A paradigm shift is a change in your way of thinking that doesn't
just happen but is driven by agents of change. Young cattle producers
will have to deal with these "agents of change" in ways that we could
not have imagined a generation ago. In my opinion, some of these changes
are in the areas of:
Decreased use of grain. This is a "game changer". I
believe that, in the future, cattle enterprises will not be able to
compete for grain. We will have more dependence on forages and
by-product feeds. Cattle cannot compete with land-lease prices which are
being paid by grain farmers and there will be more pressure to use
grain for the rapidly increasing world population. Young producers might
want to background cattle on forages and by-products so that they can
spend less time in feedlots. We will need to select and manage cattle so
that they can produce acceptable carcasses with less grain.
Public perception of cattle producers. Animal
welfare has become the "battle cry" for people that oppose animal
agriculture. We must not only continue to produce animals humanely but
now we have to show and insure the consuming public that we do that. The
"anti's" are not the consuming public. The "anti's" don't eat meat and
they are not likely to change but we can't sit back and watch them
destroy animal agriculture. What they seem to believe is that all
sentient (anything that can sense pain) beings are equal to humans. How
will you respond when you see yourself as "animal caregivers" but your
way of life is attacked and vilified? You will need to work on this.
Those attacks will probably continue.
Dealing with science. I know how some folks think
that young farmers are "good ole boys" who like to be outdoors. Forget
that. Good cattle producers will, in the future, have to have an
understanding of science that will go well beyond what you get in high
school. You will need to have a working knowledge of, not just genetics,
but genomics, nutrigenomics, etc. These things sound difficult but will
help you take the guesswork, and some risk, out of cattle production.
For example, we can determine the genetic make-up of cattle and
select/breed for cattle that carry genes for desired traits. Or, we
might be able to feed and manage cattle to regulate the genes that they
have. For example, we might be able to "turn on" genes that control
immunity prior to vaccinating and shipping feeder cattle by feeding
particular forms of nutrients. This would have obvious health benefits.
But . . . technology is only good if you know how to use it properly.
Take every opportunity to learn new things.
