Feeder profit calculator adds value, reduces risk

Bozeman, MT – It’s good to know where your cattle stand. For producers looking to offset expenses and capitalize on genetic value, as well as buyers hoping to minimize risk, the International Genetic Solutions (IGS) Feeder Profit Calculator TM is a natural fit.

“The Feeder Profit Calculator that IGS provides is an opportunity of what they’re bringing in genetics, the handling of the cattle and also the vaccination of the cattle,” says Doug Stanton of IMI Global, which partners with IGS. “Boiling it down to a value that a buyer, feedyards or backgrounders, can utilize to distinguish between two groups of cattle.”

It’s a simple process, one that takes into account a herd’s bull battery and basic information from the maternal side to predict terminal merit. From there, IGS representatives, like Bailey Abell, assist producers by providing a certificate they can share with interested customers.

“When producers get the certificates back, it allows them to take the certificates to their marketers or potential buyers and gives them a good overview in a clean, concise format of what their genetics are, what some of their protocols are on their farm from a management-health perspective, and any programs they’re already participating in,” says Abell. “It gives that buyer and that marketer a good value base compared to an average to see where those cattle are

standing.”

Cattlemen use the service in a variety of ways, some to compare their own calf crops year to year and others for a benchmark comparison against the industry average. “A lot of people, especially here lately, have really been using the Feeder Profit Calculator to go through online sales that are popular, especially in today’s day and age where every added value helps a lot,” Abell says. “They’re using this certificate as a way to market to more buyers.”

It simplifies things such as breeding decisions based on expected progeny differences (EPDs) that a buyer may otherwise overlook and, as a result, undervalue. It was an easy choice for IMI Global to align with the service.

“We felt like that’s a component that we needed to add to bundle with our additional services when a buyer buys a group of cattle, of how they’re going to perform in addition to the marketing claims that we’re verifying,” Stanton says.

For a producer, the time obligation is minor: a short amount of input for a strong return. “There’s an opportunity for you to look at whether you’re marketing those animals on an online platform or at your local sale barn or you just want to know information for yourself, there’s a way that we can help you,” Abell notes.

International Genetic Solutions (IGS) is an unprecedented collaboration between progressive organizations across the US, Canada, and Australia that are committed to enhancing beef industry profitability. The collaboration encompasses education, technological advancement, and genetic evaluation. Through collaboration, IGS has become the largest beef cattle evaluation in the world.

Ranchers wanting to learn more about IGS can visit http://www.internationalgeneticsolutions.com

Video package available at:

– International Genetic Solutions