CURRENT
COW COSTS
For most herds of beef cows in
Pennsylvania, the next few weeks
represent the most costly time of
the year.
Most spring-calving cows have
either already calved or are very
close to calving date. Couple this
nutritional stress with the fact there
is still no grass, and the cost of
feeding cows is pretty high.
Recall that at calving, the cow’s
nutritional needs are at their peak
for the entire year. This includes a
doubling of protein requirements
(from about 1 pound of actual pro
tein per day to about 2 pounds),
and the energy needs go up by
about SO percent (and even more if
the cow is in poor condition). The
cost of feeding these cows is high
er because almost all of it will be in
stored feed and commercial
supplements.
It is also the key time to find
ways to lower costs, because there
will be more money made in the
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cattle business in the next few
years by lowering costs than by
any other factor.
Some of the things to do to help
lower current feeding costs:
• Know how much the cow
needs of the valuable (costly)
nutrients such as energy and pro
tein. There will be little gained by
feeding beyond the needs.
• Know the quantity of the valu
able (cosily) nutrients in the feeds
you are using so that feed is not
wasted.
• Look hard for alternative sour
ces. This may include food pro
cessing by-products or alternative
grain feeds. Many of these feeds
will work fine, but there may be
less convenience than in .going to
the local feed source and pouring it
out of a ‘bag. You will have to
decide what convenience is worth ,
to you.
• Sort cows that have different
nutritional needs. Cows that are
calving later and yearling heifers
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probably do not need the quality
and quantity of feed needed by Iso
lating cows, particularly young
cows.
• Be sure the cows are healthy
and free of parasites. There is no
need to feed costly feed to worms.
• Make sure feeders are suffi
cient for the job. For grain feeding,
it takes about 1 foot of bunk pace
per cow. Hay feeders vary widely
in the amount of waste that results.
For most ring-type feeders for big
bales, waste is about 8 percent The
amount of feed you put in the feed
er is never the same as the amount
of feed the cows actually swallow.
Marketing A
Value-Added
Feeder Calf
Interest seems to be growing
around the state in pooling feeder
calves from several sources in an
area that can be marketed as a
group. This usually implies the
calves will all have been handled
the same way prior to sale.
I am often asked what is the list
of practices that should be used for
these calves. The following list
should be useful in helping mer
chandise calves in this manner:
1. All calves have received vac
cinations for IBR-BVD
PI3-BRSV, S strains of lepto, H.
Somnus, and 7-way clostridials.
They should be boostered at least 2
weeks before sale. That sounds
like a lot of shots, but each round
can be given with just 2 needles.
2. Male calves castrated early,
preferably with a knife.
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3. Heifers guaranteed open.
4. All horns removed early.
5. All calves wormed and
deloused.
6. All calves weaned for at least
2 weeks prior to sale. This is the
hardest one for many small pro
ducers to do. Good health manage
ment, good facilities, and good
feeding practices are essential in
making it work.
7. Providing some accurate esti
mates of weight
Some of the other factors that
may help:
■ Guaranteeing breed
composition
• Using only performance
tested bulls as sires
• Implanting with growth
promotants
■ Providing calving 'dates and
preweaning information.
If you are interested in pooling
calves in your area, call your local
extension office and let them
know. We will be happy to work
with breeders who may be inter
ested in working together.
WEANING RESULTS
We have completed the analysis
of the weaning trial conducted at
Penn State last fall, and the results
should be helpful to a good man
agement and marketing program.
In this trial, we were testing
whether there was an advantage in
performance and health of feeder
calves by weaning them early (146
days of age) and returning them to
pasture, or weaning them at a more
conventional age (200 days of age)
and then returning them to pasture
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Uncwttf Farming, Saturday, Much 11, 1995-C3
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for two weeks, or simply weaning
and shipping them to a feedlot on
the same day.
The calves weaned at 146 days
got off to a good start They had an
average daily pin of 1.9 pounds
per day for the first 14 days after
weaning compared to .98 pounds
per day for those weaned at 200
days.
However, it was downhill after
that for the early weaned group.
Their weaning weights at 7 months
of age were about 65 pounds light
er. Even considering lower cow
maintenance costs since they were
not nursing a calf, this difference
in pay weight may be too much.
At about 714 months of age, all
three groups of calves were placed
in a feedlot and fed the same pel
leted diet for 28 days. Those calves
weaned and shipped the same day
had the lowest gains (1.66 pounds/
day) and the lowest feed conver
sion (13 pounds of fced/pound of
pin.) Somewhat surprisingly, the
calves that had been weaned for
more than two months did not gain
as fast (2.14 pounds/day) as those
weaned for only two weeks (2.74
pounds/day).
These results indicate that those
who wish to develop a manage
ment and marketing plan that
includes weaning before sale
should consider a relatively short
weaning period. While it was not
an issue in this trial, a good vacci
nation program with boosters
given ahead of weaning will be an
important part of a successful
program.
m DRIVEN.
See Your
Local Badger
Dealer
HONESDALE SPREADING
SERVICE INC.
SOS Cliff St.
Honesdale, PA 18431
(717) 253-2410
CHIDESTER FARMS
RO 2, Box 75
Kingsley, PA 18826
(717) 289-4260
MELVIN G. MILLER
RT 2, Spring Mills, PA 16875
(814) 422-8279
PIKEVILLE
EQUIPMENT INC.
RT 2, Olay, PA 19547
(215) 987-6277
BHM FARM EQUIP. INC.
RR 1, Annville, PA 17003
(717) 867-2211
SHOW EASE STALL CO.
573 Willow Rd.
Lancaster, PA 17601
(717) 299-2536
DEERFIELD AG &
TURF CENTER, INC.
RD 2. Box 212
Wattontown, PA 17777
(717) 538-3557
HEFLIN SALES'
& SERVICE
12312 Oak Hill Rd.
Woodsboro, MD 21798
(301) 898-3233 '
CHAMBERSBURG
FARM SERVICE
975 S. Mam St.
Chambarsburg, PA 17201
(717) 264-3533
SOMERSET BARN EQ.
RD. «S
Somersat, PA 15501
(814) 445-SSSS
McMILLEN BROS.
RO 1 Box 134
Loytvllla, PA 17047
(717) 789-3961
HESS' EQUIPMENT
Salas t Sarvloa
RR 3, Mifflinburg, PA 17844
(717) 986-2720
966-1998