Backgrounding Calves

Backgrounding Calves

By Heather Smith Thomas

Backgrounding simply means growing calves bigger (after weaning) before they go into a finishing program. Some producers hold their calves to sell later as yearlings, and some buy light calves in the spring to put on grass in a stocker program and grow to a larger weight. Some put weaned calves into a confinement program and feed a growing ration until they are ready to go to a finishing facility. The calves might be on pasture with a supplement or in a confinement program on a growing ration—about 90 to 100 days of backgrounding.

This year things are a bit different, with high prices for calves and high cost of feed in many regions. Dr. Ron Gill, Texas A & M, Agrilife Extension, says that if you are buying calves to background, you have to look hard at pricing—in terms of what the calves are bringing today and what you might expect them to bring when you sell them.

“In our area the cost of feed is so high that you need to carefully calculate the cost of gain and value of gain. Right now, the value of gain is borderline regarding whether you can make money doing this. It may be different if these are your own calves that you are keeping and feeding and looking farther down the road to what those carcasses might be worth. There are many things to consider,” he says.

Having your own calves and accessible feed sources may work out better than if you are trying to buy calves and buy feed that must be hauled very far. “Buying calves right now is a gamble,” says Gill.

“I think there is a lot of risk involved, especially when calves are worth so much right off the cow or after weaning. When they are worth that much it’s harder to talk yourself into keeping them. Even if calves are not preconditioned, they are bringing pretty good money this year, but there is still about a $10-$12 premium in some areas for the 45-60 day weaned calves.”

It’s important to identify your end target. “If you will be selling them directly as beef or you are part of a supply chain you want to keep cattle in, or keep cattle coming to, this may change the picture a little—to maintain those relationships,” he says. Each producer’s situation is a little different; you have to figure out what will work for you.

“There is no blanket advice that can be given. There are many tough decisions—whether to keep calves longer, or keep heifers. It might be good to keep them longer, in terms of inventory, but you don’t know if things will change next year and whether there will be pasture. Some people are restocking now, but that’s a gamble, too. Many people got burned the last time they tried to keep heifers and background them through winter to sell as bred heifers or ready to breed,” says Gill. And there’s no crystal ball in terms of what the weather will be.

“A lot will depend on available feed resources. If you will be purchasing calves and backgrounding them, you’ll need to find calves you can purchase somewhat under the average market price. Then your margins might be a little better when you get them straightened out and on feed. Success with this will often depend on what you value those cattle in at or what you actually purchase them for—and their health.”

If the calves are coming out of drought areas and might be stressed, they may not have strong immunities. You don’t want a health wreck. “Any time calves are this high priced, the risk of one of them dying takes away all the profit. We’ve seen a higher incidence of respiratory disease in calves over the last few years, even in good years. I think genetics play a role in this. You want to know as much as possible about the cattle. In general, the more straight-bred they are, the more likely they are to get sick. A good crossbred animal has more vigor, performance, and immunity,” he says.

“These are things to think about when buying calves, to have as little risk as possible. If you are backgrounding, maybe you can find someone who has weaned their calves for 45 to 60 days and you can just take them and go.

That would be the safest bet,” says Gill.

“Like any margin business, do your budgets realistically. Don’t underestimate health issues or overestimate performance. It might pay to look at some of the pricing mechanisms—maybe locking in a certain price—to eliminate a big loss.”

Probably the value of calves coming out of a backgrounding program and into the finishing yards will be pretty high, but we don’t know. It always pays to do some number crunching, though some people just keep backgrounding calves because that’s what they’ve always done. “This happens a lot in most segments of the beef industry; you might make a little money two years and then lose it all over the next three! It just seems there is more risk this year, because of instability of the market (regarding cost of feed as well as cattle). If you can limit or mitigate the effect of those unknowns it probably pays to keep doing what you know how to do, in terms of backgrounding, whether doing custom backgrounding or backgrounding your own calves,” says Gill.

Feed sources are important; it helps to have local supplies rather than something that must be hauled a long distance. “With the cost of fuel, if you have to haul very far it’s tough!” he says.

If you are not in a persistent drought and can produce your own hay (or buy local hay reasonably priced) and have a consistent forage source, feeding cattle is more feasible. “There are still a lot of byproducts like gluten and distillers grains available for mixing rations, so the main thing would be access and trucking.”

Backgrounding In Missouri
Neal and Linda Niendick and son Ben own a feedlot and backgrounding business near Wellington, Missouri, When Ben came home from college in 2016 they added onto the operation to be able to background more calves.

“We do a lot of custom feeding and own a few of the cattle ourselves,” says Ben. “Calves usually come to us weighing between 600 and 650 pounds and we feed them for 150 or more days, to get them up to about 850 and sometimes 900 pounds—ready to go out west to get finished.”

There are very few finishing facilities in Missouri; most calves go to feedlots in western Kansas and some to Nebraska. Conditions in Missouri aren’t ideal for finishing cattle because weather is hot and humid in summer and muddy in winter. “Another disadvantage is that we are farther from the processing plants. This might change in the future, to where there could be more finishing opportunities here,” he says.

Missouri produces a lot of cattle (it is usually second or third in the nation for cow-calf numbers) and most calves are backgrounded before being sent to finishing yards. “Many of the calves we get come from sale barns, but some of our customers send calves off their farms and retain ownership. Some customers send calves they buy at the sale barns,” says Ben.

He and his dad usually feed about 1500 calves, with numbers fluctuating depending on time of year. The facility is strictly a confinement situation. “In our area there’s not much pasture; it’s all crop land. We run a few cows on some grass, but we only have 25 acres of pasture,” he explains.

Their facility is close to several sale barns, and there are many cow-calf producers in this area. “Being close to Kansas is an advantage, too. The sale barns here have good runs every week. There is a great supply of cattle; we don’t have any trouble keeping our pens full.”

When calves arrive, many of them are ready for another round of vaccinations. “We usually process them upon arrival. One of the things we did when I got back from college and became more active in the operation was to improve our working facility so we could handle calves as easily and smoothly as possible,” he says. They are coming from a variety of places and most of them are stressed already, so it’s important to not add more stress.

“We assess their condition. Some just came off grass or were weaned recently and may not know how to eat from a bunk. We determine what kind of ration to start them on,” Ben says.

Those calves go into pens close to the barn for the first week or two so they can be closely monitored for any signs of illness. “We keep a close eye on them, especially when it’s hot, and also in the winter; our winters can be pretty rough on them,” he says.

The calves are generally started on a high-roughage diet, and gradually bumped up to grower rations, gaining about 2 ½ pounds per day. “We don’t want to get them too fleshy until they reach the right frame size. We want them to just keep growing, without getting fat, so they can put on weight when they go west for finishing,” Ben explains.

With custom feeding, the rations may vary. Every customer is a little different regarding the goal for their cattle, and what they want them to gain. “We customize the ration for each group,” Ben says.

The farm grows all the feed necessary; the only things purchased are minerals and feed additives. “We can chop our own feed and do it at the right time, at the right stage of maturity,” Ben says. “We also combine our own corn, and have a roller mill, and don’t have to buy any corn. We work closely with a nutritionist from Great Plains Livestock Consulting in eastern Nebraska.” The cattle are always on harvested feed, since their backgrounding operation has no pasture for calves.

In winter the biggest challenge is keeping pens clean and minimizing mud. “We don’t want the cattle lying in mud, so we’ve built mounds in each pen so they can get up off the wettest ground,” Ben says.

In summer they put up shades. Studies have shown a 30-degree difference in ground temperature underneath the shade versus out in the sun. “As soon as we put up shades, the cattle use them; even the new arrivals figure it out pretty quick. We provide about 10 square feet of shade per head,” Ben says. This takes a lot of pressure off the water; they don’t need to drink quite as much, and they stay in the shade—and are not grouped around the waterers all the time. It’s important to have plenty of water space per head, with good capacity.

How to optimize your cattle deworming program?

How to optimize your cattle deworming program?

Three questions to improve ROI potential

By M. Wayne Ayers, DVM, Beef Cattle Technical Consultant, Elanco Animal Health

Beef producers understand how deworming helps to maximize animal health and contributes to operational profitability, but building a strategic deworming program that yields effective results and a positive return on investment can be a tricky task.

Answering three critical questions can help ensure cattle operations are set up for success by decreasing parasite burden and improving weight gain and performance.

1. Do I know what parasites are present?

Understanding what parasites are present in cattle is the first step to success. Of the nearly 15 species of worms that affect U.S. cattle, four parasites are responsible for the most significant economic losses – the brown stomach worm (Ostertagia osteragi), Barber’s pole worm (Haemonchus placei), cattle bankrupt worm (Cooperia spp.) and small stomach worm (Trichostrongylus axei).

Determining which cattle are infected with parasites, what species are represented and at what population level, using species-specific quantitative analysis, will help you choose the most effective deworming product and target the most susceptible cattle for more timely treatment.

2. Do I know which cattle are at the greatest risk?

When assessing your herd, youngstock are at the highest risk and stand to suffer the greatest potential economic loss due to parasitism. Even when subclinical infections occur without visible symptoms, internal parasites can decrease calf performance, including reduced growth rates. This can limit calves’ ability to reach their full genetic potential and can negatively impact an operation’s profitability.

As cattle age and their immune system has a history of parasite interaction, they become less susceptible to infection and other effects of parasites.

It’s also important to practice refugia when considering which cattle to treat. Refugia is a deworming strategy that maintains a low level of untreated sensitive parasite larvae on pastures, reducing selection pressure and resistance development that can result from repeated deworming.

Capitalizing on the ability of mature cattle to develop some degree of immunity to parasitism, Elanco developed a refugia strategy called “4 Score and 3 Years” for cattle. This resistance management strategy calls for mature cattle with a body condition score of greater than 4.5 and older than 3 years of age to remain unexposed to dewormer. All cattle three years of age and younger, regardless of body condition, should be dewormed.

Remember, what’s in the cow is what’s on the pasture, what’s on the pasture is what’s in the calf, and what’s in the calf is what causes economic loss. The “4 Score and 3 Years” strategy helps maintain a parasite pasture population that can be effectively managed in youngstock.

3. Am I using the most effective product?

Evaluating and choosing the dewormer best suited for your operation can be a daunting task.

As generic formulations are added to farm store shelves, it can be tempting to choose the lowest cost option. However, studies have demonstrated potential effectiveness differences between pioneer dewormers and generic formulations.1,2 These studies raise the question of whether generic formulations are equally effective.

Achieving efficacy while reducing potential resistance development can be a difficult balance to strike, and reduced effectiveness often equals reduced profitability.

Cydectin® is the pioneer moxidectin cattle dewormer with 25 years of demonstrated effectiveness. It provides broad-spectrum control of both internal and external parasites, including the four most economically significant parasites.

Cydectin’s active ingredient, moxidectin, has a novel molecular structure and is the only macrocyclic lactone class dewormer in the milbemycin subclass. With a lack of new dewormer molecules on the market, producers can reduce the risk of resistance development by leveraging this unique chemistry.

Compared to other common dewormers, Cydectin Pour-On has proven to reduce fecal egg counts and put more dollars in producers’ pockets by numerically increasing weight gain and additional profit per head3.
In one head-to-head study, Cydectin Pour On was proven to be effective in reducing fecal egg counts by 96.6% assessed by a fecal egg count reduction test (FECRT).3 This reduction was statistically (P<0.05) greater than Ivomec (FECRT = 43.6%). The researchers also found the following derived benefits of treating stocker cattle with Cydectin Pour On:

• +60 lbs. and $150/head more than the untreated control*
• +33 lbs. and $82.50/head more than Ivomec® Pour-On* (ivermectin)
• +16 lbs. and $40/head more than Dectomax® Pour-On (doramectin)
• +11 lbs. and $27.50/head more than Eprinex® Pour-On (eprinomectin)

*Significantly greater (P < 0.05)

(Weights with an asterisk are statistically different from Cydectin Pour On at P<0.05. Dollar differences calculated 07March2024 using $2.50/cwt value)

Implementing a strategic and well-rounded deworming program is essential to maintaining the health and productivity of beef cattle. Answering these three important questions ensures your deworming program further contributes to your operation’s profitability and sustainability.

Remember, a healthy herd is a productive herd, and an investment in deworming goes a long way to ensuring the success of your beef cattle business.

Visit CydectinBeef.com or talk to your local Elanco representative about how Cydectin can benefit your strategic deworming protocol.

Related product/portfolio pages

https://farmanimal.elanco.com/us/beef/products/cydectin-pour-on
https://campaign.elanco.com/en-us/elanco-cydectin-injectable/
https://farmanimal.elanco.com/us/beef

Keep Cydectin out of reach of children.

Cydectin, Elanco and the diagonal bar logo are trademarks of Elanco or its affiliates. Other product names are trademarks of their respective owners. ©2024 Elanco or its affiliates. PM-US-24-1034

References

1 Lifschitz A, Sallovitz J, Imperiale F, et al. Pharmacokinetic evaluation of four ivermectin generic formulations in calves. Vet Parasitol. 2004:119(2-3):247-57.
2 Yazwinski TA, Tucker CA, Miles DG, et al. Evaluation of generic injectable ivermectin for control of nematodiasis in feedlot heifers. Bov Pract. 46(1):60-65.
3 Williams JC, et al. A comparison of persistent anthelmintic efficacy of topical formulations of doramectin, ivermectin, eprinomectin and moxidectin against naturally acquired nematode infections of beef calves. Vet Parasitol. 1999:85:277-288.

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The Threat of Beef Heifer Mastitis

The Threat of Beef Heifer Mastitis

Article and Photo courtesy of Central Life Sciences

Cattlemen know that protecting their cattle operations from threats is essential to remaining profitable and productive. Heifer mastitis in beef herds is a potentially devastating threat for cattle herds, as it can quickly spread and have a significant impact on both animal health and your bottom line. Heifer mastitis, characterized by the inflammation and infection of one or more teats prior to the heifer’s first calf, can destroy the milk-producing tissues within the affected teats and often leads to the development of blind quarters. Blind quarters result in decreased milk production for life and will affect future calf weaning weights.

The first step in protecting your cattle against the damaging threat of heifer mastitis is understanding the disease and the role horn flies play. Then, you can better implement a plan to protect the future of your herd.

The Role of Horn Flies in Mastitis Spread

One of the key contributors to heifer mastitis is the presence of horn flies. These persistent insects are known to feed on the blood vessels in the skin of the teats, causing irritation and transferring mastitis-causing bacteria. Horn flies can carry these harmful bacteria from one animal to another, allowing the bacteria to enter the teat and move throughout the quarter, inflicting damage on the milk-producing tissues. The potential for the rapid spread of mastitis within a herd is supported by the horn fly’s close association with the herd and the need for frequent blood meals.

According to Dr. Steven Nickerson at the University of Georgia, 75% of retained heifer herds surveyed had incidences of heifer mastitis. If the herd had a fly control program, incidents of heifer mastitis dropped by 55%. By implementing an effective fly control program to help prevent cases of mastitis, you can improve the overall health of the herd and protect the future productivity of the heifers.

Implementing Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

An Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan is a decisive plan to control a pest that incorporates multiple forms of pest control. The IPM can be tailored based on the herd’s needs and limitations of labor, time or cost. The key component to any IPM program is PIE – Plan – Implement – Evaluate. Planning your IPM can start with identifying your unique needs and the target pest. Once a plan is created, implement the IPM for your herd and evaluate it to adjust it as needed effectively. Cattle producers can ensure optimal herd performance and well-being while contributing to a healthier bottom line by utilizing a targeted Integrated Pest Management plan.

To have an effective IPM program, one should include the following tactics:

  1. Evaluate the horn fly population by on-animal counts. While establishing a solid Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program is crucial, monitoring is just as vital. Regularly assessing fly populations on the cattle with population estimates or fly counts allows cattle operators to evaluate and fine-tune their strategies. The economic threshold for horn flies on beef cattle is 200 horn flies per animal. Control methods must be implemented when populations exceed 200 per animal to avoid impacting the herd’s bottom line.
  2. Protect the horn flies’ natural enemies. Avoid spraying general insecticides and limit the use of systemic pour-on endectocides to help conserve the naturally found dung beetles and other predatory beetles that feed on the larvae found in the manure pats. By protecting the horn flies’ natural enemies, cattle producers can utilize biological control as an eco-friendly approach to pest management.
  3. Rotate the Mode of Action. When using topical insecticides like insecticidal ear tags, sprays, and pour-ons, rotate the Mode of Action, not the active ingredient, to avoid contributing to the horn fly populations’ genetic insecticidal resistance.
  4. Be preventative. Use a targeted preventative product, like Altosid® IGR, a labor-free feed-through fly control product.

Targeted Horn Fly Treatment Program

Altosid® IGR is a feed-through fly-control solution containing the active ingredient (s)methoprene, mimicking a unique biochemical in insects responsible for insect development. When fed to heifers in their daily mineral supplement, Altosid® IGR moves through the digestive system and treats their manure, effectively controlling the horn fly population by treating where horn flies develop. In more than 30 years of use, there have been no known cases of insecticide resistance to Altosid® IGR. Altosid® IGR is effective in controlling horn flies that are resistant to organophosphates and pyrethroids commonly used in conventional topical horn fly control products.

By controlling horn flies, producers can take the first step to reduce the occurrence and impact of heifer mastitis and blind quarters in their herd. By implementing a targeted horn fly treatment program established around the preventative control of Altosid® IGR, producers can keep cattle healthy and productive now and for years to come.

Trust the first and proven feed-through for horn fly control that delivers proven ROI. For more information, visit AltosidIGR.com.

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