MT. VERNON, Mo. — The 121 steers were sent to the Tri-County Steer Carcass Futurity (TCSCF) on June 7 as part of the steer feedout have been harvested according to Eldon Cole, livestock specialist with University of Missouri Extension.
“Participants in the feedout receive a detailed report on their steers’ performance which helps them make management and genetic decisions that help them breed and care for better performing cattle in the future,” said Cole.
According to Cole, the financial statement this year shows a per head loss of $215.06. One steer died, and one did not respond to treatment and was sold as a feeder. Their losses were in the final tally.
“There are several reasons for the losses during the feeding phase. Their initial value was $148.20 per cwt on average for their 719 pounds in June. There was considerable sickness early due to mycoplasma,” said Cole.
Individual treatment costs for the 53 head totaled $4638.02 or about $87.50 per head.
Cost of gain for feed was $56.66 per cwt. The total cost of gain averaged $86.05 when treatments, freight, routine vaccines, carcass data gathering, tags, interest and yardage are accounted for.
Gains were below the past year’s TCSCF average of 3.50 by 0.13 lbs. Feed-to-gain was also poorer, 6.88 to 6.70 lbs. per pound of gain.
“The estimate was that our steers ADG and feed-to-gain was 10 percent below the average of TCSCF cattle over their bigger data set. The primary reason given was the health issue,” said Cole. “The selling price for the finished steers was not very helpful either.”
Steers were sold on Nov. 1 and received $165.17 on the first kill and $177.21 on the December date. For comparison purposes, those prices were given a weighted average price of $172.28.
“Even though there are negatives, we had two steers that actually returned a profit,” said Cole.
Prairie View Farms, Vandalia had the best profit steer at $91.48 per head. He was born Sept. 6, 2015, out of a Sim x Angus cow bred to a Simmental bull. He arrived at the feedlot weighing 685 lbs. He sold on Dec. 6 weighing 1453 lbs. Those weights gave him an overall gain per day of 4.22 lbs. His set-in price in June was $153 per cwt. He made low Choice with a 2.3 Yield Grade, 0.42-inch fat, 16.3 square inches of ribeye. He did not receive any individual treatment.
The other profitable steer came from Steve Jones, Mt. Vernon. He was out of a Simmental cow and an Angus bull. He was born Oct. 19 and began the finishing phase at 770 lbs. His final weight was 1391 lbs. on his kill date, Dec. 6. His overall ADG was 3.41 lbs. Rib fat thickness was 0.41 inch, ribeye area 12.4 square inches and his carcass yield grade was 3.3 with a Choice carcass grade. This quality grade boosted his profit as he netted an $11 per cwt Certified Angus Beef premium. He did not get sick so treatment cost also aided his close-out profit.
NEXT FEEDOUT
Persons with an interest in putting steers in the next feedout may obtain details from their Missouri Extension livestock specialist or go online at: www.swmobcia.com
The next feedout will begin June 7 for steers born after July 1, 2016.
For more information, contact any of the MU Extension livestock specialists in southwest Missouri: Eldon Cole in Lawrence County, (417) 466-3102; Andy McCorkill in Dallas County at (417) 345-7551; Dr. Randy Wiedmeier, in Douglas County at (417) 679-3525; or Dr. Patrick Davis in Cedar County at (417) 276-3313.
— Eldon Cole, University of Missouri Extension
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