36 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN October 2024 LEGENDARY SINCE 1971 ROZOL PRAIRIE DOG BAIT Build your legacy with the legendary Rozol® Prairie Dog Bait. Brought to you by Liphatech Ag, your Most Valuable Partner for effective rodent control. Rozol Prairie Dog Bait is a restricted use pesticide. WE HAVE YOUR BACKS, BARNS AND BOTTOM LINES. carcass weights (HCWs) from the 2022 audit and assuming a 63 percent dress, we can estimate the average live weight of the animals to be 1,406 pounds Using this data, the average load weight would be 50,629 pounds. With these numbers, only a truck traveling on state highways would be within the legal limit. However, the 2022 audit also reported at least one load contained 47 head. Using the same assumptions, this load would have weighed just over 66,000 pounds, which exceeds the legal limit for all roads. So, who is responsible when a truck is overloaded? Is it the individual who ordered the trucks and requested too few trucks, or the driver of the loaded truck? This is where tensions may arise, but based on conversations with law enforcement, the driver will be held responsible roadside. I am aware that many drivers feel, “If I don’t load those cattle, I won’t be asked back and will lose business.” While this may be true, it will not exonerate the driver in the event of an accident. The fact is, all parties share responsibility. The individual coordinating the trucks is responsible for ensuring enough trucks are available to transport the cattle without exceeding weight limits. This person knows the number of head to be shipped and their average weight. The transporter is responsible for refusing to load over the legal limit. In the event of an accident involving injuries or fatalities, it would not be difficult for the media to cast a negative light on the livestock transportation industry if any regulations were violated and found to have contributed to the accident. Therefore, the industry must work to prevent such opportunities from arising. ~NC~ BQA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 32 resilience, with the carrying capacity estimated at 173 percent of the drought year. Cool-season dryland pastures follow closely behind at 168 percent. Finally, as expected, irrigated cool-season pasture carrying capacity is estimated to have improved the least at 118 percent of the previous year. By prioritizing the forage and pasture resiliency, intensifying the rotational system and making difficult and nontraditional decisions, the center was able to ensure not just the stability of the pasture resource, but also enhance its utility for the next season after weathering historic drought. System adaptability and a future-focused mindset is necessary to overcome challenges in grazing management. Although short-term or quick fixes can be effective, it is the resiliency, quality and carrying capacity of our pastures in the upcoming seasons that we must keep in mind. There will be dry years and wet years, and during the years in between, other challenges will arise. Livestock producers’ management practices should not strictly consider their survival and profitability for an individual year, but the sustenance of their operation and their resources for years to come. ~NC~ USMARC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 34
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