The US Beef Industry's New Norm - Staying Ahead of the Curve in Value-Added Management

 

In today’s market, if you are not using the best management practices in your cattle operation, then you are falling behind. Oklahoma State University Beef Cattle Specialist Gant Mourer told Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays that in response to the decline in cattle prices, the majority of producers have implemented some form of value-added program to their ranching business in order to capture the highest possible premiums for their cattle. He says this strategy has actually become the new norm.

 

“Really all it boils down to, is quality genetics and quality management - that’s all value-added really is,” Mourer said. “These well-managed cattle have become the norm and if you’re not managing your cattle to this standard, you’re actually receiving a discount.”

 

Depending on how you look at it, this premium or discount, could cost you up to $10 or $12 a head, he says. More often than not though, Mourer insists most producers are typically managing their cattle with, if nothing else, a VAC45 program. He believes you can add as much or as little value as you want through the various programs that could potentially be implemented on your place, but suggests you start by evaluating your existing management style and decide what programs fit best with your current operation.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.