Zoetis, Select Sires partner to help cattle producers apply data for decisions
Zoetis and Select Sires Inc. have announced a partnership to help cattle producers gain more from data.
The partnership provides a grid marketing service, GeneNet, which will provide Performance Livestock Analytics customers a designated marketing platform to communicate and promote the value of their cattle.
Select Sires’ farmer-owners will gain value with access to the Precision Animal Health portfolio from Zoetis, Parsippany, New Jersey, including beef genetic testing and Performance Livestock Analytics software.
The GeneNet grid marketing service negotiates fed-cattle pricing based on carcass characteristics including quality and yield grade. With this partnership, Performance Livestock Analytics customers will receive an exclusive offer to use GeneNet’s competitive marketing grids and gain bargaining power for the quality cattle they raise, plus carcass data on those cattle.
“This partnership creates a winning opportunity for producers,” said Justin Sexten, head of Industry and Network Partnerships, Precision Animal Health, Zoetis. “GeneNet allows cattle feeders to leverage their animal data from our management software to strategically market their investment in quality genetics and exceptional management. This information arms them with collective negotiation power on GeneNet’s marketing grids to communicate to buyers the value of their cattle.”
Cloud-based software developed by Performance Livestock Analytics, part of Zoetis, helps digitize cattle records and turn data into actionable insights to inform strategic decisions regarding health, genetics, marketing and financials.
Sandra Utter, GeneNet manager at Select Sires Inc., Plain City Ohio, said the collaboration with Zoetis will help drive better genetic and management decisions to breed and market quality cattle.
“Because Select Sires is positioned at the front and back end of the beef production chain, we can help beef producers capture and analyze data that allows them to create, measure, manage and make changes to increase profitability from conception to consumption,” Utter said. “Data captured in Performance Beef can help us evaluate cattle performance in the feedlot and provides the necessary history and genetic makeup critical to successfully marketing on GeneNet grids.”
Through this partnership with Select Sires, Zoetis will begin the development of connecting the carcass data to the digital ecosystems for Performance Livestock Analytics and BLOCKYARD to enable more seamless management and genetics decision-making tools. This integration will provide participating customers access to valuable carcass data within their current platform for Performance Beef. This will help minimize data entry and also provide producers insights into how their use of elite genetics is performing on the rail and adding value.
Select Sires customer, Trent Winter, of Wintergreen Farms in Clifton, Kansas, has benefited from marketing cattle through GeneNet. He emphasized the need for data to make good marketing decisions.
“Without the data, it’s hard to see the progress or know the areas to improve,” Winter said.
From the carcass data Wintergreen Farms received from GeneNet, they made sire selection adjustments to improve their cattle’s marbling ability and ultimately optimize both premiums and yields on the grid.
For Zoetis and Select Sires customers interested in learning more about competitive and profitable marketing opportunities for their cattle, visit GeneNetBeef.com.
