wide-ranging experience. I personally review records from 50 ranches to 100 ranches each year,” Swigert says. “Plus, people like me have access to other resources that can provide additional information and context for decision-making.” One such resource is the Standardized Production
Analysis (SPA) database overseen by Dr. Stan Bevers, an agricultural economist with Texas AgriLife Exten- sion. SPA is a compilation of production and fi nancial information taken from producers across the U.S. and divided by regions. The Southwestern Region’s database, which includes Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico, contains summarized data for approximately 356,000 cows from 526 southwestern herds. “SPA provides a baseline that I can compare opera-
tions to,” Swigert says. “If something is signifi cantly off of the baseline, it is a strong signal that something is going on in an operation that can and should be corrected.” For instance, if an operation has a cow cost of $800/
head, Swigert is alerted to a potential problem because cow costs should be in the $500 to $600/head range. To discover the outlying expenses, Swigert can take
an expense category such as labor, fertilizer or feed and divide it by the total number of cows on an indi- vidual ranch to get a cost per cow for that particular expense. If, for example, the fertilizer cost is $400/ cow, it becomes obvious where a problem is because the cumulative cost for the cows should be no more than $600. And that $400 fertilizer expense doesn’t leave much room for all of the other costs, he says. This practical analysis can lead to direct solutions
that strengthen the bottom line, but producers can’t analyze what they don’t have. “It takes 3 years of records to capture enough data
to spot a trend and make the data-based decisions that producers can have confi dence in, although even 1 year of data is better than none,” Swigert says. “Remember, everyone has to start somewhere. My
advice is to keep the record keeping system simple in the beginning and then build on that strong founda- tion of information.” Can record keeping and analysis really make a
difference? Yes, according to Swigert, it can make a dramatic difference. “I have seen operations that were losing $300 to
$400/cow/year improve to the point where they are now making $700 to $800/cow/year,” he says. “The difference isn’t that they now keep records, the differ- ence is that they now use the records they keep.”
tscra.org
For more information or to register, visit
www.noble. org/agevents or call Maggie Scott at 580.224.6375. Preregistration is requested.
Texoma Cattlemen’s
Conference Prosperity, Volatility and Sustainability
All phases of the cattle industry are experiencing high and volatile markets. As a result, cattle producers will face new challenges and opportunities. This year’s Texoma Cattlemen’s Conference will provide insight on how to successfully navigate through the current era. Beef industry leaders will provide state-of-the-industry information on beef sustainability, ag credit, risk management and the cattle outlook.
Saturday, March 21, 2015 Registration and Trade Show start at 8 a.m. Program is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ardmore Convention Center Early Registration Fee: $30 before Jan. 30 Regular Registration Fee: $40 after Jan. 30
14560_Texoma Cattlemen's Conference
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February 2015 The Cattleman 811/7/15 1:31 PM
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