“Outside the Box”
by Chris Reinhardt, feedlot specialist
It seems like every management book or retreat focuses on “thinking outside the box”. And during stable economic times, that’s more of a luxury and a way to prepare for the future, kind of like saving for a rainy day.
But because of the drought, for beef producers getting outside the box is no longer a luxury or the ubiquitous management mantra, it’s a necessity!
We often hear things that fly in the face of convention and quickly dismiss them as extreme. But necessity is the mother of invention, and desperate times call for desperate measures. When the going gets tough, etc.
One idea that K-State Extension Cow/Calf Specialist Dr. Bob Weaber offered up at the recent K-State Beef Conference was: “Cull your replacements.” WHAT?!!!
Normally, yearling and 2-year-old heifers represent future genetic progress and the opportunity to cull less productive older females from the gene pool. That’s all still true; however, yearlings will eat a lot of feed over the next 2 years before providing any weaned calf income, and heifers will wean a lighter calf than an older cow, simply because they do not have mature reproductive or lactation systems, and because they are still using a portion of nutrient intake for growth.
Here are some sobering figures from USDA/NAHMS: 93% of cows exposed to a bull calf vs. 89% of heifers. 96% of bred cows wean a calf vs. 89% of bred heifers. 17% of heifers require assistance during calving vs. only 2% of mature cows.
These are tough numbers to swallow. But if we figure each weaned calf will be worth $900 gross, and if we held onto the 30% mature females we would have culled instead of replacing them with young stock, we can expect to wean 2 more calves per 100 cows (96 vs. 89% weaning rate × 30 females) for $1,800 increased gross return (perhaps more if we include the added weight for calves from mature females vs. those from heifers)—enough to pay for 3-4 cows’ entire winter feed bill.
This is certainly not the ideal path to genetic progress. However, 2 facts seem evident: demand for beef is growing and supply of calves is shrinking, which means the producer who can keep the factory together over the next few years should reap substantial rewards. But they will definitely need to get outside the box to reach that goal.