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The voice of the
Ozarks
Managing Dairy Steers By Cheryl Kepes
Strategies for success in the steer market
For some dairy farmers, raising dairy steers may feel like operating a completely different enterprise. In order to make money in this endeavor, livestock specialists encourage producers to plan out a strategy, assess the market, calculate the costs and develop a feeding program. “If you can have a strategy to get to the end point, I think there is an opportunity to have a separate line or stream of income coming in to add value to your bull calf,” Reagan Bluel, dairy field specialist with the University of Missouri Extension, said.
Know the Market
www.radiospringfield.com
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Before venturing into developing and selling steers, producers should know their market. Experts recommend farmers research to determine if there is a market for dairy steers in their region. In parts of the country, producers may find it challenging to secure buyers for their purebred Holstein steers. Ozarks Farm & Neighbor • www.ozarksfn.com
“In a lot of our Kansas and Texas packing plants, they are refusing to take these straight dairy animals because of their large frames,” Paul Beck, Ph.D., livestock specialist with Oklahoma State University, said. The purebred Holstein steers finish with a large frame and carcass weight, causing them to run into a heavy weight carcass discount at the sale barn. In addition, some packing plants shy away from heavy weight dairy steers out of possible health concerns. “They are on feed for a very long time, so there is a higher incidence of liver abscesses in them,” Beck stated. “So, it’s been harder to sell those in our normal commercial markets in a lot of areas.” However, dairy composite or crossbred steers are more marketable. “They are very efficient and very good doing cattle,” Beck explained. “And a lot of these, by the time they are finished, they don’t look as dairy influenced as you JUNE 7, 2021
