Agricultural News
Population Growth Provides Opportunities for Beef Producers
Tue, 08 Apr 2014 11:20:52 CDT
Experts say world population will grow to 9 1/2 billion by 2050.
"Estimates are we need to increase our agricultural production by 70 percent to meet that future demand," says University of Wyoming Beef Specialist Steve Paisley. He says producers also need to be a part of that solution.
"We've made some tremendous improvements in the beef industry through technology and through some of the great management and breeding and nutritional efforts that we've had, but we've still got a ways to go. And, so, I really try to emphasize the point that we still have some room for improvement through many different avenues.
Although cattlemen have made advances in feed efficiency, that's not the only place to look when trying to produce more beef from fewer resources. For example, some surveys show only 12 percent of all producers use computerized records.
"Information is so powerful in general and I think we all need to utilize some of those things right at the tips of our fingers in making better selection decisions and better management decisions based on information. I think that's really a great place to start initially."
Paisley is optimistic that the beef industry will step up to embrace this challenge.
"There are really some opportunities from a future market standpoint. There are financial opportunities on the horizon. We've got a lot of great tools whether it's genetic or A-I or nutrition or selection tools. A lot of these things are right at our fingertips."
Using all of those in combination will help cattlemen not only feed the world but please consumers who are hungry for high-quality beef.
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