Bob Cervera: Tom Jones likes it when everything at his Kansas feedyard is in order. That's why he drives through the yard to check on the animals in his care.
Tom Jones: I just want to make sure that we're taking care of the cattle's needs right. Cattle will always tell you what they need. The problem is the business is so fast, sometimes we don't have time to stop and see what they're asking for.
Bob: His crew takes the extra time and steps to make sure all the feeding details are on track for success.
Tom: The ideal cattle that would come into the feedyard would be cattle that have never had a bad day. That is part of why we have the research center going on here and part of the interaction we have with the commercial cattleman that we are working with today. Even our stockers and our backgrounders, we are working with them as well. So if you look at a lot of different programs that are in place today, if we make sure the vaccination program is done right properly, we have a 65-day wean period at least minimum on the cattle. We really have a great nutrition program to follow along with that as well. Then the cattle will come to the feedyard, and they'll do well for us, and will alleviate a lot of the problems we have with any sickness with the cattle, or digestive upsets a lot easier to manage.
Bob: They'll grade better, too. That takes communication with everyone from suppliers to feedyard employees. It's important for all to embrace a low-stress mindset.
Tom: Nothing we do at the feedyard is a timed event so to speak. We move cattle slowly. We process cattle slowly. We get asked all the time on our different barns how many cattle can be run through in a day, and I really don't know, probably not as many as everybody else does. Like I say, it doesn't matter to us how the cattle are handled. Though cattle will tell you how fast they want to go.
Bob: Their goal for all the cattle in their pens? To keep improving besting last year's results. I'm Bob Cervera.
[00:02:01] [END OF AUDIO]
