January 2010 Management Minute
by Chris Reinhardt, feedlot specialist
I have a saying that you can borrow sometime: “The good ol’ days never were.”
What I mean is, when we start to get a little more salt than pepper in our hair we start to reminisce about how good things “used to be”. The problem is, we almost always put on rose-colored glasses before we begin that process. I agree, some things may have been better in the “good ol’ days”, but when it comes to practices and equipment we use in modern agriculture, things have almost all gotten better, safer, more reliable, and easier to use.
One topic I think I would get little argument on is cattle handling facilities. Compare what is currently found on many cattle operations to what would have been common 30, 20, or even only 10 years ago. Hydraulics have made the squeeze chute not only easier to use but also safer for both the cattle and the people using them. And, if you’ve been reading along every month, that really should be our primary objective. Yes, the cattle need to be worked, and maybe you’ve got a ball game to get to tonight. But I cannot think of any ball game worth sacrificing human or animal safety for.
We’ve all heard and/or told plenty of stories about this ringy old cow that wouldn’t let us tag her calf or that mean old bull that chased us over a 5-wire fence. Those make great stories, but I sincerely hope the next generation of ranchers has fewer stories to tell than we or our parents and grandparents have. Disposition is genetic. Ringy old cows and bulls need to go to town, and by all means don’t keep replacements out of them. I don’t care how big of calf she raised, is she worth a broken arm, leg, or worse? Forget the monetary cost of an emergency room visit; what if that is your child’s or grandchild’s arm, leg, or worse? You simply cannot put a price tag on safety.
When it comes to working with livestock, think safety first. Think of what is the safest way to get that cow in, not the fastest. What is the safest way to get the calves gathered and processed, not the fastest. Ironically, in the long run, the safest way is almost always the easiest and fastest anyway.
For more information, contact Chris at 785-532-1672 or cdr3@ksu.edu.
