A Systematic Approach to Improve Productivity and Profitability of Beef Cattle Ranches

Abstract

Small producers of beef cattle are being taken over by large corporations that market the majority of cattle by contracting with feedlots and packers in vertical harmony.¹ To survive and prosper under this transition, the food animal practitioner must adapt to the transformation.² The public's perception of the veterinary medical profession must also change. To facilitate this change, the veterinarian must become a valuable asset to the producer by providing services beyond the scope of traditional veterinary care.

A recent national survey found that livestock producers perceived their veterinarian's knowledge of agribusiness/economics to be 19.4% less than that of producers', and 9% below that of Extension Agents'.³ The traditional veterinary educational process furnishes the new graduate with little training in economics, production, or management. In fact, training in the management of disease, the forte of the veterinary profession, is inadequate at most schools because it overwhelmingly concentrates on individuals rather than populations of animals.

To gain knowledge in agribusiness/economics, the veterinarian must rely upon extensive graduate work or gradually obtain the knowledge over a longer period of time through an "on-the-job" training process. If the veterinarian has the expertise to furnish producers with valuable information, the producers' perception of veterinarians will be favorably altered, and the veterinarian's area of specialization expanded so that the veterinarian can become actively involved in decisions that affect beef cattle production and profitability.