  BeefTalk:
The Final Report Card Is Here for Last Year’s Calves
By Kris Ringwall, Extension Beef Specialist,
NDSU Extension Service
During the last couple of weeks I’ve been busy traveling on business. I can’t
help but marvel at the diversity found within the beef industry and the ability
of the industry to adapt to regional and environmental differences.
Producers need to periodically remind themselves of the vast variety of
environments cattle are asked to perform in. What strikes me is the degree that
the rest of world is busy making every thing the same. Those efforts stand in
stark contrast to the beef cow.
Biologically speaking, when I go into a store in different regions of the
country -- east, west, north or south -- the similarity of produce or plants
offered is remarkable. For instance, currently I see 4-inch pots of fall yellow
mums everywhere. These will soon be replaced by other seasonal plants, in a
similar degree of uniformity across the country. It’s not just the mums, but
the larger stores themselves that are laid out and packaged to assure uniformity
of delivery and product.
In theory, those industries have succeeded in getting their product to fit
the box, which fits in the counter, which fits in the aisle, which fits in the
store, which fits in the chain, which. . . well, on and on. It would appear that
consumers like predictability and consistency, perhaps to provide an offset to
their own busy life styles. In this case, the box is the best place.
But the cow, which is the source of all beef products, has a hard time
biologically meeting the demands of her environment while producing products
that fit in a standard box.
Cows will never fit. Product has to fit. Now that is a true definition of a
dilemma.
I will reluctantly concede that hens have been made to fit the cage, and sows
to fit a crate. But not the cow. That is why I am overjoyed each year as our pen
close out reports arrive from the feed lot. This is our annual report card and
another chapter in the story of how we maintain the cow herd in virtual variance
while fine tuning the product to reach maximum market value in the feed yard.
The last two calves of the 2000 calf crop were harvested Aug. 10. Steer 0256
weighed 1,301 pounds live and 836 pounds on the rail. The choice carcass had an
11.0 inch rib eye, 3.59 yield grade and sold for $110.97 per hundredweight on
the rail for a total of $927.71. Steer 0134 weighed 1,246 pounds live and 804
pounds on the rail. The choice carcass had a 12.1 inch rib eye, 3.44 yield grade
and sold for $111.97 per hundredweight on the rail for a total of $900.24.
Because the North Dakota State University Dickinson Research Extension Center
maintained full interest in the cattle that it feeds, it took $27,525.57 extra
cash to feed the 118 steer calves that arrived on the feedlot on Dec. 15, 2000.
This averaged out to $233.27 expense per calf shipped. The expenses include
$318.29 interest charges against all feed yard expenses. The variable interest
rate started at 10.25 percent and was 7.5 percent when the final two calves
where harvested.
Keep in mind that the majority of steers w ere harvested in late March and
April. These last two steers represent the tail end of the lot and,
theoretically, should have been sorted off before shipping. However, there is no
guarantee that any sort criteria would have predicted the actual performance of
the last two calves or, for that matter, the first two calves or any calves in
this particular lot in regard to the harvest order and actual individual calf
days on feed.
The profitability of feeding last year’s calves will be the
topic of future columns. However, now is the time to start planning how to
market this coming set of calves. Stay tuned for the full analysis.
May you find all your ear tags.
Your comments are always welcome at www.BeefTalk.com
For more information, contact the North Dakota Beef Cattle Improvement
Association, 1133 State Avenue, Dickinson, ND 58601 or go to www.CHAPS2000.COM
on the Internet. In correspondence about this column, refer to BT0053.
###
Source: Kris Ringwall, (701) 483-2427, kringwal@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu
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