Genetics

Beef-on-Dairy is a Growing Trend, But Its Impacts on Beef Production are Small

– James Mitchell, Ph.D., Assistant Professor & Extension Livestock Economist, Department of Agricultural Economics & Agribusiness, University of Arkansas and Kenny Burdine, Ph.D., Extension Professor, Livestock Specialist, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Kentucky

Beef-on-dairy refers to using beef semen on dairy cows to increase the value of calves that will not be retained as dairy replacement heifers. The increased calf value from beef-on-dairy comes from improved feedlot performance, meat yield, and quality, where quality refers to muscle size and shape. Growth in beef-on-dairy has raised several questions, including the impacts of the system on U.S. beef production. Recent estimates picked up by the farm press suggest that beef-on-dairy represented 7% of 2022 cattle slaughter or 2.6 million head. The same source predicts that beef-on-dairy could account for 15% of cattle slaughter by 2026. There is nothing wrong with these numbers, but some context should be added regarding how this would impact US beef production levels.

It is important to recognize that beef-on-dairy does not immediately change the number of calves born to dairy cows annually. Therefore, it does not necessarily mean more cattle entering the beef production system. The first figure (above) in this article shows annual fed cattle slaughter. The figure also shows that Continue reading Beef-on-Dairy is a Growing Trend, But Its Impacts on Beef Production are Small →

Pushing EPD’s into Dollars

– Dirk Dempsey, Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Educator, Pike County (originally published in Ohio Farmer on-line)

EPDs are one of the tools to use when selecting a herd sire.

An expected progeny difference, better known in the beef world as an EPD, attempts to quantify the performance of potential progeny from one animal to another based on the lineage within a singular breed. No matter which beef breed you choose, there are similarities and differences between recognized traits from the respective breed association. A visual appraisal is one of the first recommendations many within the industry will say to start with when utilizing known EPDs. As a beef producer, this allows you to see whether this animal is useful or unusable. A purely visual appraisal may deem the animal suitable; however, if that animal has poor EPDs, it will likely result in an unfavorable outcome for the buyer. Also, another unfavorable outcome would be if the animal has a fantastic set of EPDs but with structural issues noted in the visual appraisal; this will also lead to an unfavorable outcome. We expect to push into Continue reading Pushing EPD’s into Dollars →

Ohio Beef Cow/Calf Workshop – Optimizing Herd Reproduction and Genetics

Don’t miss this!

Reproduction and genetics are important factors for a cow-calf operation. The long-term investment of genetics plays a critical role in the development and management to ensure longevity within a herd. Join OSU Extension in Licking County on March 8th to discuss and demonstrate the practices that you might apply on your farm to improve your operation with regards to optimizing reproduction and genetics.

Click here for more detail or a registration form.

2023 OCA Replacement Female Sale Results

– Garth Ruff, OCA Replacement Female Sale Manager

The 2023 sale represented a $250 per head price increase over the 2022 sale.

The Ohio Cattlemen’s Association (OCA) held their 11th annual Replacement Female Sale on November 24 at the Muskingum Livestock Auction Company in Zanesville, Ohio. A large crowd was on hand to bid on 113 high quality females in the sale. The sale represented an excellent opportunity for cow-calf producers to add quality females with documented breeding and health records to their herds.

Buyers evaluated 113 lots of bred heifers, bred cows, and cow-calf pairs at the auction. The sale included 80 lots of bred heifers that averaged $2,555, 4 cow-calf pairs sold for $3,475, and 29 lots of bred cows that averaged $2,006. The 113 total lots grossed $276,500 for an overall average of $2,447. The females sold to buyers from Ohio and West Virginia. Col. Ron Kreis served as the auctioneer.

Sales prices were higher year over year and the cattle were of high quality, as the 2023 sale represented a Continue reading 2023 OCA Replacement Female Sale Results →

Making EPDs Understandable

– Jason Duggin, Dylan Davis, and Pedro Fontes, University of Georgia Beef Team

EPDs were designed to use in the comparison between two individual animals.

Expected progeny differences (EPD) are essential tools in the beef industry. Thus, it is important to understand their basic usage in beef herds. By utilizing the following key steps, EPDs can be readily understood. Let’s overview the following three steps to better understand how to use them effectively.

Continue reading Making EPDs Understandable

Where Do We Go from Here?

It’s a good time to be in the cattle business.

– Garth Ruff, Beef Cattle Field Specialist, OSU Extension

Over the past few months, I have had the opportunity to speak at several field days across Ohio and during these events have had many conversations regarding the current state of beef industry.

A sampling of those questions include “Should I grow my cow herd by retaining xxx many more heifers?”, “How has the Western drought impacted beef production in Ohio?”, or “How can I make adjustments in my current production system to improve efficiency with the cow herd?”

Those are all good questions and help to confirm my thoughts, that the best teaching opportunities are often on farms where we can generate discussions between producers.

While I can work through those questions with producers, it certainly helps to Continue reading Where Do We Go from Here? →

Data That Delivers

– Jason Duggin, Beef Cattle Specialist, Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences – University of Georgia

Imagine a business that didn’t track its inputs or its outputs. Obviously, that would be a bad scenario. The demand for information is rapidly increasing when it comes to all sectors of the beef chain from commercial cow-calf to retail. The digital age we currently live in combined with genomic testing has streamlined selection and marketing to a speed that even now seems almost fictional. Inputs and outputs are the future of the industry and for all progressive cattle producers.

Retailers of all sizes are delving into marketing that connects consumers to the farm. As you may expect, large retailers can already scan a bag of lettuce and tell what farm it came from. If the thought of that makes you nervous, I don’t blame you. However, the pros may outweigh the cons for most. Some leaders in the retail segment are looking ahead to a time when consumers can scan a QR code on a package of ribeye steaks to learn about the ranch or farm that it originated from. At least as of this writing, people will pay for that kind of story. Restaurants are increasingly promoting premium known-source menu items. You may also hear the term Blockchain which is a digital record of transactions from start to finish.

If scenarios like this seem too far-fetched, that is understandable, but regardless of how far we take our marketing, the information we provide to the next person in the beef chain can make . . .

Continue reading Data That Delivers

Plan Now for Tenth Annual OCA Replacement Female Sale

This year’s sale will be held on November 25 in Zanesville

The 2022 date for the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association (OCA) tenth annual Replacement Female Sale will be Friday evening, November 25. The sale will be held at the Muskingum Livestock Auction Co. in Zanesville, Ohio and will begin at 6:00 p.m.

The tenth edition of OCA Replacement Female Sale will provide an opportunity for both buyers and sellers to meet the need for quality replacements in the state. Consignments may include cow-calf pairs, bred cows and bred heifers. Females must be under the age of five as of January 1, 2023 and may be of registered or commercial background. Bred females must be bred to a bull with known EPD’s and calves at side of cows must be sired by a bull with known EPD’s. Pregnancy status must be verified by an accredited veterinarian through traditional palpation, ultrasound or by blood testing through a professional laboratory. Analysis must be performed within 60 days of sale. Consignments will also be fulfilling of specific health requirements.

Why discuss a sale that is several months away? The middle of the Continue reading Plan Now for Tenth Annual OCA Replacement Female Sale →

Selecting Your Next Herd Sire

– Brooks Warner, OSU Extension Educator, Scioto County

We are in bull sale season and many of you are looking for a new herd sire.

Before making sire selections, I encourage you to ask yourself, “What are my operation’s goals?” and select your next herd sires with your operation goals in mind. Operations should buy the bulls you need and not the bulls you want.

Wanting to go for the stylish bull, the thickest bull and/or the biggest weaning and yearling weights is easy. However, beauty is (sometimes) only hide deep, and single-trait selection is never a good idea.

For most operations, the main goal is profitability, and a few different aspects come together to help you achieve a profitable beef herd. Some of the most important aspects of the profitable beef herd equation are:

  • Live calves
  • Fertile, easy keeping, productive cows
  • Optimal performance at the farm and ranch, in the feed yard, on the rail and on the consumer’s plate

Sire selection should be a combination of Continue reading Selecting Your Next Herd Sire →

Don’t Let Tradition Impede Progress

– Garth Ruff, Beef Cattle Field Specialist, OSU Extension (originally published in The Ohio Cattleman)

“No matter how your Granddaddy or your Daddy did it, if you are trying to do exactly like you did last year you are probably wrong.

If you’re trying to farm like you did last year you are probably wrong. Unless you did it wrong last year, and that might be the case. Then maybe you get it right this year because every year is different.”

The above quote was one of the many valuable pieces of insight during our 2022 Beef Outlook webinar taught by Dr. Andrew Griffith, Associate Professor of Agriculture and Resource Economics at the University of Tennessee. You can find the recording on the OSU Extension Beef Team YouTube page.

That thought really stuck me as timely. We know fertilizer, seed, feed, and chemical inputs are going to cost more for the foreseeable future. Inflation and increasing interest rates are daily discussion topics. Weather continues to be a wild card, not just with drought in the west but with excess moisture here at home. Even though commodity prices look favorable, especially cattle and beef, it is borderline insanity to Continue reading Don’t Let Tradition Impede Progress →