New smaller cows?

[novatech]

Has anyone considered that the high gas prices will have an effect on the preferred breed of cattle? Perhaps smaller breeds will top the market to compensate for the escalating price of transporting cows?

Why do you think smaller cows would be more fuel efficient.
Smaller cattle will mean fewer lbs. being transported on the same truck, therefore meaning more fuel per lb. The only reason this would be true is to haul on double decker.
This brings another question to mind. What is the dressing percentage of a small frame calf vs. a large frame? It seems to me that dressing percentage should be high on the list when it comes to efficiency but it is hardly ever brought up.

 

[Brandonm22]

The truck efficiency argument (either way) really has no merit since most truckers are going too fill it to 40,000 pounds (or whatever their rig's legal limit is)......whether that is 80 500 lb calves, 100 400 lb calves, or 50 800 pound calves he is still going to try to haul the same weight. Actually, if these grain prices keep going up I expect they will be hauling more loads of older heavier stockers to the feedlot rather than buying as many calves right off the cow.

 

[KMacGinley]

Did you guys ever consider that beef is sitting pretty in regards to corn, due to the fact that we can use grass? Chicken, pork and turkey, do not have that option. When they have killed off the aforementioned producers what is left will probably be more expensive due to lower supply and the consumption of beef will probably climb. We may become the lowest cost producers for a lb of protein. But only if you can use grass.

 

[novatech]

Did you guys ever consider that beef is sitting pretty in regards to corn, due to the fact that we can use grass? Chicken, pork and turkey, do not have that option. When they have killed off the aforementioned producers what is left will probably be more expensive due to lower supply and the consumption of beef will probably climb. We may become the lowest cost producers for a lb of protein. But only if you can use grass.

So what is the plan when the grass runs out? If you have a thousand cows producing calves on pasture then where is the additional pasture coming from to feed out the calves?
There is no doubt in my mind that it would be more profitable to grass feed, but then it always has been. This is one of the reasons feed lots exist today. It is not only for the flavor or tenderness.
By the way grandpa used to pasture several thousand chickens and some turkeys.

 

[BRG]

Where is this extra grass going to come from???

Their are tests going on right now in a few feedlots in NE where they are feeding cattle on hay, corn stalks, and distillers alone, with no corn. Lets hope this cost of gain is relatively cheap and works to finish.

As far as tucking is concerned. We learned this the hard way. A couple years ago a bull customer of mine had to wean and sell at a very young age. The calves were in the mid 3 weights. We purchased around 50,000 lbs (1 truck load) but when we went to load them, we couldn't get them all on because their was to many cattle (like 140 or so) and the actual room wasn't their to fit in the truck even though it was by weight.