The ANCWA and WIRED Convention
#bfrdpwy #aginternship #RightRisk
It’s been an exciting week and my favorite so far. My adventures, early in the week, were primarily disking. What was a new and nerve racking task last week is now a habit and very comfortable. My host was kind enough to “spoil” me with the nicest tractor. To my surprise there was Bluetooth, self steering, and GPS. This made my days even more entertaining because I could jam out while operating the tractor. Not to mention I enjoyed the self steering feature.
Now onto the most exciting part of my week which was the American National Cattle Women’s Association ( ANCWA) and WIRED Convention. These events were located in Columbus, Montana. If you haven’t been to Columbus make sure you don’t blink because you would miss it. Friday morning we started our weekend at the ANCWA event. There were numerous speakers that educated us on mental health, primal beef cuts, insurance, and new products in the animal pharmaceutical industry. Concluding the presentations a meeting was held where committees updated members and business was debated and voted on. These were very enriching and were great ways to make connections and learn more about the industry that I love. After this weekend I plan to become a member and even join the collegiate chapter.
Following the ANCWA we went straight to the WIRED Convention. This was held at the Midland Bull test, just down the road. Being a Wyoming native and cattlewoman, I knew about Midland for years and even hope one day I consign a bull in the sale. This was so exciting because their operation is industry leading. We started out by hearing from the Midland operators and learned about their operation and goals. We then advanced outside to tour the facility. I thought it was so cool to observe the bunk technology. Each time an animal eats, their RDFI tag scans, summarizes and reports a number of metrics, including; weight, time eating, time drinking, and how many times they entered the bunk. This information is essential in a bull test because efficiency is everything in the cattle world.
A highlight of my weekend was listening to all the experts because absorbing the information is good for my own operation. My biggest take away was from Steve Williams, operator of the Midland bull test, “a cow’s tag number is an employee ID in my operation.” This opened my eyes because it was so true! They need to be efficient workers that wean a heavy calf every year or they are not a good fixture in your own herd. In today’s world it’s vital that cattle become efficient and every rancher needs to have this goal.
We also practiced skills such as branding, vaccinating, implanting, tagging, and chute operating. After learning and refreshing these skills I passed the Beef Quality Assurance Test. This is a great tool for selling my own beef because it verifies I’m humanly handling cattle and producing a high quality product. This will help me sell my own products for more money. I’m all for it because raising cattle and being a full time student is not easy on the check book.
I love being a part of organizations like these because they stand for the future of beef and agriculture. As a rancher and agriculturist it is my duty to provide the public with food and information. Attending conferences like these builds my confidence with talking to the public. Knowing how to talk to the public is a great skill and I have reflected on many times where this knowledge would have been helpful. Knowledge is truly power and the agricultural industry needs more representation.
Submitted by: Maggie McStay
Edits by: GrowinG Internship Team
