Kris A. Ringwall and Keith J. Helmuth
Dickinson Research Extension Center

Retained ownership of cattle demonstrates that cattle can be source verified back to the cow/calf operation, resulting in benchmarks for weaning, feedlot, carcass and health traits and the subsequent establishment of realistic reachable goals that guide the management of cattle enterprises provided a person is willing to accept the increased risks and associated stress. Ultimately, producers need to start slow, percentage their cattle out at a realistic level that is reflective of their own financial position and their ability to absorb risk. Producers need to understand risk management before they retain ownership of cattle.

In the future, beef producers need to accumulate a data base that adequately describes the producers cattle and then allows that producer to make necessary genetic and management changes within the operation as needed. The genetic and management changes need to be guided by the operation’s goals and the industry’s goals throughout this process. These goals must be set based on realistic benchmarks attained by data analysis which includes individual operation data. Effective use of source verification and electronic identification should aid considerably in this endeavor.

The Dickinson Research Extension Center (DREC) ranch is located southwest of Manning, North Dakota and pastures cattle in Stark, Dunn and Billings counties and has been in operation since 1905. The current cow herd has approximately a 3/4 Angus X 1/4 Hereford base and currently utilizes Hereford, Angus, Red Angus and Charolais bulls. The cows are utilized for research and managed as three units depending on calving time. Cattle are calved from late February to mid April (spring calving), mid May to mid June (summer calving) and October to early November (fall calving). Cows are allowed to float between calving groups. Spring and summer calves are weaned in late October to mid November, preconditioned for a minimum of 30 days and shipped. Fall calves are weaned in mid April, pastured for the summer and shipped with the spring and summer calves. All calves were marketed through a Kansas feedlot and sold direct to the slaughter house to facilitate the collection of carcass data. The CHAPS and DATALINE^TM, programs were utilized to establish ongoing benchmarks for weaning, feedlot, carcass and health traits and the subsequent establishment of realistic reachable goals that guide the management of cattle enterprises.

Tables 1-4 present the analyzed production data from the Dickinson Research Extension Center beef herd to illustrate and to increase the understanding of a complete non-segmented beef production system. Producers can establish and maintain a similar professional database by becoming involved with CHAPS 2000. This data allows the establishment of new goals and the adjustment of present goals within the cattle industry to allow for long term survival with the appropriate beef cattle system.