4 minute read
Feeding Facts
Marketing Fall-Born Calves
As we get on into May, a good number of those fall- born calves will be weaned and decisions will have to be made on how they will be marketed. While many will be sold at weaning, a growing number of producers are seeing value in backgrounding those calves and taking advantage of marketing heavier calves in the fall. Most years this makes sense and will add dollars to the producer’s bottom line. There are many factors involved in making this type of decision including lightweight calf prices, feeder calf futures and feed costs. Other factors that tend to vary less are space or pasture, cash flow issues and time constraints. If these are all considered and the choice to hold the calves until fall is made, then the decision of what feed option is best comes up.
Usually when making the choice of which feed to go with, a producer’s first question is how much does this cost per ton and while that is an important factor, it is generally not the most important factor. The absolute most important factor is what will this feed cost to add a pound of gain to the calf. That more than anything else will determine if backgrounding your calf crop makes sense and will be profitable. One of the cheapest ways to add pounds is simply having really good forages for them to graze. Calves grazing superior forages without any supplementation would likely gain from a half pound to 1.25 pounds per day if the weather is relatively mild and if they have access to high-quality tubs such as the Co-op Stimu-lyx. It is important to remember that good forages can be cheaper than some feeds but are not free. Seed and fertilizer are needed for high-quality forages and both seem to be at a premium this year.
Another, more common option would be to feed by-products, commodities or the cheapest feed you can find. There are times and places where that makes some sense, though generally you will find that they are not efficient in many ways and will end up being the most expensive when the cost per pound of gain is
considered. There are many factors that go into that. Even though the cost per ton is usually favorable, it generally takes more pounds of feed to add a pound of weight. Multiple studies have shown that many commodities will require 10 to 11 pounds of feed to generate a pound of gain. Given that the capacity of a calf’s stomach is limited, this will limit how much they can gain. So, when going this route, the feed cost needs to be a great deal cheaper than the complete feeds that are out there.
The next option would be to feed a complete feed in the medium price range. Some of these feeds, such as the CPC Grower and CPC Developer get far more efficient gains than commodities alone. Instead of the 10 to 11 pounds of feed to generate a pound of gain, studies have shown that some feeds in this category will add a pound of weight with 6 to 8 pounds of feed. When that is figured in, these type feeds can cost almost twice as much per ton and still be a better choice. Usually feeds in this category are formulated with a better vitamin and mineral package and often are medicated with either Rumensin or Bovatec. This combination will add to better overall health, less sickness and gains that add to the bottom line aside from simple feed cost.
The final category of feeds is those that tend to be viewed as expensive. For these higher-end feeds to work, and some of them will, they must produce very efficient weight gain. In situations where forage quality is high, these feeds tend to work well. Most often, they will encourage cattle to graze more and get a pound of gain with 4 to 6 pounds of feed. These feeds can cost two to three times more than a normal commodity and still produce cheaper weight gain. They tend to have more attributes such as probiotics, superior vitamin and mineral packages and many things that will add to improved health and weight gain. As with the other type feeds, there are times and places that these are the best option.
How does a person decide which is the best route? That can be complicated but with a bit of thought and planning a good decision can be reached. The first factor is forage availability and quality. Ironically, the better forages you have the higher quality feed you can afford. Generally, with most forages in an Alabama summer, the medium-priced feeds tend to fit most places more efficiently. Studies have also shown that providing tubs and hay alongside the feed that is offered will more than pay for themselves in both weight gain and general health. When all things are considered, weaning calves pays dividends most years and as long as the cost per pound of gain is less than the price of the weight gained, it sure warrants a close look.
Feed Options Lbs. of Feed Needed
Cost Per Ton for One Pound Gain
Cheap feed
(By-products, commodities)
Medium-priced feed
(Incl. CPC Grower & Developer)
