Our Annual Feedlot Performance Data

[chambero]

Several of you will remember that I post our feedlot performance data every year on calves that we sell up to Power Genetics in Nebraska.  Most of these calves are out of Maine-X and Simi-X cows.  Calves are sired by some of the "steer" AI sires and our own herd bulls that in our 2009 crop (born in Fall 08) included sons of Shamrock, Meyer, Hannibal, and a few Angus bulls.

Here's the combined data, including from past years.  They feed these calves a little differently every year based on the market.  For example, this years crop that was killed from late Feb to early March were fed an avg of almost 20 days less than last year.  

On our breeding decisions, we have been working on increasing the ADG of our calves and the amount of muscle in them.  The heifers included our mixed load skew things downward pretty hard as they are always our smaller ones.  We keep around 50 head of our top heifers every year for replacements.  Plus we are selling another 50 hd of calves either for show calves or as pairs for club calf replacment mommas.

Yr     Steers Heifers Avg In W Avg Car Wt ADG % Choice % YG 1/2 Ribeye
2006     65 10     589            768      2.73     71.8     56.2     12.88
2007     63 27     598            786      2.40     77.2     65.9     12.89
2008     63 19     546            882      3.07     75.1     45       13.78
2009     65 26     550            809      2.94     65.9     66       14.31

Interesting observations:

This group had 2 Heatwave steers that gained 3.21 and 3.27 lbs/day.  Both graded choice, one went CAB.  Ribeyes were 15.6 and 18.1 inches.

This group had 3 Golden Child steers.  All gained over 3 lbs/day.  2 out of three went choice.  Ribeyes were from 14.4 to 17.8 inches.  One of them was posted as a calf on here last year.  Didn't get him sold.  He turned out pretty good on his front feet.  Didn't hurt him in the feedlot.  He was the best performing calf of the three.

Two Jimmy the Greek steers performed better than I thought.  One gained 3.2 and one was 2.7.  There was a beautiful Jimmy the Greek heifer I never thought would grow at all.  She got up to a little over 1000 lbs but did grade Choice.

Three Rocky Balboa steers out of first calf heifers gained from 2.48 to 3.02 lbs/day.  Very respectable for calves out of heifers.  Ribeyes ranged from 17.4 to 18.4 inches.  An interesting number there.

Lifeline cattle are knocked as being hard doing.  We have two very nice Lifeline sons out of Angus cows from Kris Black.  There were 12 of those steers that averaged 3.35 lbs/day.  Five of the twelve went choice.

Our last calf born that year was a February calf out of a super red Cunia grandaughter and an Anchor son we bought 1/2 of from John Griswold.  That little rascal caught up to a lot of the older calves by gaining 3.26 lbs/day, graded Choice with a 15.5 inch ribeye.

Money making-est steer in the bunch was a Salute out of a Troy Char-X cow.  Heaviest at weaning and heaviest at killing.  Gained 3.02 lbs/day and graded choice with a 15 inch ribeye.  

 

[chambero]

Any of you folks that work for or very closely with feedlots/packers care to comment?

 

[knabe]

the other stats get knocked hard (because of the heifers), but the ribeye's don't (they seem slightly above textbook size)?

strange the muscle calves don't show more gain and the YG goes up a little higher than industry target.  seems like your yield went up too high at a cost of %choice, though that may be by design of the feeder for today's market?

 

[ZNT]

I think it is an impressive set of statistics your cattle have been achieving year over year.  JD would not be purchasing these cattle year after year if they did not perform.  It is very difficult to do a direct comparison between years due to the fact that feed rations vary depending on costs of different feeds, environment such as snowy winters and mud, and just the fluctuations in the cash market and select vs. choice spreads can determine how long a calf is left on feed, and what weight they are fed til.  The 20 less days on feed and the extremely wet winter could have made a huge difference in the % choice cattle this year.

I think your averages year in and year out prove that your program is right on track.  And you are producing some very nice show steers and replacement heifers on top of it all.

 

[TPX]

Just curious as to what your average cost of gain was?

 

[chambero]

The feedlot doesn't give us that number.  By the way, these calves are in the USDA passport program.  This kind of data is invaluable to us to help us cull cows and bulls.  My hope is that over time it will help us on the show end by figuring out which combos will grow and put on the muscle needed. 

 

[beefy08]

I like reading these kind of things.It helps me think of different options I have later. Thanks for sharing.

 

[simtal]

the hundred pounds or so range in carcass weight is kinda of a tough pill to swallow, I'd say your headed on the right track by increasing ADG and muscle.  If your feeding in NE, I'd think you'd want to try and hit 3.50 ADG with these placement weights.  I'm surprised that %Choice is lower and yield isnt higher.  Hard doing to the eye may really translate into faster gaining, more efficient cattle in the feedlot--not always true but selection for deeper bodied, "softer" steers are really not as efficient as we think they are.

 

[GONEWEST]

the other stats get knocked hard (because of the heifers), but the ribeye's don't (they seem slightly above textbook size)?

strange the muscle calves don't show more gain and the YG goes up a little higher than industry target.  seems like your yield went up too high at a cost of %choice, though that may be by design of the feeder for today's market?

I would submit that the YG, although better than most, is about 4% LOWER than todays industry target. I would also submit tht the lower % choice has more to do with the 20 days less on feed than the YG. It will be a cold day before you can prove to me that genetics have near the influence on quality grade that days on feed does or that superior quality grade genetics, what ever that is, will ever be able to overcome shorter time on feed.

I think that this excellent data from Chambero's club calf bred calves is just another indication that the carcass grade EPD's, star rankings and all the other carcass hype is just that. The difference between beef cattle with average carcass genetics and "superior" carcass genetics is so small that is is a mismanagement of money by breed associations to develop,evaluate and promote carcass EPD's. 1/2 tp 3/4 British X 1/2 to 1/4 Continental and you're good to go. That's about all you need to know. But the Simmentall Association has spent tons to tell me that if I use the number 1 REA bull in the breed I can expect to gain  1/4 of a square inch of REA over using the average Simmental bull I find in my neighbors pasture. Gee Thanks for the info.

Another thing lost on  beef cattle production in the last 15 years that shows up in these stats is that if they weigh more they pay more. PERIOD. The money makingest steer weighed more at weaning and more at killing. No way to make up gain with fancy grid goals.

 

[chambero]

[Another thing lost on  beef cattle production in the last 15 years that shows up in these stats is that if they weigh more they pay more. PERIOD. The money makingest steer weighed more at weaning and more at killing. No way to make up gain with fancy grid goals.

As much as we like to think otherwise, weight absolutely trumps all.  Even in times when there are big spreads in price based on quality grade, it never makes up the difference.  We do get carcass price for every animal.  It comes out ot a high of $1.51/lb for some of the YG 2, CAB calves.  Choice, YG 1 calves brought $1.50 and Choice, YG 2 calves brought $1.49.  Worst price was $1.36 for one YG 4, select calf.  Three Choice, YG 4 calves brought near the bottom at $1.41.  Select, YG 1 calves brought $1.44 and select, YG 2 brought $1.43.

 

[Sammy]

thanks for sharing the data, very interesting - we have also fed some clubby by-products with them too - ours with similar results as being below the PG goals of 70% Choice and 70% 1 & 2 YG but in 2 years you were pretty darn close - I note by the carcass weights that they had a harvest weight or 1300+/- and would have been on feed for about 255 days - small framed clubby breeding probably influenced ADG as well as these being the low end of your calf crop - same results as we have encountered - plenty of REA but the cattle probably do need to be easier feeding if feedlot cattle were the goal - we have had some 19" REA ones with decent grow, but of course they don't grade and get discounted for the large REA - just saying', but if you think about it you could just turn out a pretty good black bull of whatever kind and probably be better off with the bottom line - they only want a 12" or so REA for consumer acceptance and you would not have all of the semen cost, AI and/ET work, more live calves/pounds to market and probably have a better ADG - I know that is not your goal and these are the bottom end but just sayin' - I am not certain either that much of the breed association hype really adds up either - just take good cattle to a good feeding program and market them right - it is total pounds of beef produced and shorten the time on feed with select cattle Y2 perhaps being the most profitable right now - just my read on it - and from what I understand from them their ideal carcass weight is in that 900+ range, so a steer that can carry 1400 to 1500 and still be Y2 is the target - that makes the "ideal" in my mind a more economically efficient critter with a tic more frame and grow and not needing the bulk and mass of today's show steer which is at odds with efficient reproduction anyway -