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ADDING VALUE in value and cost of feeding The Midwest Cattleman · August 20, 2020 · P25
continued from page 15 to determine profitability. Expect the dry matter intake K STATE
cull cow feeding is being con- If cows come off pasture in of cows fed grain-based diets continued from page 7
sidered. good condition, no quality en- to be approximately 2.5 to 3.0
Approximately half of the hancement is expected, cost percent of body weight. Nor- many daughters from a bull,
profit potential will be deter- of maintenance may be high mally, there should be at least they will have to be careful to
mined the day cull cows are and revenue comes only from 60 to 80 percent concentrate in avoid in-breeding by limiting
bought or started on feed and price increase. a grain-based diet. One can ex- the sire-daughter matings to
will be based on the purchase Factor 3: Feed To Gain Cheaply pect gains of 3 pounds or better reduce the risk of genetic com-
price, body condition, and Feeding cull cows grain- if the diet contains 80 percent plications,” Weaber said.
health of the cows. Cow feed- based diets for only 30 days grain and compensatory gain When bulls come off the
ing experience dictates that a will result in the most rapid is expected. The feed to gain summer pastures, Larson ad-
neutral buy/sell margin (pur- and efficient gains. However, ratio will be under or near 10 vised producers to conduct a
chase price=selling price) or a the producer is subject to very when shorter days on feed and complete breeding soundness
positive feeding margin (sell short-term price changes. If higher grain diets are utilized. exam.
cows for more than was paid the price situation is unfa- The protein requirement “It is more than just a semen
for them) is essential to show a vorable, thin cull cows can be of cull cows does not appear quality check, but also an eval-
profit from feeding purchased fed for a longer period of time. to be particularly high. Crude uation of his physical char-
thin cows. Feeding for approximately protein levels of 9.5 to 11 per- acteristics, including his feet,
The ideal situation for feed- two months should also re- cent are probably adequate. legs, penis and scrotum as well
ing cull cows is if Utility cow duce the number of Cutter Keep in mind that the mineral as his temperament,” Larson
prices are relatively high and grade carcasses and increase supplementation program for said.
feed prices are relatively low. the number of Utility grade grain-based diets and rough- Weaber added that temper-
This offers the potential of carcasses. Increasing the gain age-based diets are not the ament is critical especially in
costs of gain being lower than within this 2-month time pe- same. Calcium supplementa- smaller herds where the bulls
selling price. Normally, costs riod will further improve car- tion will be higher than phos- have close contact with people.
of gain are higher than sell- cass quality and reduce cost of phorus supplementation if Another factor for producers
ing price and a positive buy/ gain. Longer feeding of grain- feeding a high grain ration. to consider is the cost of the
sell margin is needed to make based diets should further re- bull relative to the years used
a profit. If costs of gain are duce the incidence of yellow Factor 4: Financial Solvency in the herd.
less than selling price, you can fat. There is a hypothesis that Cow-calf producers might “If a producer spends $5,000
have a negative buy/sell mar- feeding barley (lower caro- consider feeding their cull cows on a yearling bull and he is only
gin and possibly still make a tene content) instead of corn through the winter to pro- used for one breeding season, it
profit. (higher carotene content) will duce a “value added product”. has a significant economic im-
Other livestock costs such further “whiten” the carcass A common practice is to feed pact on the operation,” Weaber
as veterinary and medical ex- fat. roughage-based diets through said.
penses, farm utilities, power Feeding cull cows grain- the winter and then feed grain The experts agreed that the
and fuel and marketing ex- based diets much longer than 30 to 50 days in the spring. final criteria to consider is how
penses can be around 10 cents 2 months will significantly in- This scheme is a viable option the bull worked in the herd.
per pound of gain. Interest cost crease feed cost per pound of if hay or grazing resources are “As much as I would hate
on the purchase price of the gain. Also, marbling score and sufficiently cheap and the ex- to trade him out economically
cows can add another 6 cents quality grade may not signifi- tended time of ownership can speaking, if he isn’t getting the
per pound of gain. Excluding cantly improve after 2 months be justified. The alternative job done then it is time to make
labor, management and facili- on feed. However, this must be is short-term feeding of grain- a change,” Larson said.
ty, costs per pound of gain can balanced against the histori- based diets to cows after being Here are the experts’ top 5
run in the 45 to 50 cent range. cal increase in cow prices that culled from the herd. reasons for culling a bull:
Another method of feed- occurs over the period from In economic terms, short- • He no longer fits with the
ing cull cows is to initially October-November to March- term cow feeding is a high-risk current breeding goals
feed high roughage rations April. The length of time that enterprise. A feeder is typically • His actual genetics don’t
through the winter. Gain per cull cows can be efficiently fed in and out of the market with- align with the expectations
day is lower than if started on grain-based diets at an eco- in 50-90 days. There is virtual- • He has too many daughters
a grain-based diet. However, nomical cost of gain will vary ly no way to pass the financial in the herd
cost of gain can be relatively depending upon their initial risk to anyone else. The advice • He has an undesirable tem-
low if hay or grazing resources body condition. Assuming the to any potential cull cow feeder perament
do not otherwise have a ready cows are healthy and not de- is that if financial risk can be • He fails the breeding sound-
market value. bilitated, thin cows can be fed absorbed, feed cull cows. ness exam
Slaughter cow prices vary longer than fleshier cows. In
not only over time but also one study, cull cows were fed
with quality grades. The best for 108 days with no signif-
prices are normally attained icant drop in feedlot perfor-
for Commercial grade. Since mance. Based upon previous
mature cows may come off research, it would appear that
pasture in poor condition, they this time period may range
may sell as Canners or Cutters from 2 to 4 months.
at substantial price discounts The most profitable feed-
to Utility grade. Cows in thin ing management scheme is
condition are capable of high- affected by the cost of feed
er gains, which can also raise inputs. Slower gains over the
quality grade. The producer winter may be profitable if
must calculate the difference the cost of hay or grazing re-
between any expected increase sources are relatively cheap.
