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The Midwest Cattleman · April 21, 2022 · P32
You Can Have Your Feed Efficiency and Eat it, Too

Genetics solutions exist to achieve superior feed efficiency and superior carcass quality.

By Burt Rutherford
Let’s talk feed efficiency. That America, Kazakhstan, Russia improved
is, after all, very relevant to and China. by about 7
profitability in the cattle busi- It’s important to note that pounds a year
ness, especially given today’s feed efficiency and average with rough-
high feed costs. daily gain are not the same. In ly the same
But relevance is one thing. fact, in today’s marketing envi- number of
Reality is entirely different. ronment where most fed cattle days on feed.”
And the reality is that feed ef- are sold on carcass merit, aver- That has
ficiency has not received the age daily gain is only marginal- given pack-
focus it deserves as a key profit ly important. ers the green
driver for beef producers. “Just measuring gain alone light to push
That’s changing. Slowly, but does not tell you how well cattle feeders
it’s changing. they’re converting,” says Jerry to feed cattle
Here’s even better news: ge- Wulf, a cattle feeder, cow-calf longer and
netics and genetic tools exist producer and seedstock genet- to heavier
to build cattle that are highly ics supplier from Morris, Minn. outweights.
efficient while still meeting or “Average gaining cattle with That’s be- on feed. One-way cattle feeders
exceeding the carcass quality below average dry matter con- cause heavier carcasses im- can roll back cost of gain is find-
targets that earn packer premi- sumption that equates to good prove plant efficiency. ing genetics that convert feed
ums and satisfy consumers. feed conversion and good feed Given the historic premiums to saleable end product more

Let’s Define Feed Efficiency efficiency have more value than for upper two-thirds Choice and efficiently, even at heavier out-
In its simplest terms, feed the fastest gaining cattle that Prime, it makes economic sense weights.
efficiency is the ratio of pounds aren’t converting as well.” for feeders to maximize quality That’s best achieved by
He has the experience and premiums by choosing to feed
of feed consumed to pounds of numbers to back that up. He’s cattle longer on higher energy crossbreeding, Jim says. Using
gain. So if you have two steers a Continental breed such as
standing side by side at the feed been collecting feed efficiency rations to heavier outweights. Limousin or Lim-Flex on a
data on a pen basis in his feedy- However, this can be an expen-
bunk and one eats 6 pounds of British-based cow herd gives
feed to gain a pound and the ards for more than 30 years and sive proposition if animals are you the best of both worlds—
individual data on the cattle not genetically designed to con-
other eats 5.5 pounds of feed to the maximum combination of a
gain the same pound, the sec- in his seedstock operation for vert nutrients to saleable red balance between gain, feed effi-
meat as they reach historically
more than 15 years.
ond one is more efficient. ciency and carcass quality.
In any scenario, that’s good. What About Carcass Merit? heavy live weights. But in an effort to chase grid
In a time dominated by high Without a doubt, beef produc- “Feed accounts for some- premiums for upper two-thirds
feed costs, that’s even better. ers have done an outstanding where between two thirds and Choice and Prime, the industry
three-fourths of the input costs
“If we talk about feedlot prof- job of improving carcass qual- has tended to sacrifice another
itability, the biggest single driv- ity. That’s clearly documented of the feeding phase,” says Dr. key profit driver—feed efficien-
Bob Weaber, professor and
er is selling price,” says Dr. Kee by the increase in Choice and cy.
Jim, CEO of Feedlot Health Prime from around 64 percent director of the Kansas State As a result, Yield Grade (YG)
University Eastern Kansas Re-
Management Services. “But in 2010 to 83 percent of all cat- 4 and 5 carcass have increased
that’s not something you can tle graded so far in 2021, accord- search and Extension Centers. as well. “At this point in time,
“So, feed intake and the utili-
necessarily control. So then, ing to USDA’s Ag Marketing the percentage of cattle that are
feed efficiency or feed conver- Service. Of the cattle grading zation of those feed resources in Yield Grade 4 and 5, we’re
really gets at the heart of prof-
sion is by far the most import- Choice in 2021, 32 percent land- not in single digits anymore,”
ant production attribute.” ed in upper two-thirds Choice. itability in our business.” That’s Weaber says.
even more pronounced as corn
Feedlot Health Management That’s happened for several Then there are those carcass
Services offers a suite of feedlot reasons. One of the results of im- prices go up. premiums. While those dollars
“The feed to gain number
consulting services covering all proved genetics is that mature are certainly worth chasing,
aspects of procurement, produc- weights have increased. “We’ve is directly corelated to cost of there are some caveats to pon-
gain,” Wulf says. “And if you
tion and marketing. The com- selected very effectively for der.
pany is globally the largest of higher gaining cattle,” Jim says. lower feed to gain, you lower “Feedlots are only paid a pre-
cost of gain.”
its kind and has clients in the “If you look at carcass weights mium if the cattle grade better
What’s more, cost of gain in-
U.S., Canada, Mexico, Latin over the last 30 years, they creases the longer an animal is continued on page 34

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