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From One Decision to Many Outcomes: Why Feed Management Decisions Ripple Through Beef Production Systems

Mar 27, 2026

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By Hector Menendez

Every beef operation asks these questions at some point:

Should I change the supplement type?
Is this new technology worth it?
Will this management change or technology improve performance without increasing risk or cost in the long term?

Menendez et al. (2026) illustrate why these questions are harder than they appear and why feed management must be viewed as a system rather than a single choice.

The "Domino Effect" on Feed Management

The row of dominoes represents how a single management decision sets off a chain reaction across the ranch.

The first domino: A feed management decision

The first domino represents a producer making a decision, often related to feed or nutrition, such as:

Adjusting protein or energy supplementation.
Changing forage allocation or grazing timing.
Adopting precision feeding or monitoring technology.

From a National Animal Nutrition Program (NANP) Feed Management perspective, this is where nutrition science meets daily management—the moment research becomes practice.

Source : sdstate.edu

Video: Kansas Wheat Harvest 2026 | Three John Deere S7 700 Combines in Action

Kansas Wheat Harvest 2026 is underway near Alden, Kansas!

In this video, I spend time with Frederick Harvesting, a custom harvesting operation based in Alden, Kansas. Back at their home farm, three new John Deere S7 700 combines equipped with John Deere HDF40 draper heads work through a drought-stricken winter wheat crop while one of the farm's John Deere 8R 370 tractors pulls a Brent 1398 grain cart.

Most of the Frederick Harvesting crew was already busy cutting wheat in southwest Kansas, but these machines remained at home to finish up local fields. Throughout the video, I explain what is happening, discuss the effects of dry conditions on the crop, and capture plenty of aerial footage showing the combines working with the grain elevator at Alden in the background.