May 2011 - Charolais Banner

POINTS TO PONDERFrom the FieldHelge ByCongratulationsto all who had agreat springselling bulls. Ittruly was verygood with increased demand andhigher prices being displayed at salesright across the country. It is also atestament to the breeders who havebuilt a product that is in demand andgetting stronger. There were a numberof factors contributing to the increaseddemand and prices but optimism isthe only explanation I have thatpushed most sales in all breeds ashigh as they were this spring. I don'tthink anyone could have predicted atthe start of the year just how good thesales this spring would be. Theinteresting thing I see is that themarket has continued to strengthenwith some $1,700 fat steers thatshould continue to keep this marketstrong for many years to come. Weall know the prices are finally wherethey need to be and they need to stayhere for a number of years to get theequity back that was lost in the yearssince 2003.Were all the sales great? No, but thefew that were not, in most cases, hadsome weather issues attached. Ifweather wasn't a factor then we needto look at what was.I have always said that breedersneed to use their bull pen as abarometer of what their customerswant. We all need to listen close to ourcustomers and produce what they areasking for. If you don't, they won't beyour customers for long. If they wantlower birth weights, you need tointroduce genetics that will do that ormake sure that you are not feedingtoo much birth weight on. If theywant more meat or more growth thenyou need to find the bulls that willgive you this.The other thing to look at closely isyour total operation. Everyone haslimitations and the key to removingthese limitations is to first identifythem and then to correct them. Peoplewill not spend money buying yourexcuses, so you need to fix theproblems. Some of the things I see are:There are those that can breed verygood cattle but can't market them totheir fullest potential. Some cangenetically breed good cattle but can'tget them fed well enough to capitalizeon their potential. Then there arethose that can market well but don'thave the product to keep up to themarketer's potential.What is holding your operationback from reaching its full potential?If you are having trouble identifyingyour weakness then look at what ismost dissatisfying in your year – thatis probably your weakness. Or, asksomeone in the industry, like asuccessful breeder to help you withthis. Once you have identified theproblem you must move forward andfix it. Again use the resources that areavailable to you. Most breeders willgive you advice and there arenutritionists out there getting paid tohelp you if feed is your shortfall. Ifyou feel you are not finding orkeeping customers you need to look afew simple things. Remember youneed to treat your customers how youwould like to be treated. Personalcontact is still your best way to keephappy customers and if you haven'tbeen following up with your buyers acouple times a year, then you need tostart. Spending time off the farm isn'talways easy but is necessary if you aregoing to develop new customersdown the road. Wherever you feelyou need help, get it so you can ridethe wave that is going to be fun forhopefully many years to come.A busy summer awaits theCharolais industry starting with theAGM in the Maritimes where 75people from outside of the Atlanticprovinces are booked to attend. Iencourage all to attend the T BarInvitational Golf Tourney as it is agreat fundraiser that benefits theyouth of the cattle industry. The endof June everyone from across thecountry is invited to Manitoba fortheir picnic. It would be a great timeto do some herd touring there andrelax and visit with the friendlyManitobans. The third week in Julythe Canadian Charolais YouthConference and Show is being held inSaskatoon, Saskatchewan. Inconjunction with this theSaskatchewan Charolais Association isholding their AGM and all arewelcome to these events.There is complete information onthese events and more throughout thismagazine but if you have anyquestions, give us a call. I would alsoencourage you to give Craig Scott ormyself a call to schedule a herd visitand picturing of your program for theAnnual Herdsire edition which is puttogether in July. Your cowherd andherdbull pictures are also great formarketing your bulls next spring.Until next time,HelgeSee the news as it happens atwww.charolaisbanner.com6 Charolais Banner • May 2011