BEEF CATTLE MANAGEMENT by David R. Hawkins Michigan State University

Comparison of Dairy & Beef Industries Biology same End Products Milk & Meat Meat Industry Structure Single Unit Full Time Segmented Part Time Management Intensive Extensive

Comparison of Dairy & Beef Industries Milk Level High Mod. to Low Breeds 1 to 5 70 + Crossbreeding Rare Frequent Use of A.I. Extensive Limited Genetic Traits 1 Primary Multiple

U.S. BEEF INDUSTRY STRUCTURE Seedstock Commercial Cow-Calf Dairy Stocker/Backgrounder Feedlot Packer Retailer Consumer 120,000 breeders 904,000 producers 117,000 farms 44,000 feedlots 1,250 packers 250 food chains 270+ million

BEEF INDUSTRY TIMELINE Conception to Calving Calving to Weaning Stocker/Backgrounder Feedlot Packer Retailer Consumer Total 9 months 6 to 8 months Variable (2 to 8 mo.) Variable (3 to 7 mo.) 3 to 7 days Variable About 30 to 32 mo.

SIZE of CATTLE OPERATIONS Dairy and feedlots tend to be full time. Beef cow herds tend to be part time U.S. average herd size is 38 head 1 to 49 hd = 28.9% of cows (78% of farms) 50 to 99 hd = 19.1% of cows (12% of farms) 100 to 499 hd = 37.1 % of cows (9% of farms) >500 head = 14.9% of cows (0.7% of farms)

BREED REGISTRATIONS 2001 Angus – 271,222 Hereford – 80,976 Limousin – 49,036 Charolais – 45,354 Simmental – 44,159 Red Angus – 41,900 Gelbvieh – 32,323 Beefmaster – 30,416 Brangus – 25,500 Shorthorn – 21,608 Brahman – 15,000 Maine Anjou – 12,267 S. Gertrudis – 11,500 Salers – 10,286 Chianina – 6,679 T.Longhorn – 6,200

BEEF BREEDING SYSTEMS Straight breeding Crossbreeding Two Breed Cross Breed complementarity Heterosis or hybrid vigor Individual heterosis Maternal Heterosis Two Breed Cross Terminal Sire Two Breed Rotation Three Breed Rotation Rotation + terminal Sire Composite

Effects of Heterosis on Lbs. of Calf Weaned per Cow Mated

Fun facts There are over 1 billion cows alive today in six continents around the world. 25% of the Earth’s land is used as pasture for cattle raising. In Australia, the number of cows exceeds the number of people by 40%, and is a major cause of land degradation and soil erosion due to overgrazing. In South America there are 9 cows for every 10 people. In Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Brazil, the # of cows equals or exceeds the # of people. In America, there is one cow for every 2 ½ people

Western European countries produce 17% of output. More fun facts The United States produces 22% of the total beef output in the world, & North and South American continents combined produce 43% of total output. Western European countries produce 17% of output. The beef industry is the 4th largest manufacturing industry in the country, and generates 36 billion $ annually. California is the largest dairy producer in the states, with an average of 665 cows per dairy farm, while the national average is 100/dairy farm. California’s milk production per cow is 20,788 lbs, 17% higher than the national average.  

Example of a Three Breed Rotational System

BREEDING SEASON MGT. I Breeding Soundness Exam Natural Service with Bulls Yearling – 10 to 20 females Two Year Old – 20 to 30 females Mature bull – 30 to 40 females Artificial Insemination Less than 5% of cows in commercial herds Up to 40% of cows in seedstock herds

BREEDING SEASON MGT. II Limited season results in uniform calf crop 60 days would be ideal 100 to 120 days is more common Michigan Beef Cows Calving by Month Jan. & Feb. 7.3% March 24.2% April 39.7% May 17.1% Other 11.8%

BREEDING SEASON MGT. III At weaning (7 mo.) heifers should weigh 45% of mature weight. At breeding (15 mo.) heifers should weigh 65% of mature weight. At calving (24 mo.) heifers should weigh 85% of mature weight. Measure pelvic areas prior to breeding Use light birth weight and low birth weight EPD bulls for mating to heifers

MICHIGAN COW CALF NUTRITION Pasture 5/15 to 10/30 – 165 days 1 to 5 acres per cow calf pair Harvested Forage 11/01 to 5/14 – 200 days Corn stalk residue – 30 to 60 days Grass-legume hay or silage – 140 to 200 days Free Choice Minerals Salt, Ca, P, Mg + Trace Minerals Clean fresh water

COMMON NUTRTIONAL PROBLEMS in BEEF COWS Thin Cows Body Condition Scores (1 to 9) 5 to 6 is ideal Calving Difficulty & Delayed Rebreeding Dry vs. Lactating Fat Cows Calving Difficulty and Reduced Milk Flow Legume Bloat Grass Tetany

SEPARATE HERD INTO MANAGEMENT GROUPS Bred Heifers & Thin Cows Dry Mature Cows Lactating Cows Weaned Heifer Calves Mature Herd Sires Young Bulls

HERD HEALTH PROGRAM I Calving Season Castrate & Dehorn Colostrum within first hours after birth Iodine navel Selenium – Vitamin E Scour Vaccine (E.coli 7/or Viruses) Castrate & Dehorn Implant non replacement calves Vaccinate Cows (IBR, BVD, PI3 + Lepto)

HERD HEALTH PROGRAM II Pasture and Breeding Season Deworm & Control Flies Vaccinate heifer calves for Brucellosis Consider Blackleg & Malignant Edema Creep feeding is optional Keep free choice mineral available

HERD HEALTH PROGRAM III Preweaning Vaccinate calves for IBR, BVD, PI3, Blackleg & Hemophilis somnus Castrate and dehorn if not done earlier Get calves used to eating grain & drinking water from troughs Weaning Time Pregnancy check females exposed to breeding

HERD HEALTH PROGRAM IV Late Gestation Booster vaccinations Grub & lice control Late Gestation Check mineral for P and Se Treat for lice if they are a problem Consider scour vaccine for cows & bred heifers

RECORD KEEPING 27.6% of beef cow calf operations have no records at all. 65.2% keep records by hand Source- National survey of 3,300 producers in 48 states

Types of Records Inventory Ancestral Performance Health Birth, weaning and yearling data Health Vaccinations and examinations Financial – IRM & SPA

EXPECTED PROGENY DIFFERENCES (EPD) EPDs can be calculated for any trait that we can measure. EPDs are estimates of the genetic ability of animals to transmit to their progeny EPDs are expressed in the same units as the trait is measured Analyses are done by the national breed associations

EPDs continued Breed average is not “0”. EPDs change over time as more information enters the analyses. Most breeds run two analyses per year. They are widely used and widely accepted in the industry Accuracy ranges from 0 to .99

IRM & SPA Integrated Resource Management (IRM) is a system approach to managing a farm or ranch. Standardized Performance Analysis (SPA) is a way of analyzing records of both production and financial performance of a farm or ranch in order to make better decisions and impact profitability.

2000 ILLINOIS SPA SUMMARY Calf Crop Weaned 82.9% Average Weaning Weight 486 lbs. Lbs.weaned/Cow Exposed 420 lbs. Annual Cow Cost $ 305 Feed cost was $ 209 Breakeven Calf Price $ 73/cwt. Investment per cow $ 1,858

HOW TO IMPROVE PROFIT Improve Reproductive Rate Wean Heavier Calves Wean Higher Value Calves Develop Alliances and Retain Ownership Reduce Cow Herd Costs Use cattle inventory and price cycles in management decision making

CATTLE INVENTORY & PRICE CYCLES High inventory = low prices Low inventory = high prices Historically cattle inventory cycles have averaged 9.6 years long from peak to peak. In 2001, we are at the low inventory part of this cycle. Cow calf producers should be profitable for the next 4 to 5 years.

STOCKER/BACKGROUNDER Purchase weaned calves in fall, sell in the spring Goal is 1.5 to 1.75 lb. ADG Moderate energy, high roughage rations Growth and normal development are the goals Fattening is not a goal. Grazing winter wheat in the southern plains states from November to March Wintering on hay &/or silage in Michigan

STOCKER/BACKGROUNDER continued Buy yearlings in late winter and graze in summer. Goal is 180 to 300 lb. gain in 120 to 150 days Some programs will combine both a winter stocker and summer grazing program before entering the feedlot.

STARTING CATTLE ON FEED First day begin with top quality grass hay Second day top dress hay with grain or silage Transition to high energy ration should be made over 10 to 14 days to avoid digestive upsets. Don’t use all NPN supplements until calves weigh at least 600 lbs. Keep fresh feed and water available at all times

FEEDLOT NUTRITION Grains – Corn, Barley & Milo Roughages – Corn Silage, Alfalfa Hay or Haylage Protein Supplements Soybean or Cottonseed Meals Brewers Grains Urea or Anhydrous Ammonia

NUTRITIONAL PROBLEMS Acidosis on high energy rations Ionophores (Rumensin or Bovatec) help Founder (laminitis) on high energy rations Bloat Urinary calculi Need Ca:P ratio > 1.1 Often occurs on high energy diets

FEEDLOT STEERS & HEIFERS Steers gain 8% to 15% faster than heifers of same body size. Steers consume 5% to 10% more feed than heifers. Heifers require 2% to 10% more lbs. of feed per lb. of gain than steers Some feeders tend to over fatten heifers To be equal in profit, heifers must be purchased about 10% to 15% less per cwt. than steers.

FEEDLOT STEERS & BULLS Bulls gain more rapidly and more efficiently than steers. Bulls produce leaner carcasses that are more variable in tenderness than steer carcasses. Bulls are more difficult to manage than steers or heifers. There is only a limited market for bull beef.

AGE OF FEEDLOT CATTLE Yearlings gain 10% to 20% faster than calves depending on weight and condition. Yearlings consume 10% to 40% more feed than calves. Yearlings are less efficient in converting feed to gain than calves. Yearlings require fewer days in the feedlot to reach final weight and carcass grade. Western U.S. feedlots prefer to feed yearlings.

BREED EFFECTS Larger continental breeds gain faster than British breeds, but must be carried to heavier weights to grade choice. There is little difference in feed efficiency when fed to the same carcass endpoint. Holsteins require about 10% more feed per lb. of gain than beef breeds but ADG is similar to beef breeds.

EFFECT OF BODY CONDITION When placed on comparable diets, thin cattle gain faster and more efficiently than fatter cattle. This phenomenon is called “compensatory gain”. Cattle feeders try to avoid buying fat feeder cattle unless they are priced somewhat lower per cwt. than thin feeder cattle.

FEEDLOT PROFIT OR LOSS Dekalb feedlots average profit per head over a 23 year period was $ 26. Profitability is influenced by changes in the grain and cattle markets. Risk can be controlled by use of contracts and trading for future market access. Marketing skills are critical for success.