Dr. David Lalman, Professor and Extension Beef Cattle ... · 300. 400. 500. 600. 700. 800. 900. 700. 1200. 1700. 2200. Weaning Weight (lb) Cow BW (lb) y = 0.0607x + 459. This slide

Dr. David Lalman, Professor and Extension Beef Cattle SpecialistOklahoma State University

Forage availability Oklahoma = 3 acres per AU to 25 acres

per AU Forage nutritive value Native tallgrass prairie in Oklahoma: Protein = 2 - 16% of forage DM vs

cattle requirements of 7 - 14% Energy = TDN 48 - 75% of forage DM Persistent macro and micro mineral

imbalances

Climate Temperature Humidity Rain, mud Ice Snow Sun and access to shade Wind and access to break or shelter

Parasites Internal External

Disease challenges Distance to water (or between clumps of grass) Water quality Rock vs sand as influence feet and teeth

Management Animal handling Grazing management Inputs▪ Low input: survival of the fittest▪ Moderate input: expend time, effort and $ to remove

some of the environmental impediments▪ High input: expend time, effort and $ to remove most of

the environmental impediments

A cow that can Wean a healthy calf every 365 days for 12 consecutive years Problem free - requires no extra-curricular handling or medical

treatment (including the owner) Low cost - requires little supplemental feed in your grazing and

management system Utilize your country – travel and forage where the grass,

“weeds” and brush haven’t been grazed or browsed Get too fat in the good years and thrive in the bad years (make

you think you need more cows) Produce steer calves with the capacity to gain on grass, convert

in the 5’s, gain 4 lb per day, never need treated, produce a large, high quality carcass…calves that have the capacity to build your reputation (hopefully a good one)

Today cattle have tremendous capacity for post-weaning growth and carcass weight

Photo Courtesy of Oklahoma State University

2.70

2.90

3.10

3.30

3.50

3.70

3.90

Finishing Phase (Feedlot) Performance is Increasing

Steer Carcass WeightFederally Inspected

600625650675700725750775800825850875900

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

Pounds

Finished cattle weights increasing at rate of 4.3 kg per yearCarcass weights increasing at rate of 2.6 kg per year

Cattle have tremendous capacity for marbling

48 51.7

62.7

79

0102030405060708090

1995 2006 2009 2017

Livestock Marketing Information Center, 2016


Kansas: Kansas Farm Management Association (KFMA)Kevin Herbel

North Dakota: Cow Herd Appraisal Performance Software (CHAPS) Dr. Kris Ringwall

New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas: Standardized Performance Analysis (SPA)Dr. Stan Bevers

Upper Midwest (FINBIN), Center for Farm Financial Management, University of Minnesota

60.0

65.0

70.0

75.0

80.0

85.0

90.0

95.0

100.0

1991

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SPA KFMA* CHAPS FINBIN

83%

84%

85%

86%

87%

88%

89%

90%

91%

1986

1988

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1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

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2006

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2010

2012

2014

2016

Source: Dr. Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University


0.000.250.500.751.001.251.501.752.002.252.502.75

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Hay production/use per cow is increasing at the rate of 66 lb per year

Presenter

Presentation Notes

At this rate, hay production per cow should reach about 3.2 tons per year in 2036

When cattle producer’s are provided effective science-based tools, THEY USE THEM

We have a tendency to overdue things Dramatic improvement in post-weaning

performance, total beef produced per cow, and carcass quality

In the meantime, commercial cow herd efficiency, particularly fertility have made no progress Exceptions: dramatic improvement in frequency of

dystocia Some improvement in longevity in those breeds

Our current level of beef production can be sustained with 20% lower feed inputs 30% lower methane production 17% lower N, P and K output

Selection for feed intake and residual feed efficiency is now a reality EPD’s for feed intake and residual feed efficiency

now available for Angus, Hereford, and Simmental


-0.8

-0.6

-0.4

-0.2

0

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0.4

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DM

I EP

D

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700 1200 1700 2200

Wea

ning

Wei

ght

(lb)

Cow BW (lb)

y = 0.0607x + 459

Presenter

Presentation Notes

This slide is a graphical representation of weaning weight regressed on cow weight. The orange equation indicates a 6.07 lb increase in calf weaning weight for every 100 lb of additional cow weight. Scientists in Montana were the first to document this relationship in 1971, using Angus, Charolais and Hereford cows. Averaged across breeds, each 100 lb of increased cow size was associated with 4.2 lb of added weaning weight. More recently, our research group at OSU analyzed production records from the OSU North Range Unit. This herd is managed as a commercial cow/calf operation (with relatively low inputs) and the females are primarily Angus and Angus X Hereford genetics. Finally, data from the USDA research station in Booneville Arkansas were analyzed in a similar fashion. This is a commercial operation using both Angus and Brangus herds grazing fescue and bermudagrass pasture. The consistent relationship (about 6 lb) in the three more recent data sets was unexpected because the relationship could be affected by overall level of nutrition (forage and hay quality and availability, level of supplementation, etc.), genetic potential for milk production, tropical adaptation (parasite and heat tolerance), and other factors.

0

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Inta

ke, K

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ADG, KG

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ke, K

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ADG, KG

Residual = -3.75

Residual = +2

GrowSafe Insentec

SmartFeed

How about the cow?


Presenter

Presentation Notes

For this study, we used 40 lactating cows averaging 6 years old and 539 kg… …along with their steer calves: 60 d and 107 kg at allotment.

One OSU cow herd, no intentional selection for higher milk EPD’s

2015, 2016 milking machine after calf removal

Peak yield (May) = 31 lb

There is a limit of milk production that YOUR forage can support?

Requires long term commitment Moderate size, growth and milk Cull open cows▪ Be willing to challenge them▪ Resist the temptation to gradually modify the environment

Keep only early-born heifers Keep only early-bred heifers Buy (or keep) bulls out of cows that always calve early

Find source of seedstock that: Puts PRIORITY on ERT’s related to fertility and forage use

efficiency Culls open cows Keeps only early-born heifers Keeps only early-bred heifers Puts environmental pressure on their cattle – weed out those

that do not “match” Purchase bulls out of cows that are challenged in

an environment similar to yours, have never missed a calf, and calve early

Genetic tools will finally be available to make meaningful improvement in fertility Longevity EPD’s have helped in those breeds Genomic discoveries developing now Hereford, Red Angus, Angus working hard to roll

out new fertility EPD’s


The Sustained Cow Fertility (SCF) results, reported in percentage units, are oriented such that larger breeding values reflect sires whose daughters calve annually for more years.

Presenter

Presentation Notes

Exciting opportunities on the horizon

Both bulls have 200 plus daughters in production

One bull SCF = 170One bull SCF = 57

Explore post-weaning performance, carcass quality and production systems. You cannot rely on moderation of cow size as your only contribution…not for long.

Find your weaknesses…then go to work correcting and improving



Documents

Dr. David Lalman, Professor and Extension Beef Cattle ... · 300. 400. 500. 600. 700. 800. 900. 700. 1200. 1700. 2200. Weaning Weight (lb) Cow BW (lb) y = 0.0607x + 459. This slide