Farm News
05-12-06
Cooperative helps boost profitability for beef producers
By DARCY MAULSBY- Farm News staff
OAKLAND — With a 60-head cow-calf herd, a swine operation and row crops,
Russ Brandes knew his cattle enterprise could benefit from the Tri-County Steer
Carcass Futurity Cooperative (TCSCF) when he joined the program in the mid
1980s.
“As a small producer, I could feed out the calves myself, but I don’t have the
expertise the feedlots have,”î said Brandes, TCSCF’s president who farms in
Pottawattamie County near Oakland. “The records I’ve gotten back provide the
information I need to increase my profitability.Ӕ
Since its creation in the early 1980s, the southwest Iowa-based TCSCF has
provided cow-calf producers with information on feedlot performance, average
daily gain, carcass data and more on the steers and heifers entered. Producers
use this information to change breeding and management programs, while others
use it as a basis for changing their marketing program. TCSCF has fed cattle at
30 different feedlots in southwest Iowa and currently uses 10 area feedlots in
Treynor, Macedonia, Farragut, Tabor, Oakland, Neola, Carson and Atlantic.
“From the beginning our goal has been to add more profit for cow-calf
producers,Ӕ said Darrell Busby, an Iowa State University Extension beef
specialist who works with the cooperative. “We’re governed by a board of
producers, and the consigners sleep better at night knowing that a producer
board is overseeing things.Ӕ
Program attracts cattle from across the country
In the past five years more than 25,000 cattle have gone through the program,
including animals from Iowa, Georgia, Missouri, Virginia, South Carolina, Florida,
Alabama, Indiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky. “Feedlots also benefit
from the program, because we can fill their pens as efficiently as possible,Ӕ
Busby said.
In addition, TCSCF is size neutral. Participating herds range from 30 cows to 600
cows, with an average of 149 cows. TCSCF, which currently has cattle on feed
for more than 250 producers, operates with the following guidelines:
Sire or sire breed groups are identified. Individual steer/heifer entries are
accepted, and a farm may make as many entries as they would like.
No bulls or stags are allowed, and no horns are allowed.
Steers/heifers will be fed a warm-up ration for 28 days and will be weighed on
test at the end of warm-up. Steers/heifers are placed on approximately 80
percent concentrate ration as soon as possible.
Steers/heifers will be weighed individually at least four times: upon delivery, start
of test period, time of re-implant, and prior to harvest.
Steers/heifers will be harvested on at least two different dates five weeks apart,
determined by the TCSCF board.
The feeding method used is different than some programs testing feedlot
performance, Busby said. The program doesn’t require a feed deposit upon
delivery at the feedlot. Instead, the TCSCF board purchases steers/heifers for $5
each, giving the board title to animals and allowing the board to borrow money to
pay feed, veterinary, yardage and other expenses related to feeding the cattle.
Total feed dry matter is a calculated value based on the net energy system with
adjustments for delivery, final weight and carcass composition. All of the cattle
fed together must be harvested before the feed bill can be split accurately.
Analyzing the results
TCSCF’s records allow for comparison among different producer groups of sires,
identified as “farm 1,î farm 2,î etc.” In some cases, the gap between a high-profit
herd and a lowprofit herd can be $220 per head. “People think there can’t be that
much difference, but the records tell the story,Ӕ Busby said.
Producers receive a packet of data on each batch of cattle fed through TCSCF to
help them make better decisions. The records detail days on feed, average daily
gain, fat cover, the percent of low choice or better, the percent of average choice
or better, the percent of yield grade 1 or 2, the actual carcass price, the total cost
of gain, non-feed costs per hundredweight of gain, lifetime profit sire method, and
more.
“Before we used TCSCF, we didn’t know if the changes we made were helpful or
counterproductive,”î Brandes said. “If you’re trying to improve the genetics and
profitability of your herd, though, you’ve got to have some numbers behind you.
We use the TCSCF records as a basis for culling, and you can also start sire
selecting.Ӕ
TCSCF records also show that high-profit sires can gain well and grade well,
Busby said. A 2004-2005 sire grouping comparison showed that the top 25
percent achieved an overall average daily gain of 3.35, while the bottom 25
percent reached 3.1. The data also showed that more than 90 percent of the top
25 percent graded upper choice or better. Even the bottom 25 percent beat the
industry average of 56 percent with more than 68 percent grading upper choice
or better.
“A lot of people thought that gain and grade were antagonistic traits that you
couldn’t select for. Our data consistently shows that you can.”î
As another benefit, TCSCF also provides tours of the feedlots for participating
cow-calf producers, along with a tour of the packing plant in Denison. “Producers
appreciate this farmer-to-farmer contact,Ӕ Brandes said.
TCSCF continues to accept new cattle into the program, and the board is looking
for more Iowa cow-calf producers to get involved, Busby said. “Also, if you’d like
to create a similar system in your area, we can show you how.Ӕ
For more information, log onto www.tcscf.com or contact your local Extension
beef specialist.