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Raising The Stakes
Yerington
Nevada - based Snyder Livestock Company is leading the charge in
shaping a positive future for the beef industry.
by:
Kindra Gordon
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For Lucy Snyder Rechel finding ways
to improve the beef industry isn’t just something she gives lip
service. It’s something she’s committed to making happen.
Rechel manages the family-run 4,000 head Snyder Livestock
Company feedlot near Yerington, NV, which custom develops bulls
and replacement heifers annually for purebred and commercial
breeders from across the West.
Of her dedication to the beef industry, Rechel says, “I’m
committed to our industry and the people in it. Ranchers are the
best people in the world. They are hard working, have high
integrity and moral values, are family oriented and
compassionate…And I’m willing to do anything I can to make the
industry thrive.”
Rechel emphasizes that the beef industry has got to step beyond
“preserving” the industry, and says, “We can’t be an industry
that is barely making it. This industry has got to thrive in
order to be a business in which future generations can prosper.”
It is that passion and commitment that has propelled Rechel into
being a role model who has raised the stakes – and standards -
in the beef industry.
Doing Things Differently
In 2002, Rechel made a bold move in the battle against bovine
viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) among cattle. She set a new policy
that calves coming to the Snyder Livestock, feedlot facility
must be tested for persistent infection (PI) with the BVD virus.
Cattle had to be isolated from untested animals and known PI
positive animals for 30 days prior to arrival at the feedlot and
all cattle at her facility were to be PI negative.
At the time, Rechel was among the first in the industry to
require such testing. Today, Snyder Livestock’s 100% Tested PI
Negative policy is still in place, and several other seedstock
operations and feeders have followed suit in putting an emphasis
on BVD- PI testing.
Rechel says she was prompted to implement the BVD policy back in
2002 because she was “sick of doctoring calves. I was following
50 sick calves down the alley and decided: there’s got to be a
better way.”
Rechel’s innovative thinking is also what has helped shape
Snyder Livestock’s annual bull test and sale over the past
decade. Started in 1999, Rechel says the bull test was created
at Snyder Livestock because of their commitment to improving the
beef industry.
“Our basic philosophy starting out was that there’s a lot more
to testing bulls than measuring gain. Additionally, we wanted to
offer buyers total transparency – they have a right to know
everything about that bull.”
Today, their Bulls for the 21st Century sale is held annually in
early March. The 2010 sale date is Sunday, March 14. Angus,
Herefords, Charolais, Red Angus, Gelvbieh, and a few other
breeds are consigned to the test which has the reputation of
being, “The Best Damned Bull Test, Period.” Bulls can be put on
test in three different test groups: Early Falls are calves born
Aug-Oct. 15; Late Falls are calves born late Oct. 16 – Dec. 31;
and Spring Bulls are January and February-born calves. Each
group arrives at the feedlot when they are 7-8 months of age so
all bulls are tested during similar weaning to yearling phases
of growth.
Consigned bulls go through a rigorous 112-day evaluation period
that includes evaluation in seven specific categories:
fertility, weight gain on the test, conformation, muscle
structure, carcass ultrasound data, feed efficiency, and weaning
performance. Points for five of the categories are calculated
from collected data. A three person committee subjectively
evaluates the bulls in the muscling and conformation categories.
Of the categories, Rechel says, “Over the years we’ve learned
with the system and made some modifications.” The most notable
being the addition of feed efficiency data three years ago.
Given their innovative history, it should come as no surprise
that Snyder Livestock was the first commercial bull test in the
United States to install a Growsafe® system and incorporate feed
efficiency into the test data.
To track individual feed consumption, the Growsafe® electronic
feed measurement system was installed. Radio ID tags inserted
into the ears of the animals and the individual feed bunks
mounted on scales accurately measures the amount of feed each
animal consumes. Two pens also feature an in-pen weigh system,
Growsafe® BEEF. This equipment automatically weighs each animal
when it comes to the water trough, resulting in continuous gain
data.
The intake data is coupled with gain to calculate Residual Feed
Intake or RFI. RFI is defined as the difference between Actual
Intake and Expected Intake. Rechel says that the system also
allows for tracking the daily consumption of feed so any
irregularities which might indicate disease or other problems
with a particular animal can be monitored.
Of this emphasis on feed efficiency, Rechel says, “My philosophy
is that feed efficiency is the next huge step the beef industry
can take. The addition of carcass information several years ago
was a big stride, and now we need to go after feed efficiency. I
view it as something that is going to pay dividends across all
phases of our industry, especially the cow calf sector because
of the impact efficiency has on the female and reducing feed
costs for the herd.”
Additional Attributes
Rechel says she is also proud of the emphasis Snyder Livestock
Company puts on fertility for the bulls they have on test.
“When we look at a bull’s fertility, we also include the dam’s
calving record – no other test does that,” says Rechel. “A
commercial cowman needs a cow that calves every year. So we ask
that the dams of our bulls do that.”
She explains that full points go to a bull whose dam calves by
her 2nd, 3rd, and 4th birthdays. For each month that she calves
later than ideal, the bull loses one point.
Consignors can calculate this point value before they ever
consign a bull. “A result of the competition to earn points in
the test,” she says, “is that we have encouraged seedstock
producers to put more emphasis on fertility. The bottom line is
that selecting for fertility will benefit commercial ranchers.”
Moreover, points are given based on when a bull passes his
fertility test. “We semen test bulls on their birthday – plus or
minus a week. Again they lose points if they have to be older.
We don’t want bulls reaching puberty at 15 or 16 months of age,”
says Rechel.
She says to earn a perfect 20 in the test’s fertility category
means the dam calved by her 2nd, 3rd, and 4th birthdays and the
bull passed a complete Breeding Soundness Exam at one year of
age.
Over the years, more emphasis has been put on conformation at
the Snyder test as well. “It is now a category worth 25 points,
with muscle structure worth it’s own 15 points,” she explains.
Rechel says she recognizes that conformation can be very
subjective, so in their evaluation they emphasize structural
correctness, feet and legs, and muscling, while staying away
from judgement calls such as frame size and depth of body. “We
recognize that producers want different things.”
Most importantly she says that they make all of their
evaluations transparent. “A committee comes to evaluate the
bulls and we publish the number of points a bull received, as
well as a breakdown of the points given within each category. We
want people to use that information and understand how it was
determined.”
Rechel reports that bulls are sold in point rank order and not
all of the bulls consigned to the test will be in the sale. For
instance for their 2009 sale, 165 bulls were consigned, but only
the 116 best were offered.
Rechel says it has been rewarding to watch the response from
buyers over the years. “The first year – and I still hear it
sometimes – is that we publish too much data. In the early
years, buyers would put the point spreadsheets in their back
pockets. But, today, those spreadsheets of data are marked up
with circles, stars and highlighted markings. It shows the
producers have gone through the paperwork and studied the data.
We’ve really spent considerable time and money to educate
producers, and it is gratifying to see them using the test
information to select their bulls,” Rechel says.
She adds, “It’s becoming a very complex industry and some
producers have stepped up to the plate. They know a lot about
the bulls I feel that we’ve helped with that. We don’t want
people to just buy a bull because he is cheap; we want them to
buy a bull that works for them.”
Regarding the future and DNA testing, Rechel says, “DNA testing
is part of everyone’s future. But it’s being marketed as a
complete answer package, and I don’t believe the technology has
yet reached that level. As one example, the DNA marker for feed
efficiency accounts for 15-30% of the difference among animals;
so that means 70-85% isn’t accounted for yet…I don’t foresee a
need to quit measuring actual data in the near future. Measuring
actual performance is still fundamental in my mind.”
Looking to the future, Rechel is optimistic for the industry and
for Snyder Livestock’s role. She says, “We’d like to expand.
We’re proud of what we do. We would like to see more seedstock
operators feed their cattle here and be part of our program.”
Another Important Role
While Rechel may be best known for her innovative practices at
the feedyard, she has also stepped forward in the industry as an
active leader. She presently chairs the Nevada Beef Council and
serves as vice chair of NCBA’s Nutrition Influencers Committee.
Rechel says those experiences have made her aware of the need
for telling the beef industry’s story.
“Ranchers are good at doing their jobs. But in the meantime the
world is tromping on us. We’re defending the beef industry all
the time against animal rights activists, environmental groups
and even nutritionally,” she says.
To this Rechel adds, “Ranchers must recognize that part of their
job is to step out and tell our story. Instead of being on the
defense, every single rancher needs to get out there and play
offense. We need to be telling others, ‘This is how I take care
of my animals and my land. This is why the beef industry is
important and why beef is a safe, wholesome and nutritious
product.”
Annually Rechel invites the entire kindergarten class for a tour
of Snyder Livestock. This year she spent time in the classroom
teaching fourth graders about the ranching industry and beef
nutrition and then hosted the kindergarteners along with the
fourth graders. “It gave the fourth graders a chance to teach
they younger kids what they had learned about beef production
and nutrition. Having the two classes together was a lot of fun
and much more impactive on these young beef consumers,” says
Rechel.
She concludes, “I do these things because I’m playing offense
and I encourage every single rancher to play offense too.”
For more about Snyder Livestock Co. visit their website at
http://slcnv.com
Sidebar
Snyder Livestock Company History
Snyder Livestock Company has been producing beef cattle for more
than 100 years. Lucy’s grandfather and great grandfather had
cows and calves. In the late 1960’s, Lucy’s father, Eddie Snyder
began fattening cattle for market at their facility in
Yerington, NV. In the 90’s, Lucy Rechel began to manage the
feedlot’s custom development of breeding stock.
Today, the diversified operation is still managed entirely by
the Snyder family. Eddie and two of Lucy’s brothers, Jim and
John Snyder grow seed garlic, onions, alfalfa and grain hays.
Lucy, Jim, and John are the fifth generation of Snyders to farm
and ranch in Mason Valley Nevada. |
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