Do heavier cattle weights increase feedlot profit?
12/3/24
ORANGE CITY, Iowa -- Drought reduced the number of cows in the U.S. and number of feeder cattle, driving the price of feeder animals sharply higher. At the end of November, USDA reported Nebraska yearling and calf prices $54 and $65 per hundredweight higher respectively than a year ago.
“It’s no surprise feedlot producers are feeding cattle to heavier weights," said Beth Doran, beef specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. “This helps spread the purchase cost over more pounds of finished weight, and it reduces the turnover rate of animals in the feedyard.”
But does feeding cattle to heavier weights improve profitability? Dr. Grant Crawford, associate director of cattle technical services with Merck Animal Health, will address this at Feedlot Forum 2025 on January 14 in Sioux Center.
He has analyzed feedyard data from thousands of head of cattle looking at performance, carcass quality, and profitability of extending days-on-feed. An early study involving 7,000 head looked at how extended days-on-feed impacted the price of cattle sold on a grid.
Crawford is one of five presenters for Feedlot Forum 2025. The agenda and registration form for Feedlot Forum 2025 are available on the event website. Registration is $25 per adult or $10 per student, and is due January 6. For more information, contact Doran at 712-737-4230 or doranb@iastate.edu.
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The Iowa Beef Center at Iowa State University was established in 1996 with the goal of supporting the growth and vitality of the state’s beef cattle industry. It comprises faculty and staff from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and College of Veterinary Medicine, and works to develop and deliver the latest research-based information regarding the beef cattle industry. For more information about IBC, visit www.iowabeefcenter.org.
Contact:
Beth Doran, ISU Extension and Outreach beef specialist, 712-737-4230, doranb@iastate.edu
