SG_USA_October_2021

“Let the cream come to the top under your environment. And if you want good females, use semen out of bulls that produce good females. The power of genetic change is in the bulls.”

That’s our objective,” he explained. “If you buy a bull from us, we’re going to get your cows bred, and if the bull gets pinkeye or does something, then we replace the bull. “It’s an effort, but it’s appreciated, and it does pay,” Radakovich added. Achieving success in the beef indus- try doesn’t happen overnight. As young producers consider their future in the industry, learning from others, striving for balance and prioritizing customer service are three ways to get started on the right foot.

– Steve Radakovich

Prioritize Customer Service For producers just getting started, one of the most pressing questions is how to develop customers (and how to do so quickly). The panelists agreed that is a challenge that takes patience, persistence and some creativity. “[It’s] tough,” Radakovich said. “It takes a lot of capital. It takes a lot of trust [and] credibility, which comes with time.” Selling only high-quality cattle and pricing them appropriately is another thing producers should consider. “You never sell cheap bulls,” Jones said. “You don’t want to have the repu- tation of selling cheap, thin bulls. My suggestion is that they grow their bulls responsibly, grow them the way that you can build a long-term business, because you’re going to make happy customers that come back and are repeat customers.” “Selling a poor-quality bull does absolutely nothing for your reputation in the industry,” Kneibel said. “Be reli- gious and make sure that what you sell is worth selling.” Prioritizing customer service is well worth the effort and often results in repeat customers. “Service goes a long way if you want to stay in the business,” Jones told young producers. “Build your relation- ships with those customers.” According to Jones, one of the biggest services producers can offer commercial customers is the ability to purchase different breeds and encour- age crossbreeding. “There’s nothing that trumps cross- breeding in this business,” Jones said. “I think it’s extremely difficult to gain a new customer in this business, and once you get that customer, if you have multiple different breeds, it offers you the opportunity to keep that person’s business for the long term.” Helping customers market their cattle is another way to build strong customer relationships for the long term. “Anytime that you match one of your customers with a buyer of their cattle, you seal the deal for that person to be a repeat customer for the long term, and it’s easy to do that if you have qual- ity replacement heifers,” Jones said. “When we’ve linked those commercial

customers to those buyers, they’re a customer for the long term.” Sometimes you have to bend over backwards for customers but, Radakov- ich said, it’s worth it. “We don’t sell them a bull; we sell them the right to get their cows bred.

SANTA GERTRUD I S THE COMPLETE PACKAGE Maternal Quality Carcass Merit Maximum Heterosis

Santa Gertrudis Data Driven. Profit Proven. 361-592-9357 | santagertrudis.com

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