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Age of producers a factor in cowherd expansion

cattle grazing-bennett ne 3-30-12There’s been a lot of discussion about the need to start rebuilding the nation’s cowherd.  But one factor that may hinder expansion is the significant number of cow-calf producers over the age of 60—individuals who may not be interested in expanding their operations at this stage in their life.

Aaron Berger, an Extension educator at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, believes that “age” factor will impact the industry’s ability to increase animals in production.

“I think there are a number of folks in that position,” Berger says. “I think they’re also looking at the value increase in their asset base in that cow herd right now and saying, “You know this is a pretty nice nest egg, so to speak, as we think forward towards maybe starting to wind down the ranch career’.”

But there is good news, Berger says—a large number of young people who are hungry to get into the beef industry right now.

“So I think it provides an opportunity to look for ways to maybe partner with some of these younger folks in looking at a relationship—maybe leasing cows or something like that—where the older generation can still retain that asset for a period of time,” he says. “To be looking for an opportunity to bring someone new into the business and provide some of that enthusiasm and labor and just creativity that is needed as we go forward to expand this business.”

Issues around the rebuilding of the nation’s cowherd will be the focus of a conference November 4th and 5th in North Platte, Nebraska.  For more information on the “State of Beef” conference, visit the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Panhandle Station web page.

AUDIO: Aaron Berger

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