Networking People

The word networking was one of the buzzwords of the eighties. More recently, it has become one of the hot topics of the swine industry. Networking has been defined as a means of gaining access to a set of advantages which by yourself, or with your own resources, you would not be able to acquire. So networking is about working with other people to gain an advantage. The advantage might be in marketing, information, purchasing, labor, or capital investments. There are examples of successful networks in every human endeavor. History is full of examples. But what does networking have to do with the cow-calf industry in the northern plains? The argument is that cattlemen are an independent group, and that we like it that way. The opposite of independence is dependence, and cattlemen don\u27t like being dependent on anyone or anything. However, networking is about interdependence. Successful networks are synergistic. That is, the activity of individuals in the network will serve to enhance the efforts of all the other members of the group. To meet our common goals, we need every advantage, especially ones that we cannot gain by ourselves. Because it allows us to gain an advantage, networking has become a very important and timely concept for today\u27s cattle industry

Managing Pastures During and After Drought

Drought provides dramatic evidence of the role of short- and long-term management of native rangeland and tame pastures. Proper management of range and pasture resources during drought is critical for sustainable livestock production and centers on one key strategy: reducing stocking rate

Drought and Stocking Rate Effects on Forage Yield from Western South Dakota Rangelands

The vegetation of rangelands in a large portion of western South Dakota is an overstory of cool-season grasses such as western wheatgrass and green needlegrass and an understory of warm-season grasses such as blue grama and buffalograss (Fig 1). In semi-arid environments, precipitation is the main factor that determines forage production. Many western South Dakota counties receive less than 17 inches of annual rainfall, with 75% occurring between April and October. Pastures are usually managed as large units (more than 160 acres) because fencing and water developments are costly. Regrowth is usually limited to the spring, and 90% of forage is produced by July 1 (Heitschmidt 2004). Most grazing systems are continuous season-long grazing or simple rotational grazing with less than eight pastures

Factors Affecting Profitability of the Cow-calf Enterprise in the Northern Great Plains

One hundred and forty eight privately owned and operated cow-calf enterprises were surveyed for their production and financial performance measures and the results analyzed for factors that affected profitability. The results of these analyzes indicate that for cow-calf enterprises in the Northern Great Plains, high levels of profit are a function of lower than average investment, above average reproductive performance, lower than average total expenses, and above average market prices for calves produced. Neither high nor low levels of other biological production, geographical region, size of operation, or year were factors that explained differences in profitability. Profitability measured as Return on Assets (ROA) in the High Profit group (18.16%) was higher (P\u3c0.01) than Medium or Low Profit groups and are very competitive with opportunities available in other sectors of the economy. The profit levels in the Medium and Low Profit groups (2.88% and -15.55%) are not competitive with other opportunities for investment in the economy. The long-term financial viability of the operations in these two groups would be difficult without other sources of income or investment

Using the Balanced Scorecard for Ranch Planning and Management:Setting Strategy and Measuring Performance

The key to business success—whether operating a ranch or a Fortune 500 company—lies in management and planning. It’s the ability to have foresight, to carefully evaluate and choose appropriate new concepts and technologies, and to implement a well thought- out plan that complements all aspects of the business. The highly-respected former CEO and chairman of General Electric Jack Welch put it this way: Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion. How does that description apply to you? Are you a visionary business leader for your ranch enterprise? Or can you become one? This manual introduces the “Balanced Scorecard” developed by Dr. Robert Kaplan of the Harvard Business School and Dr. David Norton. The duo authored the book The Balanced Scorecard: Translating Strategy Into Action, and the scorecard format has been used by thousands of global companies and small businesses since the early 1990s when it was initially developed. While this concept may be relatively new to the ranching community, adopters of this approach to management include corporate icons like General Electric, DuPont, Ford Motor Company, IBM, and Walt Disney World. Using the scorecard, a manager can clearly see the things that need to be measured to “balance” different competing parts of the ranch. For example, rather than analyze financial records alone—which are only capable of telling of past events—this approach also takes into account things such as customer relationships, ranch processes, and investment in family members and employees’ learning and growth— all of which can have an impact on future business success. Central to the effectiveness of the Balanced Scorecard is viewing the business (your ranch) from these perspectives and then developing strategies and evaluating outcomes relative to each of those perspectives. By doing so, you can build a stronger base for your future sustainability. To that end, this manual offers a step-by step guide for the ranching industry to adopt the Balanced Scorecard and move toward managing for ranch business success

Strategic and Scenario Planning in Ranching: Managing Risk in Dynamic Times

ContentSteps Toward Success Stage 1: Charting the Course: Creating the Vision Step 1: Assess current situation and inventory of ranch resources Step 2: Conduct SWOT analysis Step 3: Establish a vision for the ranch business Stage 2: Determining Strategies to Achieve the Ranch’s Vision Step 4: GAP analysis Step 5: Alternative strategies to close the gap Stage 3: Scenario Planning for the Ranch Step 6: Describe multiple scenarios Step 7: Select and evaluate the most-probable Scenarios Stage 4: Merging Strategies and Scenario Planning Step 8: Determine strategies with the highest likelihood of success Stage 5: Putting the Plan Into Action and Measuring Success Step 9: Implementation of the strategic plan Step 10: Monitor performance with the Balanced Scorecard Conclusionase for Strategic Planning: Consider ethanol’s impact Appendi

Spring Drought Effects on Rangeland Forage Yield from Clayey Ecological Sites in Western South Dakota

Understanding the historical influence of seasonal precipitation, especially spring precipitation, and stocking rate on forage yield would be desirable for planning purposes. The objectives of this study were to examine the historical precipitation pattern and how it influenced forage yield on pastures that were stocked at light, moderate, and heavy stocking rates for 15 years at the Cottonwood Range and Livestock Research Station in western South Dakota. Weather data from 1909 to 2004 at the station were analyzed to determine the frequency of occurrence of below (≤75 of mean), normal, and above normal (\u3e125% of mean) spring precipitation (April, May, June). Additional data from the station provided for an examination of the relationships between weather and forage yield from pastures grazed at three stocking rates. Forage yield and precipitation data were collected from 1945 to 1960 from pastures continuously grazed from May to November at 0.25, 0.40, and 0.60 AUM/acre. Analysis of variance was used to test influence of spring precipitation (spring drought and non-spring drought) and stocking rate (light, moderate, and heavy) on forage yield. Below normal, normal, and above normal spring precipitation occurred 29, 48, and 23% of the time, respectively. Forage yield in spring drought years was 420 lb/ac less (P \u3c 0.01) than in non-spring drought years. Lightly stocked pastures had 38 and 71% more (P \u3c 0.01) forage than moderate and heavily stocked pastures. Spring droughts reduced forage yield (P \u3c 0.01) in light, moderate, and heavily stocked pastures by 20, 27, and 35%, respectively. Forage yield from lightly stocked pastures during spring droughts was similar to heavily stocked pastures in non-spring drought years. Our study indicates that spring precipitation should guide stocking rate decisions made during the growing season. Light and moderate stocking rates reduce the impact of spring drought on forage yield more than heavy stocking rates

Estimated South Dakota Land Use Change from 2006 to 2012

Grasslands play a key role in providing wildlife habitat and recreation, as well as in range and pasture livestock production systems by producing high quality animal protein for human consumption. Croplands provide high quality grains for human consumption, coarse grains for ethanol production, and along with forages, feed for confined livestock production systems. These livestock systems also produce high quality animal protein for human consumption. Both land use systems play important roles in a wide range of societal issues facing South Dakota including economic productivity and development, water quality and quantity, health of rural communities, urban development, and additional aspects of quality-of-life long associated with the state. The purpose of this study was to estimate land use changes in South Dakota from 2006 to 2012. Estimates of land use changes were calculated based on proportions of visually observed land use using high resolution imagery (\u3c 2-m resolution) at the same 14,400 sampling points in the years 2006 and 2012. Between 2006 and 2012, the estimated grassland losses were 1,837,100 acres (±21,100). Grassland losses resulted in increased acres devoted to cropland (1,439,500 acres ±15,600), roads + buildings (nonagricultural purposes, 27,400 acres ±110), wetlands + forest (habitat, 126,800 acres ±690), and open water (243,300 acres ±860). The consequences of changes in land use in South Dakota may impact a wide range of stakeholder and interest groups, as well as society in general

Forecasting Forage Yield on Clayey Ecological Sites in Western South Dakota using Weather Data

The ability to forecast annual forage yield from weather data would be useful for making appropriate adjustments to stocking rates in order to achieve or maintain desired plant communities. Our objective was to determine the relationship between weather variables and annual forage yield from three distinct plant communities on clayey ecological sites in western South Dakota. Forage yield and weather data were collected from 1945 through 1960 at the Cottonwood Range and Livestock Research Station, in western South Dakota. Pastures stocked at 0.25, 0.40, and 0.60 AUM/acre from 1942 to 1960 developed into western wheatgrass-dominated, western wheatgrass-shortgrass co-dominated, and shortgrass dominated plant communities, respectively. Forage data were compiled from previously reported data and raw data. Spring (April-June) precipitation, the last calendar day that the minimum temperature was 30oF or below, and previous year’s spring precipitation were best predictors (R2 = 0.81) of forage yield in western wheatgrass dominated plant communities. Spring precipitation and the last calendar day that the minimum temperature was 30oF or below were best predictors (R2 = 0.69) of forage yield in western wheatgrass-shortgrass co-dominated plant communities. Spring precipitation was the best predictor (R2 = 0.52) of forage yield in shortgrass dominated plant communities. In western South Dakota, managers of these plant communities can make reliable estimates of annual forage yield by the end of June using precipitation and temperature measurements

Tumor suppressor Tsc1 is a new Hsp90 co-chaperone that facilitates folding of kinase and non-kinase clients

The tumor suppressors Tsc1 and Tsc2 form the tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), a regulator of mTOR activity. Tsc1 stabilizes Tsc2; however, the precise mechanism involved remains elusive. The molecular chaperone heat-shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is an essen- tial component of the cellular homeostatic machinery in eukary- otes. Here, we show that Tsc1 is a new co-chaperone for Hsp90 that inhibits its ATPase activity. The C-terminal domain of Tsc1 (998–1,164 aa) forms a homodimer and binds to both protomers of the Hsp90 middle domain. This ensures inhibition of both subunits of the Hsp90 dimer and prevents the activating co- chaperone Aha1 from binding the middle domain of Hsp90. Conversely, phosphorylation of Aha1-Y223 increases its affinity for Hsp90 and displaces Tsc1, thereby providing a mechanism for equilibrium between binding of these two co-chaperones to Hsp90. Our findings establish an active role for Tsc1 as a facilita- tor of Hsp90-mediated folding of kinase and non-kinase clients— including Tsc2—thereby preventing their ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation