January 2026 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN 13 agement, producers could potentially see a decrease in labor costs or, given labor constraints, even an improvement in production performance. Some packing plants are now integrating AI-assisted cameras that scan the carcass to determine grade. “When the carcass passes that camera, the camera takes pictures and, within seconds, the AI algorithm compares those photos and the measurements it extracts from thousands or even millions of previously graded carcasses to predict the USDA Quality and Yield grades,” Xiong explains. “Human graders are still needed to make the final call, but this technology is saving a lot of time and has also streamlined the process to reduce the variability from human judgment.” Meg Scales, along with her husband, Tyler, own ELK Angus, a seedstock operation in Buffalo, Wyo. She utilizes AI chatbots to streamline decision-making processes, help calculate feed rations and even determine how much vaccine they need for branding. “How many times when you go to brand do you have to run back for vaccine or pour-on?” Scales says. “It seems like no matter how many times you try to do the math right on the back of whatever receipt is in your truck, or asking the rep at the feed store, inevitably you either end up buying too little or way too much. Then you end up sitting on it, and it freezes. “One of the first conversations I had with ChatGPT, I typed in, ‘This is how many calves we have, this is their approximate weight. This is how many cows we have and their approximate weight. How many bottles of ivermectin do you think that I need?’ In five seconds, it did the equation that would have taken me 10 minutes to determine the amount that we needed,” Scales says. “It came back with, ‘This is how many bottles you might consider using, and keep in mind that a lot of times people are buying too few because the adjustment on it might be off, so you might want to have one extra bottle just to have on hand.’ And it was exactly how much we needed.” In addition to using AI to determine the amount of pour-on and NasalGen to purchase so that they are not wasting money on excess products, Scales has also been using ChatGPT to figure out the most cost-effective way to put together their total mixed rations for feeding. “We were doing an analysis of the cost of hay vs. silage and looking specifically at this area, and it pulled data about how much feed input costs are in our area specifically,” Scales explains. “We still work with a nutritionist for all of our rations, but we were able to get in a place that allowed us to think about how to develop this ration, and what the lowest cost might be, using the regional data that’s publicly available through USDA and other places online.” Cons A common concern that has been voiced in regard to AI is that it will take jobs away from hardworking people. Although AI can learn to read data and patterns, and assist in many tasks, it currently is lacking in providing a human aspect that, simply put, is hard to replace with technology. “I think the biggest potential AI has is to help people and improve the efficiency,” Xiong says. “The goal of AI is never to replace the human aspect, particularly the intuition and decision-making components. Producers can use different aspects of AI to help them be more efficient with less input.” Alongside that concern is the question, “Will we learn to rely on AI too much and sacrifice some of those skills?” CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
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