Quick Poll... Do you implant your calves?

[hgb]

Yes, I implant. Right or wrong I don't know. If I was selling into a niche market, that demanded it I wouldn't, the customer is always right.
We all sell pounds of beef, and are all looking for return on investment and to make a living. I see a buck and half implant returning 20-40 back as a good investment. No you can't implant calves at a spring branding without putting calves thru a chute. Probably a big reason why more implanting isn't done.
Just my two cents, and we eat beef three times a day around here from these cattle and my worst abnormality is I still love farming. It's just what ever works for you.

[wilbur6]

If you are interested Spend a few minutes on the sales cataloques available on line each week for Satelite, DLMS and Team, as sellers list their implant use.
For producers with significant numbers science says implants add to the bottom line.

[sagewood]

No don't use them. Drugs are a great invention to use when the need arises to cure an ill, but to use them as a muscle enhancer--just seems similar to giving steroids to athletes. I would love to be able to sell my cattle into a feedlot that does not implant and would actually have a market and an enhanced price for the extra effort I put into my calves to send them out into the world natural and healthy.

[grassfarmer]

Wilbur6, I don't follow your logic on the numbers issue. Surely this is a scale neutral program as long as you have enough to use up all the implants in a pack and already have a chute on your place. The return per animal will presumably be the same if you have 50 calves or 5000 calves?