A new program increasing beef producer profitability has been formed. Cooperative Beef $olutions' combines superior genetics and advanced management technologies to capture the most net dollars per animal. The program includes four partners with each contributing a unique piece to the venture. This initiative accentuates the strengths of each company's individual products and services, combining them into one program. This cooperative approach provides producers, regardless of the size of their operation, the opportunity to "plug in" to a seamless conception-to-harvest program.

Genex Cooperative, Inc., offers superior genetics to the program through Artificial Insemination or Genex sired natural service herd bulls available from Genex seedstock customers. Midwest MicroSystems, L.L.C. adds its Cow Sense suite of software providing participants the most advanced on ranch analysis and profit-driven decision tools based on individual animal management. The additional off-ranch cattle measurement, management, marketing, and animal performance feedback functions will be provided by the ACCU-TRAC(R) Electronic Cattle Management (ECM(R)) System from Micro Beef Technologies, Ltd. Decatur County Feed Yard, L.L.C. near Oberlin, Kansas, performs the feeding and finishing aspects of the program along with the individual measurement and sorting of cattle in its state-of-the-art ACCU-TRAC(R) ECM facility. ECM(R) returns measured individual carcass data from the packer and links it to live performance data.

"We're excited that Genex customers and producers can benefit from accurate and comprehensive individual performance data on their cattle to gauge their genetic improvement programs," says Willie Altenburg, with Genex. "When you combine that with a marketing program driven by cutting-edge technology that allows them to capture the most net dollars per animal, then that's a winning combination." ©