Saying that change is coming is about as earth shattering as saying the sun will rise again tomorrow. 

Having traveled around the country a bit in the last month, I have had the chance to hear some reactions from beef producers and Allied Industry Associates on the upcoming Voluntary Removal of some antibiotics and/or antibiotic claims from feeds.  Removing some antibiotics from feeds is certainly a change for us.  The intent of the rule is to reduce the amount of antibiotics used in animal agriculture.  You will still be able to use most antibiotics to treat or prevent diseases, but using antibiotics for claims to increase feed efficiency, or to increase rate of gain, will come to an end after December of 2016.  Antibiotics in feed for prevention and treatment of diseases will remain available, but will require veterinarian oversight in the form of a Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD).  If you wish to use allowed antibiotics in feeds in 2017, you will need to have a good working relationship with a veterinarian.

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American agriculture is a world leader because of the innovation and hard work of the American Farmer and Rancher. Adopting new technologies has been at the center of this success. Often the innovation is the result of a need to improve animal performance, health and well being or improved utilization of a limited resource. If the estimates of 9 billion people in the world by 2050 are correct, the primary limiting resources will be land and water. Maintaining the choice to use the tools and technology available is being debated and we are at risk of not having many of these tools. Changes occurring in our industry can be seen as an obstacle or opportunity to better communicate why and how we manage livestock. The Food Safety Modernization Act and the move to veterinary oversight using the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) for medicated feeds are great opportunities to build trust and accountability with the food consumer.

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We often get questions from producers about how they can get the most from their investment in nutritional  supplements.  CRYSTALYX^® Brand Supplements have a number of products with different applications across your herd that target specific production challenges.  CRYSTALYX^® technologies that have been research tested, come with the brand and are key in providing cost savings or improved returns.  I have listed below 10 specific opportunities where CRYSTALYX^® can help you with managing your herd this spring.

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Remember that old advertisement that stated, “We don’t make a lot of the products you buy,… We make a lot of the products you buy, better?” It was actually trademarked for a time, by BASF Corporation.  I have always thought that it applied very well to how CRYSTALYX^® works.  I might change it just a little, to state that, “We don’t make a lot of your assets,… We make a lot of your assets, better.”  

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Vaccines are an important part of the annual ‘to do’ list of any livestock operation. However, with the ever increasing list of cattle vaccines available, the cost to vaccinate can range from $3/hd up to $9/hd, not including labor. When you consider how much of an investment vaccines are, can you take the chance that they won’t be effective?

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