Dec. 16, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
For more
information contact:
Miranda Reiman,
CAB assistant director of Industry Information, mreiman@certifiedangusbeef.com or 308-784-2294
Photos available
at: http://www.cabpartners.com/news/photos/FQF_photos/Noffsinger-speaking.jpg
and/or http://www.cabpartners.com/news/photos/FQF_photos/NoffsingerTom.jpg
Easy
Does it for Cattle, Bottom Line
Cattlemen often
analyze practices based on the return on investment (ROI), but usually theyÕre
only talking about money.
Tom Noffsinger,
veterinarian and low-stress animal handling specialist from Benkelman, Neb.,
says working cattle can prove an old equation: investing a little more time
then can have significant payoffs down the road.
ÒPeople can
enhance the genetics in these animals, but we can have caregiver impact that
actually takes away from that potential,Ó said Noffsinger, who spoke at the
Feeding Quality Forum in November.
Feeders and
industry representatives gathered in Grand Island, Neb., and Amarillo, Texas,
to hear the 37-year industry professional speak.
Noffsinger said
animal handling affects many determinants of profitability, along with employee
morale and safety.
ÒOur goal at a
feedyard or ranch is to empower caregivers to be dedicated and make every
human-to-cattle interaction a positive one,Ó he said. ÒWhen we have dealt with
issues in caregiver training, all of a sudden turnover at most of my
[consulting] feedyards is zero.Ó
He shared videos
and examples of how to use natural animal behavior to improve weaning, sorting
and processing.
From the first
time animals come in contact with handlers, theyÕre learning, and what cattle
are taught can help or hinder everything from immune response to the end
product.
ÒWe used to worry
about harvest quality at the end of the feeding period, but we have to worry
about harvest quality every day of the calvesÕ lives,Ó Noffsinger said.
It starts on the ranch, and even
subtleties like frequency of nursing can make a difference.
ÒWe have found
that a calf that nurses 20 times a day has a lot less risk compared to a baby
that nurses twice a day,Ó he said, noting producers can promote nursing in a
variety of ways. ÒCows should never go through a gate without their babies by
their side. You can fix that.Ó
Noffsinger gave
examples of prepping cattle for weaning by separating pairs for a couple hours
and then letting them match back up. After a few days of this, they already
know what to expect when weaning day arrives.
ÒWe will never
process calves until theyÕre willing to leave their favorite corner,Ó he said.
ÒBecause until calves trust every corner of their pen or pasture, what else
donÕt they trust? The water trough. Cattle that donÕt drink much, donÕt eat.
Cattle that donÕt drink, donÕt rest.Ó
That all ties
back to that initial ROI, Noffsinger said. ÒThe way we make money in this
industry is by maximizing intake and conversion.Ó
Handling also
affects the ability to ward off sickness and respond to vaccines.
ÒWeÕre starting
to understand that stress actually sends very important white blood cells on
vacation. They cease to function,Ó he said. ÒWhen people understand how to get
a calf to volunteer to travel through a system and stand voluntarily in a
chute, the vaccines have a greater chance to work.Ó
The benefits of
instructing an animal, rather than Òhollering at it,Ó are magnified in breeding
stock.
He shared an
example of training replacement heifers.
ÒWe asked them to
go through the processing facility three times before we even started weaning,Ó
he said. ÒWe ran them through and timed how long it took, and we kept running
them through until it took half the time it did the first time.
ÒThat changed
these animals for the rest of their lives,Ó he said. ÒIf youÕre going to own
these cows for 15 years, itÕs really fun to have a group that likes you rather
than the old mad ones that want to hurt you.Ó
Noffsinger said
studying how animals communicate will not only improve your business
internally, but also your image with the public.
ÒIf we learn some
of these inherent language skills, itÕs amazing how efficiently we can do
this,Ó he said. ÒWe need to jump on these opportunities to display the skills
we have as caregivers, so consumers can embrace that.Ó
The Feeding
Quality Forum is sponsored by Land OÕ Lakes Purina Feed LLC, Certified Angus
Beef LLC (CAB), Feedlot
magazine and Pfizer Animal Health. More information and proceedings are
available at www.cabpartners.com/events/past_events/index.php.
END