It’s about the cows
PD Regional Manager Brandon Covey
It had been a few years since I’d been to World Dairy Expo. Going there reminds me of visiting the Smithsonian Museum. First of all, I don’t think it’s possible to see everything, no matter how long you stay. Secondly (and without fail), as soon as you get home, someone will ask you about something you missed.
Regardless, Expo does give one a pretty good idea of what’s going on in the industry. Of course, everyone probably goes away with a little different impression. To me, there were a couple of recurring themes: sexed semen and animal identification. While these aren’t exactly brand new technologies, the advancements in each area are pretty amazing. Meanwhile, the debates rage on about how reliable sexed semen really is and when/if animal identification will become mandatory.
On the other end of the spectrum, some technologies actually seem to be going backwards. For the most part, I think this is a good thing that is generally driven by the producer. Take, for example, my favorite part of Expo: the cattle. Finally, I saw some moderate-sized cattle placing over larger ones. There has been talk of this for years, due to the moderate-sized animals being more efficient. As a judge myself, I have tried to do this more but have also been guilty of putting the bigger animals up. But it was good to see some judges stepping out on a limb at the “big show.”
If you ever get a chance, you should take a look at pictures of the Grand Champions from World Dairy Expo through the years. Comparing those early winners to today’s cows, it’s hard to believe anyone would’ve dragged them to a county fair, let alone World Dairy Expo. Now, I don’t mean that with any disrespect, as many of those genetics can be traced through today’s top herds. Plus, the frame (or at least size) of future winners may be similar to that of those past champions. Thank goodness I don’t foresee the udder traits trending in reverse.
Of course, you’ll need to feed and milk those moderately-sized efficient machines, and there are plenty of products at World Dairy Expo that can help you out there, too. I guess that’s why I’ve always enjoyed that show so much – it seems to be more about the cow than a lot of dairy events. Sure, the end result needs to be quality milk for consumers, but we also need to look after the middle-man (or middle-cow) in order to be truly successful.
So, whether deciding on a product for fly control or selecting a teat dip, we are to be good stewards of the things in our charge. No, we can’t always afford to have the Holsteins driving around in Cadillacs and the Jerseys in a Lexus hybrid (though PETA may like that), but we can remember to appreciate why we’re in the business in the first place. With all that said, it’s good to be back home. Maybe we’ll see you at the Amarillo Farm and Ranch Show November 27-29. As always, God does the rest. PD
