I am super competitive. I’m not sure if that’s the Irish side or the Norwegian side that makes me that way, but nonetheless, I always want to be the best. It drives me at work and home and means that I’m always looking for opportunities to improve myself. Why you wonder? Because when you call in, I want to be able to give you the best answers and options for your operation.
As a company, Ridley Block Operations is always on the lookout for opportunities to improve the quality and performance of the products we offer. A prime example was blogged about by Dan Dhuyvetter and rolled out at NCBA and Black Hills Stock Show, the new BioBarrel® with WeatherAll®. This improvement was born from producers’ feedback asking for a bio-degradable option that would stand up to the wet weather. You spoke, we listened.
I know what you’re thinking… it’s easy for a company with extra resources to make improvements. That may be true, but you don’t have to make big changes to see an improvement in your cow herd. Sometimes it’s the little changes that have the biggest impact. I have a few for you to consider.
Records
No one likes paperwork, but how can you move your herd forward if you don’t know where they’ve been? Your production records don’t have to be complicated. Start with noting the date each cow calves and pair that with the ear tag number you give the calf. Add on calf weights at birth and weaning. At the end of calving, note how many cows calved within the first 60 days. Those are the cows that make you money. Outside of that first 60 day window, you start to lose money on lighter weight calves and cows that take longer to breed back. Identifying the bottom performers as culls is crucial for improved profitability.
Digital Tools
Nearly everyone has a smart phone attached to their hip these days. Why not put that gadget to work for you? CRYSTALYX® has a number of digital tools available to help improve your operation. All of the tools mentioned below can be found at www.crystalyx.com, select How It Works, then Producer Tools.
Body Condition Score (BCS) App
The CRYSTALYX® BCS App is free to download for Android and iPhone and puts your cow herd in your hand, literally. This versatile app lets you separate your herd by pasture (which could also be age group), add notes and can add a map location when you take the picture and save the record. Why is BCS important? It’s a visual estimate of the cows’ nutrition. If her BCS is falling, her level of nutrition is falling and vice versa and that can cost you money (See my blog from November 19, 2013).
Crystal Clear Economyx®
A free, Excel® based work sheet calculates your true supplement costs, including labor and equipment (two things that we all forget about). It’s hard to realize the dollar value of a supplement when you can’t see the bottom line for yourself. Crystal Clear Economyx® allows you to easily compare supplementation costs on an apples-to-apples basis.
Supplement Scheduler
How many times have you checked cows and wondered how long that barrel has been empty? We know keeping a supplement in front of the cows constantly leads to the best results, but life gets in the way. CRYSTALYX® has a solution for you with the Supplement Scheduler. This online tool allows you to set up multiple pastures and select the exact product you have in that pasture. Combined with average feeding rate and number of barrels and cattle, the Supplement Scheduler calculates when the barrels will be empty. You can then choose a date to get an e-mail reminder to restock barrels, making your life easier.
In a day and age where time is money, it’s hard to find time work on the opportunities in any operation. However, the little changes can add up quickly. CRYSTALYX® is committed to your success and we have the tools to help you never stop improving.
To learn more about CRYSTALYX® brand supplements and our producer tools, visit www.crystalyx.com, or talk to your local CRYSTALYX® dealer.
