“Get Better Every Day”
by Chris Reinhardt, feedlot specialist
Prior to initiation of the Beef Quality Assurance program back in the early 1990’s, The National Beef Quality Audit had shown that 22% of top butts were damaged with injection site lesions. Injections of high value cuts don’t simply damage the tissue from the actual scar caused by the needle and the compound injected, but the tissue trauma and the subsequent healing process actually makes the meat around the injection tougher as much as 4 inches away from the injection site.
Once the data became well-known, U.S. beef producers at every level collectively and individually asked, “Why are we ruining our own product?” Family, friends, neighbors, veterinarians, university scientists, and extension personnel all were asking the same question and telling each other the same answer: “Just STOP!”
The results of that level of universal, coordinated, and uni-directional mutual self-improvement effort were resounding, if not even astounding. The subsequent beef quality audit said that injection site lesions damaged less than 3% of top butts.
When everyone is saying the same thing, and then reinforcing words with actions and changes in formerly commonplace practices, nearly miraculous changes can take place. Once was normal or common to see someone vaccinate an entire snake full of cows or calves, poking each one in the top butt because it was easy. And today, if we saw someone do the exact same thing, we’d be shocked. Huge changes can be made if an entire industry decides that the changes will make us all better.
Animal welfare is the modern equivalent of the injection sites of twenty years ago. An astounding change has occurred throughout the beef industry in attitudes, practices, and facilities—for the better.
We have always cared for our livestock, but we accepted situations which were less than ideal as “normal”. Today, we have an eye toward improvement of every facet of our operations, from sub-optimal facilities to improving our approach to low stress handling and general stockmanship.
We can change anything if we decide, individually and collectively, that the change will make us better.
