Production and Management of Beef Cattle

Overview of Beef Industry

• Seedstock Producers
• Commercial Cow-Calf Producers
• Yearling or Stocker Operator
• Feeders (feedlots)
• Packers
• Retailers
• Consumers

Most beef production occurs in three phases

• cow-calf
• stocker/yearling
• feedlot

Seedstock Producers

• 110,000
• Produce breeding stock
• primarily bulls
• some cows/heifers
• few cows and heifers for slaughter

Commercial Cow-Calf Producers

• 800,000
• Produce calves (6-10 months old) 300-700 lbs
• Provide cows and bulls for slaughter (>5yr)
• Located in areas where forage is abundant

Yearling/Stocker Operator

• Produce feeder steers (12-20 months) weighing 500-900 lbs.
• Move animals from one area to another to utilize resources
• Raising animals for growth and as a tool to market forage
• Well suited for early-maturing cattle which need slower gains to prevent overfinishing

Feeders/Feedlots

• 40,000
• Produce steers heifers, cows, and bulls for slaughter (16-30 months) weighing 900-1400 lbs
• Can utilize later-maturing cattle directly after weaning
• 10-15% of all slaughtered steers and heifers
• Provide harvested feed

Management of Beef Cattle

• Genetics
• Selection for reproductive performance most important. Why?
• % calf crop weaned
• Weaning weight (30%)
• Postweaning growth (40%)
• Feed efficiency (45%)
• Carcass Merit (40%) lineage

Selecting Replacement Heifers

• early conception
• ease of calving
• milk production
• weaning weight of calf
• # depends on cost of production and potential genetic improvement

Cow-Calf Management

Goal-- manage unit to optimize profitability

• Profitability assessed by:
  • calf crop weaned
    • number of calves produced per 100 cows
  • average weaning weight
  • annual cow cost
  • $ required to maintain the cow each year
    • includes ??

Example

Currently commercial cow-calf producers are weaning a 85% calf-crop and have a $375 annual cow cost. What weaning weight does the producer need to breakeven at the current rate of $0.92/lb of calf?

Annual Cow Cost/ lb of calf weaned = $92 per 100 lbs

Calf Crop % x weaning weight = lb of calf weaned per cow.

Annual cow cost/lb of calf weaned = price/hundredweight.

So: assuming 500 lbs weaning weight, 0.85x500lbs = 425 lbs calf weaned/cow,

$375 annual cow cost / 425 lb = $ 0.88/lb

Cow-calf operations are managed best by folks who understand the factors influencing calf crop, weaning weight, annual cow cost.

So what factors control these things?

• Nutrition
  • reach puberty on time
  • support pregnancy and growth
  • do not want over condition (decrease conception)
• Disease Control
  • range
  • milk production
• Environment
  • calving=heifers calf weight
  • weather
  • food, cows and calves (creep feed)
• Genetics
  • crossbreeding
  • selection for milk production = weaning weight

Annual Cow Costs

• #1 feed costs 50-70%. Where post-harvest feeds are available cost low
• Match cow type to available feed. Which breeds do better grazing?
• Labor costs
• Interest on capital investment
• pregnancy

Stocker-Yearling Production

• Take calves (weaned) and provide feed source to grow animals to market weight or for feedlot
• Primary factors affecting costs/returns
  • marketing (buying/selling cattle)
  • gaining ability of cattle (visual estimation)
  • amt. and availability of roughage
  • cattle health (mixing animals, stress)

Feedlot Management

Take stocker cattle and feed out to market weight.

Primary factors affecting costs/returns

• investment in facilities
• cost of feed
• cost of animals
• marketing