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NC into beef quality for the long haulBy Larry Dreiling For years, the beef industry has been concentrating its quality assurance educational efforts on cow-calf and feedlot operators. Now, with work in part by members of the Nebraska Cattlemen, the transportation segment of the industry will be getting an education on how their work affects beef quality and may take proactive efforts to make their share of the business better. Released in April, the Master Cattle Transporter Program will work to reduce bruising and rough handling during cattle transportation to feedlots and packers. The program was given a full introduction at a Cattlemen's College class at NC's annual convention held recently at Kearney. "There is an important part of the beef industry that is often forgotten," said Anne Burkholder, co-owner of Will Feed, Inc., Cozad, who chairs NC's Animal Health and Nutrition Committee. "Even though truck drivers provide a vital and necessary part of the beef business, they never have seamlessly fit in the traditional beef industry. "We have to remember that cattle are typically transported two to four times during their lifetime and, next to severe weather, transportation is the single most stressful event in a calf's life." High bruising costs According to Burkholder, National Beef Quality Audits have shown that bruising and rough handling during cattle transportation to harvest facilities cost the beef industry over $114 million a year. The latest audits indicate 35 percent of all cattle have bruises. In addition, stressing feeder cattle during transportation to feedlots or stocker yards can lead to an increased rate of sickness, which limits performance potential for the remainder of the animal's life. This lost money can be reclaimed, as both producers and truck drivers hone their cattle-handling and driving skills. "The original Beef Quality Assurance program dates back to 1982 and is the oldest pre-harvest herd management education program in the nation," Burkholder said. "The backbone of BQA lies in the HACCP principle: Create a plan so that you can deal with challenges as they arise efficiently, effectively and safely. "While this principle was originally devised to deal with problems after they have occurred, I have found that good communication and solid leadership grounded in the HACCP principle is the best problem prevention tool around." Best trucker practices It's in this spirit that the Transporter Beef Quality Assurance (TBQA) aims to accomplish its goals, offering cattle handling and transportation guidelines for producers that will benefit individual cattle on a daily basis, as well as the beef industry as a whole. "The TBQA program helps to close the quality assurance circle that provides education and training at all levels of the beef industry," Burkholder said. "We're not trying to be critical of truckers. Many producers could also benefit from training that emphasizes best management practices for handling, loading and hauling cattle. We want a collaborative effort to establish a nationally based educational program." The keystone of TQBA is the Master Cattle Transporter Training Program. Materials for the training program consist of a 45-minute training DVD and a 12-page, glove box sized manual. The DVD covers cattle behavior and handling techniques along with proper loading, unloading and driving strategies to use when handling and transporting animals. The DVD also contains guidelines and instructions for truck and trailer cleaning and biosecurity protocols based on the HACCP guidelines found in the BQA program. The companion glove box manual provides hands-on information for the driver and highlights important points covered in the DVD. Manual contents Key information in the manual includes: --Cattle handling guidelines explaining the concept of "Point of Balance." --Loading density diagrams for different types of trailers. --Hot weather factors important for handling and transporting cattle. --Cold weather factors important for handling and transporting cattle, including a wind chill index. --Checklists for drivers to go through prior to loading, including loading, traveling and unloading cattle. --A checklist for fit versus downer cattle. --A Biosecurity Emergency Action Plan. --Emergency contact information. A program is being developed to allow for driver certifications and possible insurance discounts for certified trucking companies and their drivers. Burkholder credited the organizational effort of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association for their assistance in development of the training materials that were funded primarily through the beef checkoff. "Dan Hale, Extension specialist at Texas A&M University, spearheaded the project with help and input from the producer members of the Nebraska Cattlemen, representatives from the trucking industry, and cattle handling and transportation experts like Temple Grandin of Colorado State, Janice Swanson of K-State and Tim O'Byrne of Calico Beef Consulting," Burkholder said. The DVD and print manual are sold together for $10, on a cost-recovery basis. Supplies are limited. For more information or to order a copy, contact 800-368-3138 or send an e-mail to customerservice@beef.org. The DVD and manual are available for free downloading at tbqa.org. Next step: Markets The next step is to develop a Livestock Market Quality Assurance Program, Burkholder said. "BQA coordinators from Nebraska, North Dakota and West Virginia are working with the Livestock Marketing Association and NCBA to produce an educational DVD that covers basic cattle handling, biosecurity and general animal husbandry as they relate to livestock markets," Burkholder said. "While this program is not yet finalized, the first draft of the DVD has been filmed and NCBA and LMA plan to have the program finished by spring." Meanwhile NC and Grace Meyer Insurance are partnering in a new quality assurance venture to promote safety in the feedyard. "This program will require basic BHA certification of the operation, which extends to all employees who handle cattle," Burkholder said. "The operation must pass a safety audit each year, as created by Grace Meyer." Upon compliance of the audit, operations will earn a 5 percent discount on their workman's compensation insurance. "We are really excited to tie quality assurance with tangible business practices that will positively affect the bottom line of an operation," Burkholder said. "We're now developing a companion safety program for the rancher and farmer feeder, that we hope to have running sometime next year." Checkoff policy NC members adopted a new policy, at its annual meeting, intended to give beef producers the ability to modify the beef checkoff program, something members currently support and believe is successful in improving beef demand but think needs improvement. "What this Nebraska Cattlemen policy says is that beef producers are in control of any changes to the checkoff," said Michael Kelsey, NC executive vice president. The new NC policy calls for four modifications: 1. Allow more non-profit producer groups to contract to provide beef checkoff programs or services. 2. Allow beef producers to more easily petition for a referendum on continuing the beef checkoff program. 3. Provide beef producers the opportunity to petition for a referendum on increasing the beef checkoff. 4. Allow checkoff dollars to be used to promote U.S. beef; currently, no country can be specified in the promotion efforts. "The Beef Checkoff Program is consistently supported by more than 70 percent of beef producers, but there have been no modifications to the Beef Act and or Order since the program was adopted in 1986," said Larry Smith, new NC president. "While members support the program, they believe it can be improved. I fully agree and am proud that Nebraska Cattlemen is taking the lead by being the first cattle producer group to develop and promote this position. We will be working to get the modifications adopted at the NCBA Convention in February and then approved by Congress." Also, during the NC annual business meeting, Smith, an Ashland producer, was elected president; Todd Schroeder, Wisner, was elected president-elect; and Bill Rishel, North Platte, was elected vice president. Chuck Folken, Leigh, was re-elected to join the three officers as a member of the executive and finance committee. Greg Wiedel, Hebron, was also elected to serve on the executive committee. Larry Dreiling can be reached by phone at 785-628-1117 or by e-mail at ldreiling@aol.com. Date: 12/19/07
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