by Lilly Platts
The beef industry relies on many technologies, from simple to complex. New innovations are always entering the market, and producers are tasked with balancing the cost and benefit of a new product. Canadian rancher, entrepreneur, and forward-thinker Sean McGrath finds value in many technologies, new and old, and shares how he balances these decisions by focusing on overarching goals.
The word technology may conjure up thoughts of complicated electronic devices, but for farmers and ranchers, the earliest technologies were simple. The old plow sitting in your junkyard was once a revolutionary, life-changing tool that allowed producers to dramatically increase productivity and profit. Barbed wire was a highly controversial technology that changed the course of Western history and beef production; today, it’s an essential tool. While technology is undoubtedly more complicated today, that doesn’t mean it should be avoided. There are many technologies producers can implement, from virtual fencing to drones and genetic testing. Deciding what to invest in may feel overwhelming, but can be simplified by defining short-term and long-term goals, and understanding your numbers.
Sean McGrath runs a fifth-generation cow-calf herd alongside his wife, Tanya, their three children, and his parents, Fred and Anne, near Vermillion, Alberta. McGrath also works in genetic improvement, markets forage seed, fencing supplies, and other ranch technologies to help producers move toward their goals.
The high plains are suited well for running cattle, but resources are not always abundant; harsh winters, wind, and drought are just a few of the challenges facing beef producers in eastern Alberta. To succeed, the McGrath family has to be extremely efficient and realistic about their inputs. Simply being thrifty doesn’t cut it, and investing in technology has been an essential part of being profitable.
McGrath enjoys thinking about and trying new technologies, but will only do so if it aligns with his operation’s larger goals. He believes that having a clearly defined vision is the first step when deciding what to invest in.
“It’s really about defining the vision of where you want your ranch to go. Then, the technology decision becomes really easy,” he explained. “I want to figure out what we’re trying to accomplish, and then use technology to figure out how to do that.”
The guiding vision for McGrath’s operation is “the best beef in a better world.” With this in mind, he can weigh the pros and cons of potential technology or management tools. “We are very quality-driven, and also very ecology-driven. We have a very good understanding of our land base, which is very unique in our area,” he said.
Technologies like carcass ultrasound, reproductive tract scanning, and high-density genomic testing allow McGrath to identify the best possible replacement heifers for his operation, highest-performing bulls, and also to adjust his breeding decisions if necessary. “We’re not just using the technology because we can, or are supposed to. It’s to get us toward our vision,” McGrath explained.
Understanding profit and cost, both short- and long-term, is also important. “You really have to know your numbers and your costs. We’ll look at something like a planned crossbreeding system, and our plan is not a short-term game. We do have to be profitable every year, but part of being profitable is having money to invest, which is a longer-term game. When we’re looking at bulls, we have an idea of the rough percentage of each breed we want in that cross that will work here. There are cattle within those breeds that will work here, and cattle that won’t. We’ll use the numbers to choose bulls. We use AI, sexed semen, and select for slightly different things across those breeds because they have complementary strengths. That’s a long-term game,” McGrath shared.
The environment in Eastern Alberta requires producers to be extremely careful with rangeland management. One season of overgrazing can do years’ worth of damage, and because of this, McGrath has adopted new technology over time to ensure the best management possible. “To start, it was as simple as keeping a calendar, and tracking the number of cows on each pasture for a period of time. We deal in a lot of native rangelands, so biodiversity is really important. We also do a lot of winter grazing. Now we use Land EKG, which is a lot more involved. It’s getting down on your hands and knees to assess the range, and using photo points to keep track of it over time,” he explained.
In general, McGrath believes that using simple technologies to measure and track various data points on an operation can have a big impact. “If you measure it, write it down, and keep track of it, as a manager you can’t lie to yourself anymore. It’s accountability,” he explained.
Measuring and tracking these various data points often feels overwhelming, and McGrath explained that this can be alleviated by identifying what actually matters. For example, a producer in Missouri operating on a smaller acreage likely won’t see the same cost-benefit of a drone as a producer like McGrath. The Missouri producer will spend significantly less time gathering cows, and is much less likely to have a cow spend a month on the neighbor’s place or go missing altogether. This decision may seem obvious, but for some producers who operate somewhere between these two scenarios, actually tracking the amount of time, labor, and cost required to locate cows could reveal that a technology like a drone would actually save money. McGrath said, “Some of the things that seem out of reach may actually have enough benefit that it’s worth taking the risk on.”
Choosing how to use a technology is also important. “Our terrain is rough and we use horses, but if I can launch the drone and know which gate to unload the trailer at, it saves us, and it saves our horses. To me, that’s innovation,” McGrath shared.
He emphasized the importance of understanding core goals. “You can get overwhelmed with measuring things, but when it’s tied in with that vision and direction, it’s not that hard to figure out what’s important. Then, you actually measure what’s important. For us, range health is one of our core values so we measure it. We also know cow adaptability is important. Our cows are only in the corral for a few hours every year, but we still weigh them each time. Once you have that core idea of what you want to accomplish, then the rest is just a plan of how you get there.”
Slowly implementing technology, from cover crops to GPS tracking, can also help producers evaluate the benefit of a potential technology. “If there is a way to trial something on a percentage of the cow herd, or of the land, that can be a good way to start,” McGrath said.
Technology also doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Simply evaluating available tools and figuring out new ways to use them can have a big impact. “Producers who are not technology-oriented can still be focused on innovation,” McGrath shared.
The current beef market may allow producers to invest in new technologies. McGrath cautions that during times like this, it is still important to be conscious of costs. “We have to be very careful to not let our cost of production reach market levels, because if the market goes back down we’re in trouble. Gross revenue doesn’t run a ranch; margin runs a ranch. If we have profit, we can reinvest it in our ecology, our cow herd, our communities, and our families. That’s what profit is for. That’s just a longer-term perspective.”
Beyond profit, technology can also help producers optimize their social impact. “One of our core values is to do right, and to do it right. One reason is that it is easier than ever now for people to see what we are doing. We have a responsibility anyway in that regard, but also, our social license is built on that. Technology can help us do that,” McGrath concluded.
