy in their herds. 

We cover some educational opportunities from the American Angus Auxiliary and Certified Angus Beef team that offer continuous learning. Our regular column authors are again providing some ideas to ruminate on.  

Rome wasn’t built in a day — your success in the beef industry won’t be either. By consistently nurturing your herd and business and feeding success, you will reap rewards.