Old MacDonald Has Cattle Weighing And Other Expenses.

Old MacDonald has a farm, and on his farm, he weighs his cows. So this version of the classic children’s song goes. How happy and cute! In fact, a cow’s ordeal when being weighed is anything but happy and cute. So is the financial burden on old MacDonald. After all, Mr. MacDonald has a family to feed and bills to pay just like everyone else.

Some cattle ranches contain thousands of head of cattle. That is a lot of transporting and a lot of weighing that needs to be done. The price tag on the steak at the wholesaler, the supermarket, and the restaurant menu reflect the cost to farmer MacDonald in labor and equipment alone.

Other expenses such as delivery charges are on the rise because of fuel costs. Additional factors in the cost of production must also be considered since they also contribute to the rising cost of beef products. The price of feed has been pushed higher by the export market. Much of the profit depends on the price of feed and when it is purchased. In the past, a high grain market influenced lower cattle prices. Currently, limited supplies of corn as well as the soaring price of rented pasture – some landlords demanding up to $28 an acre making feedlots even more aggressive during bidding, are affecting beef prices everywhere.

So what can Farmer MacDonald and others in the industry do to help to offset the rising cost of beef products, decrease their expenses, and reduce stress on the cattle during the transportation and weighing process? What if old farmer MacDonald had a device that he can use to weigh his cattle without having to transport them? There are on the market, mobile weighing systems that go to the site so weighing livestock without transport is possible. Good try, but they are about the size of a city bus!  Again, however, this involves fuel and labor costs.

The idea is for farmer MacDonald to reduce his costs. Sure, maybe not having to transport his herd many miles to a weighing station by having a mobile weighing station come to him might help in cattle stress reduction and additional fuel and labor costs, but there will soon be an even more efficient way to weigh the cattle without having to disturb them from their grazing at all. The idea is to completely eliminate the cost of weighing for old MacDonald and for his cows!