Knowing cow weights and body condition scores at this time of year is beneficial in planning an efficient nutritional program so cows are in optimum body condition for calving season a few months from now, said David Lalman, Amanda Holder and Mark Johnson, of the Oklahoma State University Department of Animal and Food Sciences Extension, in a letter to Extension agents called cow-calf corner.
FEED INTAKE STUDY
In an ongoing OSU research project, 42 registered Angus cows are being used to investigate the influence of cow size, body condition and diet quality on feed or forage intake. These cows ranged in weight from 1,130 to 2,006 pounds, providing a wide weight range, feed intake and growth potential.
The cows were split into two roughly equal groups and individual feed intake was measured for 45 days after a 14-day adaptation period. After the first period, each group’s diet was switched and after another 14-day adaptation period, feed intake was measured for another 45 days.
They found that each 100 pounds of weight was associated with 1.4 pounds of additional daily hay intake. On the other hand, with a high-quality mixed diet, each 100 pounds of cow weight was associated with 1.9 pounds per day more feed consumption.
In other words, if the average of those two diets represents average annual forage quality on a ranch, a 1,400-pound cow would need about 1,861 pounds more forage dry matter each year compared with a 1,100-pound cow. This is equivalent to an additional 1.8 grazing acres on land producing 3,500 pounds of forage and 30% harvest efficiency.
If large round bales are used, an additional 1.7 bales are required for the larger cows assuming 1,300-pound bales and 15% hay waste during storage and feeding.
Daily feed intake was reduced by four pounds per unit of body condition score when fed the high-quality diet and by only 1.6 pounds per unit when fed the grass hay diet.
THIN COWS CHALLENGED
These results show that cows in thin condition can only do so much to make up for thin body condition when forage quality is low.
When diet quality is high (more similar to early growing season), thin cows will be able to catch up at a much faster pace. Nature rides the brakes just a little when cows are fat and diet quality is low, but when diet quality is high and cows are already in good condition, nature puts a lot more pressure on those brakes.
CATTLE, BEEF RECAP
The USDA reported formula and contract base prices for live FOB steers and heifers this week ranged from $124.08 to $125.06 per cwt, compared with last week’s range of $123.98 to $126.80. FOB dressed steers and heifers went for $194.31 to $196.10 per cwt, versus $194.02 to $198.29.
The USDA choice cutout Wednesday was down $4.23 per cwt at $297.33, while select was off $2.57 at $271.78. The choice/select spread narrowed to $25.55 from $27.21 with 127 loads of fabricated product and 31 loads of trimmings and grinds sold into the spot market.
The USDA reported Wednesday that basis bids for corn from livestock feeding operations in the Southern Plains were down $0.45 to $0.50 at $1.20 to $1.35 a bushel over the Dec futures and for southwest Kansas were unchanged at $0.40 over Dec, which settled at $5.39 a bushel, down $0.06 1/2.
The CME Feeder Cattle Index for the seven days ended Tuesday was $154.66 per cwt down $0.15. This compares with Wednesday’s Sep contract settlement of $154.27 per cwt, down $0.12 and the Oct settlement of $154.62, down $1.50.