Progress Everywhere Except One Track

This Week In Ag #164

From fields to feedlots, producers continue to steadily raise the bar in virtually every performance category, thanks to better genetics, product innovations and evolving management practices. Yesterday’s milestones are now today’s norms. With one major exception:

Secretariat.

This weekend, Golden Tempo was wrapped in roses after winning the Kentucky Derby in dramatic fashion. He galloped across the famed Louisville dirt in an impressive 2:02.21. But that’s still not near the 1:59:40 Secretariat ran 53 years ago. Now, 2.87 seconds may not sound like much time, but on the racetrack, that’s a whopping 17 horse lengths. Golden Tempo might not have even made it onto your TV screen at the finish if he were racing Secretariat.

In the greatest blowout in modern sports history, Secretariat secured the Triple Crown at the Belmont Stakes, winning by 31 lengths in record time. No other horse has come within two seconds of him since.

Just compare what Big Red did over half a century ago to other feats of genetic progress in agriculture.

In 1973, the average corn yield was 91 bushels per acre. Last year, American farmers produced a record 186 bu/A average. That’s nearly 100 bushels better. A typical dairy cow now produces twice as much milk as it did in 1973. Feed efficiency (pounds of feed per pound of weight gain) for feedlot cattle is now half of what it was then. Cotton yields have doubled.

Human performance has also accelerated rapidly, due largely to advancements in nutrition and training. In 1973, just two dozen world-class athletes could run a 4-minute mile. Now, the top high school track runners go under 4:00. Last month at the London Marathon, two runners broke the once unthinkable 2-hour mark. Not even the greatest Olympian in history could sustain his superiority for very long, as Michael Phelps no longer holds any world records.

Secretariat’s huge heart – which was said to weigh nearly 3x more than a normal thoroughbred – is often credited for his unmatched performance and stamina. Still, with all the advancements we’ve made in genetics, training and nutrition across the spectrums of agricultural and human performance – and with all the money on the line in horse racing – you’d think after more than 50 years, his dominance would somehow be eclipsed. It’s like Secretariat has outrun time itself.