Quick Poll... Do you implant your calves?

[grassfarmer]

I think this is identifying a real issue here. I would agree that the average Canadian calf pre weaning would conjure up an image that few competitors around the world could match(well if you ignore the frozen ears due to calving at ridiculous times of year in a severe climate) On the other hand once they enter the feedlots they will nearly always be implanted which effectively limits where the beef can be sold and currently keeps them largely captive on the N. American continent. On the other hand, although I have actively proposed resolutions with ABP to develop markets for hormone free beef and to reduce their use in the feedlots, if I sell my cattle to a feedlot I can't really dictate to them how they must treat the animals they just paid me for. This is an issue where the feedlot and cow-calf sectors need to put their heads together and decide if we can formulate a mutually beneficial approach.

Our local 4H club promotes all their calves as being hormone-free - I don't know about other clubs.

[perfecho]

Our 4-H club utilizes and advertise the "hormone free" aspect for sales. I have read in some 4-H manuals the "benefits" of implants...and it does fall within "accepted practices", however, personally I would rather eat meat that is not subjected to implants. (Just as I would rather eat peas and bread (wheat) that were not subjected to a plant killing chemical just before harvesting.)

[vagabonddreamer]

yes...we approached our regional 4-H executive about possibly having a "non implant" division...she wasnt too keen as she said it might upset some of the larger players...who were also larger sponsors...ie...they would not want to admit to using implants by NOT entering the "non implant" division..lol...whatever...our kids decided we are not THAT desperate to show a 1500lb steer by July..that we would start using implants...we advertise our beef as 4-H quality and as near to Or__nic as possible...another reason we do not feed pelleted products to our meat animals...vs

[Smithy]

We never have used them. This came up at our local Livestock Association meeting last year and out of about 50 cow/calf people polled only 2 still used them (both guys that market their calves as yearlings) and another 3 had used them in the past but stopped. One fellow didn't see the benefit, one had married an organic producer and another had gone to direct marketing to customers that preferred natural beef.

[kato]

What I'm getting here is that if a feedlot decided it wanted to pursue a non implant program, and market the finished product as such, that there is absolutely no problem finding calves to buy. The argument that a supply of non implanted calves is difficult to buy is therefore without merit. It's just an excuse.

It's also called an opportunity.

[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?