South Dakota Retained Ownership Demonstration

Abstract

Four hundred nineteen steer calves representing 57 cow-calf producers were consigned to a custom feedlot in mid-October. Cattle were fed in one of three pens. One pen of calves was fed a starter program for 20 days followed by a moderate roughage growing diet for 84 days before they were switched to a high energy finishing diet (TWO). The other two pens were fed a starter program for 20 days followed by a moderate roughage growing diet for 14 days before they were switched to a high energy finishing diet. Cattle were sorted into one of these two pens on the basis of whether they had been exposed to feed (AFED, either weaned or creep fed) prior to feedlot arrival or not exposed to feed (ANFED). The TWO calves weighed 500 1b initially, gained 2.80 Ib per head daily, and averaged 1047 1b at slaughter after an average of 196 days on feed. Average cost of gain and profitability were $58.27 per cwt and$28.74 per head, respectively. The AFED and ANFED calves weighed 539 and 554 Ib initially, gained 3.04 and 3.08 Ib per head daily, and averaged 11 16 and 1136 1b at slaughter after an average of 190 and 189 days on feed, respectively. Average cost of gain and profitability were $55.40 and$56.32 per cwt and $23.57 and$33.20 per head, respectively. When data from years 1 and 2 were combined, average daily gain, dressing percentage, quality grade, and cost of gain were related to profitability and accounted for 79.6% of the variation in profitability