The Oklahoma Quality Beef Network (OQBN) is committed to increasing producers' access to value added marketing opportunities and improving the quality of cattle produced in Oklahoma by increasing communication between all segments of the beef industry. Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Value Enhancement Specialist Gant Mourer works with cattle producers trying to help them add value in their marketing strategies with their beef cattle herd. In speaking at the Cattlemen’s Boot Camp last week in Stillwater, he shared how cattle producers got tangled up in this recent market collapse.
“That’s what happens, we just throw them out there on any given day and that’s the price that you take,” Mourer said. “Course, we always see a seasonal price decrease dip this time of year, then it comes back up. So, yeah there’s a lot of things we can do to not take that price, but help set the price on our auction markets.”
As producers look to market their calves, there are many ways to capture more dollars per calf through value-added programs. With so many options, Mourer encourages producers to find a program that matches their herd management. He knows producers that have been able to raise and feed their own cattle to sell beef at retail outlets or farmers markets, while other producers have chosen a different path, but there is no wrong answer.
“Just do what you like to do and like everything else if you do what you like you’re never at work,” Mourer said.
Mourer’s passion is helping cattle producers succeed through the OQBN. He said data has shown how cattle can perform through every segment of the beef industry.
“No matter how you choose to market those animals - retained ownership through a specific program or through a PVP - age and source, whatever it is,” Mourer said. “Health is number one importance and that’s what OQBN does is bring the health, then identifies those cattle as healthy whether you market those cattle or retain ownership.”
Click here to see more...