Oklahoma Farm Report masthead graphic with wheat on the left and cattle on the right.
Howdy Neighbors!
Ron Hays, Director of Farm and Ranch Programming, Radio Oklahoma Ag Network  |  2401 Exchange Ave, Suite F, Oklahoma City, Ok 73108  |  (405) 601-9211

advertisements
   
   
   
   
   

Agricultural News


Will it Pay to Retain and Background Calves this Year?

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 08:14:57 CDT

Will it Pay to Retain and Background Calves this Year? Mondays, Dr. Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist, offers his economic analysis of the beef cattle industry. This analysis is a part of the weekly series known as the "Cow Calf Corner" published electronically by Dr. Peel and Mark Johnson. Today, Dr. Peel talks about the value of retaining and backgrounding calves this year.

In a recent presentation by Dr Derrell Peel, we were shown that projected value of gains for growing calves this winter are in the $1.35 to $1.40 per pound range, and has the potential to go even higher based on projections for available feeder cattle numbers next spring. What this means is if we can put gain on calves for less than the projected value of gain backgrounding our calves to higher weights should be profitable. Pasture is probably not an option, so calves may have to be fed all winter. This may be difficult to do this year with reports of hay sales in the country of $150 to $170 per bale and feed prices over $400/ton. Based on these feed prices, our most common feeding program of feeding free-choice hay and about 1% of body weight of a supplement would cost about $2.60 per day and around $1.63 per pound of gain with gains around 1.5 pounds per day. Other feeding programs may be more profitable, but are much more complex and management intensive. Limit feeding a higher concentrate grower diet to about 90% of projected free-choice intake could achieve gains of around 2 to 2.5 pounds per day that would cost $1.25 to 1.30 per pound of gain.

Be sure to feed calves appropriately. Neither excessively thin (body condition score 1, 2, or 3) nor excessively fat (body condition score 7, 8 or 9) would be considered ideal from a marketing perspective. Excessively fat or fleshy calves will be discounted because of reduced potential for gain. Overly thin cattle may (or may not) receive premiums because of the possibility of compensatory gains, but these premiums are never enough to make up for the reduced pounds of sale weight. Moderate flesh (body condition score of 4 or 5) should be the targeted condition at marketing. Body fat accretion rate occurs at different rates depending on the animal’s frame score, sex, post-weaning backgrounding gains, and growth promoting technologies used (for instance, implants and beta agonists).

How much gain should we try to put on calves during the backgrounding period? A medium frame steer weighing 450 pounds with an expected finished weight of 1,200 pounds and a beginning body fat percentage of 15% (BCS = 4) could gain 2.5 lbs/day and still only reach a body condition of 5 if marketed at 600 pounds. A medium frame heifer should only be pushed to gain 2.0 lbs/day, because fat deposits at a greater rate in heifers and expected mature weights are 100 pounds lighter. All targeted rates of gain depend on accurate estimation of mature weights previous nutrition and the use of growth promoting technologies.

Backgrounding programs are an important component of adding value to calves post-weaning. Cost effective nutrition programs should be designed to market these calves in the best possible manner.


   

 

WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI

 


Top Agricultural News

  • Oklahoma Youth Expo Sale of Champions Sale Order Available Here- Sale Set for 4 PM Friday  Fri, 17 Mar 2023 04:50:54 CDT
  • Rural Voters Dominated Vote to Defeat Recreational Marijuana March 7th  Fri, 10 Mar 2023 07:13:05 CST
  • Ron Hays Talks to Israeli Ag Tour Guide Colin Lotzof About the Miraclel of Ag in Israel  Wed, 22 Feb 2023 22:11:04 CST
  • OALP Members Experience First Hand View of Cutting Edge Drip Irrigation Technology as Israel Travel Ends  Wed, 22 Feb 2023 10:51:49 CST
  • OALP Members Get First Hand View of Cutting Edge Drip Irrigation Technology as Israel Travel Ends  Wed, 22 Feb 2023 10:50:10 CST
  • Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program Sees Fruit, Beef and Dairy Production North of the Sea of Galilee in Israel  Mon, 20 Feb 2023 21:56:02 CST
  • Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program Sees Diverse Farm Operations in Jordan River Valley of Israel  Sun, 19 Feb 2023 21:17:30 CST
  • Israeli Tour Guide Mark Kedem Talks About The Cultural Aspects of What Class XX of OALP is Experiencing   Sat, 18 Feb 2023 22:17:23 CST

  • More Headlines...

       

    Ron salutes our daily email sponsors!

    Oklahoma Beef council Oklahoma Ag Credit Oklahoma Farm Bureau National Livestock Credit Ag Mediation Program P&K Equipment Oklahoma City Farm Show Union Mutual Stillwater Milling Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association KIS FUTURES, INC.
       
       
       
       

    Search OklahomaFarmReport.com

    © 2008-2024 Oklahoma Farm Report
    Email Ron   |   Newsletter Signup   |    Current Spots   |    Program Links

    WebReady powered by WireReady® Inc.