Livestock Research Unit 2018‐2019
Our Team Vision “Our unit strives to continue to build an extensive, low maintenance, strong maternal cow herd with a vast amount of information regarding the animal’s background data and breed composition”
Recommendations from Last Year
• Continue to parentage test animals • Retain calf crop for research projects • Participate in Beef Day selling breds • Sell calves to feedlot instead of auction • Look to increase grazing days
Goals Accomplished • Retained 44 heifer calves for RFI trial • Sold steer calves to JGL off pasture • Parentage test heifers to determine breeding groups • Sold 5 bred Angus heifers at Beef Day
Team Goals • • • • •
Graze 365 days Keep gathering data on our herd 80% Black Angus and 20% Hereford Selling animals privately Sell animals at Beef Day sale
SWOT Analysis Strengths
Weaknesses
‐ Genetic information ‐ Calving rate on pasture ‐ Grazing days ‐ Internal calving through out the College ‐ Consistency of staff
‐ Land base ‐ Biosecurity ‐ Communication
SWOT Analysis Opportunities
Threats
‐ Variety of trials ‐ RFI scores on our animals ‐ Industry trials ‐ Lakeland College Livestock and Forage Council ‐ Social media
‐ Feed availability ‐ Funding and approval for trials to happen ‐ Low understanding about the ICE herd
Key Performance Indicators KPI
2018
2019 Industry (predicted) Average
Growth Rate
39%
>43%
43%
Open Rate
10%
<4%
4%
73 days
62 days
63 days
<1%
<4%
4 %
Length of Calving Season Death Loss
ICE Herd • ICE Herd – Information Collection and Extension herd • 66 cows • 7 bred heifers • 44 heifer calves • 1 Hereford herd sire • 2 Angus bulls rented from other SMF units • Due to start calving April 22nd 2019
C95T MILES MCKEE 6060 • Big Gully Farm • 3 year‐old • Used previous 2 years
Herd Selection • 50 cows exposed to Angus • 30 cows exposed to Hereford % Angus Influence
Bred Angus
Bred Hereford
87% ‐ 100% 86% or less
Herd Selection • Retaining 7 Hereford influenced replacement heifers • Continue to keep Hereford influence females in future
Health Management
Vaccinations • • • •
Scour Guard 4KC Ultrabac 7/ Somubac Bovisheild Gold FP5 Pre weaning vaccinations
Health Issues • Abscess – 2 calves
• Bovine Respiratory Disease – 2 calves with Resflor
• Lame Cow – Metacam
• Footrot – Bio‐Mycin 200 and Metacam
Finance
Income Cull Bull Sales Cull heifer sales $3,440 $7,791
Bull Rental Income $650 Calf Sales $32,132
Cull Cow $13,617
Bred Heifers $23,875
Total Income: $112,718 Projected: $110,399
Backgrounders $31,213
Expenses Utilities $2,715
Equipment $2,076
Herdtrax/VBP+ Other $6,312 $3,094 Vet/Medications $3,732 Bull Rental …
Labour $4,409
Feed $61,977
Total Expenses: $88,163 Projected Expenses: $86,957
Income Comparison $80,000 $70,000 $60,000 $50,000 $40,000 $30,000 $20,000 $10,000 $0
Projected
Actual
Expense Comparison $70,000 $60,000 $50,000 $40,000 $30,000 $20,000 $10,000 $0
Projected
Actual
Accrued Adjustment Cash Income
$112,718
Inventory Adjustment
($31,920)
Accrued Cash Income
$80,798
Expenses
$56,798
Accrued Net Income
$24,000.15
Cost of Production ICE Herd Industry Total Production Cost/Cow Profit per lb of Calf
$899
$868
$0.30
$0.37
Nutrition
Heifer Diet • 23.3 lbs. of barley silage • 1.6lbs of barley grain • .44lbs of beef supplement • Total = 25.34lbs per head per day • ADG 1.5lbs per day • $0.59 per head per day
Barley Silage Barley Grain Beef Supplement
Heifer Diet • • • • •
18lbs of corn silage 18lbs of pea silage Corn Silage Pea Silage .3 lbs of barley Barley Grain Feedlot Supp .95 lbs of beef supplement Total of 37.25lbs as fed per head per day • 1.6lbs per day gain • Cost of $1.24 per head per day
Range and Forage
Corn Grazing • • • •
7.9 acre field, made into 4 paddocks 78 head 15 days $1.71 per head per day
Bale Grazing • Wheat green feed and slough hay • 77 days – 78 head at $2.34 per head per day
• 14 days – 73 head at $2.74 per head per day
• 28 days – 73 head at $1.87 per head per day
• Cows are on stock piled grass for calving along with supplemented hay
Grazing Plan • • • •
2019 summer grazing plan 73 pairs and 7 replacements, 3 bulls 158 days total $0.98 per head per day
Sustainability and Stewardship
Sustainability and Stewardship • Biosecurity – Boot wash
Sustainability and Stewardship • Soil test
Public Relations
Public Relations • Maintained social media • Field trip in February • Marketed bred heifers
Marketing
Marketing • Sold 5 bred heifers at Beef Day sale • Have 26 replacement heifers for sale after the RFI trial is complete
Research Projects
RFI Trial on Custom Bulls • Pugh Farms bulls • Feed efficiency tests • Infrared scanning
Bull Results
EarTag 370F 277F 2F 99F 149F 41F 234F 372F 8F 390E 42F 447F 52F 69F 100F 86F 5F 16F 79F 478F 181F 308F
Age (days) 323 330 283 298 289 292 291 301 331 439 304 308 315 290 319 305 304 283 331 294 315 321
RFI ‐0.502322 ‐0.466213 ‐0.271408 ‐0.238020 ‐0.163541 ‐0.156727 ‐0.135923 ‐0.119081 ‐0.080861 ‐0.015422 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.051265 0.119081 0.209869 0.271408 0.484343 0.502322 0.511232
Quiet Wean Test Results • Small margin of difference between the two groups • No statistical evaluation • Numerical difference
Quiet Wean Data First 5 days on pasture
1 week after weaning
To Date ADG
Quiet Wean
ADG = 2.95lbs
ADG = 1.35lbs
ADG = 0.91lbs
Traditional Wean
ADG = 3.65lbs
ADG = 0.97lbs
ADG = 0.87lbs
RFI Trial on Heifers • Residual Feed Intake • Planning to infrared scan • Ultrasounding
“Who's Your Daddy” Trial • Parentage test • Neogen • Why this is beneficial?
Bale Placement • Feed consumption rate • Placement of the bales • Water issue limiting paddocks
Recommendations for Next Year • Quiet wean test • Move weaning further back • Bale grazing placements, propose to use other pasture • Purchase another Hereford bull
Recommendations for Next Year • Continue RFI on heifers as well as infrared • Continue to sell at Beef Day • Enforce more strict culling criteria on mature cows
Thank‐You! • • • • • • • • • • • • •
New Holland Amy Stanley Josie Van Lent Peter Walsh Geoff Brown Denise Martin Peter Wilkinson Farm Staff Obioha Durunna Ag. Faculty Ag. Plus Designs Ltd. Other SMF Units Jack Rochford
• • • • • • • • • •
Lance & Sheri Leachman Greg & Amanda Pugh Dr. Tim Goodbrand Dr. Al Schaefer Hartmut Gaza Janet Kerr Keshia Paddick Jessica Emmott Tracy Quinton Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence • U of S Dairy Barn