11-15-24 Discussing the difference between some growth performance measures for cattle, Mark Johnson, Oklahoma State University Extension beef cattle breeding specialist, said in a recent article that the Beef Improvement Federation defines Weight per Day of Age and Average Daily Gain this way:
–WDA – Weight of an individual divided by its age in days.
–ADG – Measurement of the average daily body weight change over a specified period of time of an animal on a feed test.
In a letter called Cow-Calf Corner, Johnson said both were measures of growth that are easy to calculate but are distinctly different. For example, if a calf were born weighing 80 pounds and later weaned at 200 days of age weighing 500 pounds, the WDA (500 divided by 200) was 2.5 pounds per day.
The ADG of the same calf from birth to weaning would be 2.1 pounds a day, he said. The result of 500 minus 80, divided by 200.
The measure of WDA is useful to evaluate young growing cattle from approximately weaning to yearling time, Johnson said. ADG has been used in performance testing for decades and is used to measure the growth performance of pens of finishing cattle.
GENETIC POTENTIAL
Both measures would be based on the genetic potential of calves to grow as well as environmental effects like weather and nutrition, he said. ADG also could be influenced heavily by nutrition prior to the testing period, which could affect the amount of compensatory gain during the test period.
The OSU Purebred Beef Center is developing a group of four Angus heifers and a group of four Angus bulls to exhibit in Angus Pen-of-Three Show at the Cattlemen’s Congress Show in Oklahoma City in January, Johnson said. The calves were born from Jan. 17 to Feb. 25.
The calves were on a 14% crude protein creep ration, fed ad-lib, for several months prior to weaning in mid-August, he said. Six of the eight calves have weaning and yearling EPDs in the best 5% of non-parent Angus cattle, Johnson said. The other two rank in the best 20% of the breed for weaning and yearling weight EPDs.
Based on Weights taken at the beginning of October when the calves were 219 to 258 days of age the range of actual weights, ADGs and WDAs of the calves were summarized as follows.
Bulls: Weight range = 970 – 1110
ADG Range = 3.83 – 4.1
WDA range = 4.14 – 4.41
Heifers: Weight Range = 780 – 815
ADG range = 2.9 – 3.2
WDA range = 3.2 – 3.55
CATTLE, BEEF RECAP
The USDA reported formula and contract base prices for live FOB steers and heifers this week ranged from $187.00 per cwt to $193.00, compared with last week’s range of $187.12 to $197.20 per cwt. FOB dressed steers, and heifers went for $294.48 per cwt to $299.32, compared with $297.87 to $302.65.
The USDA choice cutout Thursday was down $3.14 per cwt at $303.80 while select was down $2.00 at $276.66. The choice/select spread narrowed to $27.14 from $28.28 with 183 loads of fabricated product and 329 loads of trimmings and grinds sold into the spot market.
The USDA-listed weighted average wholesale price for fresh 90% lean beef was $330.89 per cwt, and 50% beef was $79.98.
The USDA said basis bids for corn from feeders in the Southern Plains were unchanged at $1.44 to $1.55 a bushel over the Dec corn contract and unchanged in Kansas at $0.25 over Dec, which settled at $4.19 a bushel, down $0.07 1/2.
The CME Feeder Cattle Index for the seven days ended Wednesday was $251.04 per cwt, up $2.02. This compares with Thursday’s Nov contract settlement of $247.62, up $1.15.