Enhance Profitability

How else can we describe the cattle market today other than “Crazy times.”

Throughout history of beef production, it has been those times of pressure, challenge and uncertainty, that our plans or lack of one, come to the forefront. We know the advantages to having a plan in place for marketing your calf crop or yearling cattle. While a plan is not always the exact or right decision when it comes to price, marketing is much more than just price. Having a plan in marketing is the most significant tool to maximize your genetics, health, performance and management to achieve a positive return for your efforts. At NextGen Cattle Company we offer many options for producers to participate in programs suited to achieve those returns and give our customers the security of “having a plan.”

NextGen Cattle Company is a seedstock operation that has its roots in commercial cow-calf production, stockers, and cattle feeding.

Our cattle feeding experience led us to the seedstock and bull production. The significant value we found in heterosis and health of crossbred cattle led us down a path of producing bulls that would work for cows of all types of breeds. We found 2 breeds that work well for us, Beefmaster and Charolais, whether we are ranching the cattle or feeding them to finish. At the end of the day, the cattle have to work for us and our customers.

There are several cattle marketing opportunities that exist for NextGen customers.

We own 2 feedyards in Kansas. NextGen at Allen, 9,000 head capacity, is used as a grow yard and a finishing yard and is located in Allen, KS. NextGen at Riverbend, 47,000 head capacity, is our finishing feedyard located in Hugoton, KS. Both facilities, including all NextGen ranches are BeefCARE, GAP, Natural and NHTC certified by third party auditors. These certifications create marketing opportunities for our customers. We feed both conventional, as well as program cattle.

According to Doug Stanton, VP of Sales & Business Management for IMI Global, “IMI Global has been providing traceability and third-party value-added programs to the beef industry for 20 years, so this isn’t something new to us. Over the last five years we’ve really seen producers benefit financially from the premiums they’ve received, and with the market fluctuating as much as it has this year, we were really happy to see that for our customers.”

“Our most exciting addition to the IMI Global programs this year was the launch of BeefCARE, the very first sustainability standard in the beef industry. BeefCARE has three pillars: animal husbandry, environmental stewardship, and people & community. We know sustainability is quite the buzz word lately, but we are confident we have defined it in a way that can truly showcase what beef producers are doing and help them tell their story with consumers,” stated Stanton.

Conventional cattle are raised with no management restrictions.

You do what works for your operation. Program cattle are raised under management protocols that fit certain beef consumers’ requests, i.e. no growth implants, no antibiotics, specified animal management practices, etc. These programs include NHTC (Non Hormone Treated Cattle), Natural (No antibiotics or implants, ever), GAP (Global Animal Practices) and BeefCARE (management and sustainability protocols). All program cattle have to be verified by third party auditors. If you’re interested, let us know. We can supply you with the contact information of an audit company. There are very robust markets for both products, which creates opportunities in the marketplace for NextGen sired calves.