LIVESTOCK
The best livestock ranchers and stockbreeders are those able to identify and analyze the natural selection process taking place inside a herd – because in the livestock industry everything is about the “survival of the fittest”. Animals that are able to raise a good calf every year and breed back are the animals that make it and it is primarily a Rancher’s job to breed the best animals able to live, reproduce and raise a calf in the environment presented to them. Ranchers need to professionally support and complement every single animal in accordance with their genetic disposition by looking at cow conformation, fertility, hardiness, composition, weight, as well as milk production (when it applies).
Particularly in today’s persistent drought stricken conditions, the superior management of ranch properties is of utmost importance. Generations of hard won experience (and many mistakes made) have given us the knowledge and experience to allow us to consult on any number of concerns that ranch owners and managers may have. We particularly take interest in creating programs that can directly link the source of the cattle with the vendors and consumers of the end product.
Sometimes we get so caught up in the daily routine of work that we forget to manage. On most ranching operations, management doesn’t need to take a lot of time; but to be successful, it does require some time every week.
MEAT can only be of GREAT quality if treated with GREAT care
at every stage of production.
PASTURE MANAGEMENT
Ranching is more complicated than other farming businesses as it includes a minimum of two enterprises - land and cattle. Grass is not free and a rancher needs all the business management tools he can get to make every acre of grass, and every cow, work for him. The pasture management plan is the first component to address in intentionally as it forms the foundation upon which the remaining components rest. Secondly, we believe an approach to management should be both integrative and holistic. In fact, being able to manage holistically is completely dependent on integration of science, ideas, information, observation, etc. that come from many sources. You will never get it all, but the quality of your holistic management will improve as you integrate better with the data. We prefer some level of “adaptive multi-paddock grazing” as a way to improve the land, cows selected to fit your ranch environment with low input as the way to improve livestock and helping all team members develop skills. Most people farmers forget that good grazing comes down to professionalism and exceptional know-how and it can yield as much improvement to a farm’s profitability as cattle genetics can.
FORAGE MANAGEMENT
When grass is growing, everything looks great – but there is an old rule of thumb that says: “take half, leave half”. This does not mean that half the forage can be allotted to grazing animals, parts of what is taken will go to the animals, but part will disappear through trampling, decay and insect damage. This means only about 25 percent of the average annual production is left for the grazing animal. Hence, forecasting how much stockpile you will need by end of season is critical. The best and most profitable ranches have a better flow of data and they manage their feeds and forages more tightly. They know forage management is the biggest profit driver of their business and they know how to measure their pasture inventory, calculate animal days and match their stocking rate to carrying capacity. Sometimes its staff that's off on the grazing management - maybe they grazed too short, or something else happened and you had to put out a fire. But by putting yourself in the flow of the data and reviewing grazing photos and records against the plan, you can adjust mid-season and avoid bigger mistakes. Ranchers who are able to make decisions that impact profitability for the season - keep adapting and re-planning - are the ones who aren't afraid to confront their data and make decisions before it's too late.
STOCKING RATE MANAGEMENT
There are two perspectives to stocking rate. One is the land resource. The second is animal performance. Because of animal forage preferences, it is possible to be properly stocked from a resource conservation perspective and over-stocked in terms of animal performance. The ‘stocking rate’ is the amount of land allotted to each animal for the grazing season, whereas the ‘carrying capacity’ is the maximum long-term stocking rate that can be sustained without detrimental effects on the land resource. A number of factors must be considered when establishing a stocking rate and these factors include animal species, size and physiological stage, size of the pasture or ranch, and number of grazeable acres. Often we are asked to recommend a stocking rate for a particular area or particular kind of grazing livestock – and these recommendations are typically based on one cow or animal unit per “x” acres - but not every cow is an animal unit. In fact, an animal unit, like most units of measure, is arbitrary and the definition of an animal unit has continually changed. Currently, the most widely accepted definition of an animal unit is a mature, 1,000-pound cow and her calf, representing an average daily dry matter forage intake of 26 pounds. This average daily forage intake can also be expressed as a percentage (2.6 percent) of the cow’s body weight. Stocking rate recommendations should therefore be based more on potential forage intake than on numbers of animals. Clearly, ranches differ in annual rainfall, forage production, forage species, brush cover, topography, water distribution and kind of livestock – but when cattle have a choice, their annual diets consist of 80 percent or more grass and usually no more than 10 per- cent browse (leaves and twigs from brush). Cattle make limited use of slopes greater than 10 percent or areas more than 2 miles from water. Therefore, when establishing a stocking rate for cattle, many angles needs to be considered and very brushy areas, steep areas and areas too far from water must be excluded to determine the actual stocking rate.
CATTLE MANAGEMENT
Feeding cattle that grow similarly and finish around the same time and weight will allow any operation to be efficient – but this is a ‘science’. A nutritionist can organize cattle in multiple ways, but the main two are grouping similar body weights and breeds together. If more data is provided, such as sire information and/or frame size, cattle can be organized using multiple layers of data to keep cattle with the most similar growth patterns together. Another method for organizing cattle groups is by genetic testing to evaluate each animal's growth potential, then placing cattle into groups based on the genetic tests. In order to improve efficiency and profitability of a livestock operation, animals need to be in similar groups, and it is within this selection process that subjects such as breeding, nutrition choice as well as health and husbandry aspects take place. Unless producing one’s own animals, it is advisable to purchase cattle from reputable breeders who really put in the extra time to ensure that their calves are ready to succeed. As mentioned before, final meat quality depends on how the animals have been treated at every stage of the process. The quicker the animals grow the more animals can go through your operation. That will spread the costs of equipment usage, thus, increase profitability and the ability of any livestock operation to grow and expand.
FEEDLOT MANAGEMENT
Four distinct factors impact feedlot profitability:
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cattle at the feed bunk in feedlots
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buying price of store cattle
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selling price of finished cattle
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cost of the diet
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cattle performance, as influenced by management
Each factor is important and requires consideration before commencing a feedlot venture. Feedlot management influences cattle performance through its effect on feed intake, weight gain and herd health. Feedlot margins are often marginal in stand-alone situations, yet they can be seriously profit drivers in an integrated farming format. When transferring cattle from grasslands to a feedlot, grain must be introduced into their diet gradually. If done properly, it can really bring cattle on to a very high grain diet and rapid weight gains. It is important to allow the rumen to adjust, but if grain is processed well - meaning cracked grain gives approximately 15% better utilization than whole grain, thereby increasing weight gains and reducing grain wastage – then results will show. It is also best for grain to be coarsely milled, either through a roller mill or hammer mill and for Sorghum to be steam flaked. These added processes in the feeding regime can greatly improve results, whereas milling the grain too finely can instead increase the risk of digestive upsets. Also important to note is that dusty diets can depress appetite as well as cause respiratory problems –and small quantities of molasses can largely increase palatability and reduce dust. Molasses can actually be fed at up to 10% of the diet. Fresh water has to be provided at all times as reduced water intake will reduce feed intake and therefore weight gain – but it is also important during this process to observe daily for signs of disease onset, feed problems (for example, shy feeders), failure to adapt to the diet – or bad ‘doers’ who it often pays to remove from the lots.
FEEDLOT DESIGN
Preliminary site evaluation considers topography, present and future cattle numbers, and accessibility. A 2% to 5% land slope is recommended. A soil with 25 percent or more clay is preferred to sand or fractured rock structures. Approximately 1 acre of land is required per 100 head for pen-space, alleys, and feed roads. Generally, most producers find 300 square feet per head to be adequate pen space, but this space can be reduced to 200 to 250 square feet per head in drier climates. Additional pens will be made for sick and receiving animals.
All extraneous runoff needs to be diverted away from the feedlots and roads. For new sites, this is most easily accomplished by sitting the feedlots on a ridge or elevating the feed road to construct a diversion channel. Feedlots and runoff control structures need to be a minimum of 100 feet from property lines, 50 feet from rural water lines and 100 feet from the nearest well (preferably downhill from the well). The lowest point of the facilities (normally the bottom of the sediment basin or lagoon) must be at least 10 feet above groundwater.
Trucks and stock trailers must have easy access to the working facilities. A circular turning area is preferred to the backing of trucks and trailers. Allowing a semi-truck to enter and circle back out the entrance road requires a turning area of 130 to 150 feet in diameter.
Our base map will show the proposed feedlot located on the designated lot of plan. It includes the plans for the property, site, yard, drainage and environmental buffers, as well as an aerial perspective - plus extra information about the existing features preferably for the whole property:
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infrastructure e.g. roads, buildings, dams, bores
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natural resources (property features) e.g. watercourses, topography, vegetation
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effluent and manure utilization areas
Site plan – a plan of the proposed feedlot layout:
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feedlot pens
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drains
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roadways
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cattle lanes
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sedimentation systems
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effluence holding ponds
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cattle handling yards
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storm water diversion drains/banks
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solid waste stockpiling areas
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carcass disposal areas
Yard plan – a plan of the proposed feedlot:
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pen dimensions
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location of feeding and watering points
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apron dimensions and construction materials
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number of cattle per pen
Drainage plan – a plan of the drainage system:
