Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4 Western Australia, Series 4
Volume 19
Number 4 1978 Article 11
1-1-1978
Profitability of finishing cattle on grain : recent research results Profitability of finishing cattle on grain : recent research results
W J. Ryan
Follow this and additional works at: https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/journal_agriculture4 Part of the Comparative Nutrition Commons, and the Meat Science Commons
Recommended Citation Recommended Citation
Ryan, W J. (1978) "Profitability of finishing cattle on grain : recent research results," Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4: Vol. 19: No. 4, Article 11.
Available at: https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/journal_agriculture4/vol19/iss4/11
This article is brought to you for free and open access by the Agriculture at Digital Library. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4 by an authorized administrator of Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected].
Profitability of finishing cattle on grain — recent research results
By W. J. Ryan, Beef Cattle Husbandry Branch
Using only pasture and hay, prime young beef for the local trade can only be turned off between October and February. The resulting shortage of well-finished cattle offered for sale in the autumn-winter period usually results in higher prices at this time.
To finish young cattle and ensure a supply of the high quality beef preferred for the local trade in this autumn-winter period, grain-based diets are necessary in most areas of Western Australia.
However, grain is much more costly than pasture and grain feeding is only profitable when these
seasonally high prices are available.
For this reason grain finishing should only be considered as a means of helping to fill the gap in supply caused by our highly seasonal pasture growth pattern and under no circumstances as a total replacement for pasture based beef production.
The Department of Agriculture has for some years been conducting research on the factors affecting the profitability of this activity.
The major factors affecting profitability are the value of the store cattle before the grain feeding,
the cost of the feed and the value of the finished cattle. To estimate
these costs it is necessary to estimate
• The weight and value per kg of the store animals.
• The weight and value per kg of the finished animals.
• The weight and value per kg of the feed required to finish them.
Research results have provided estimates of the amount of feed required, the final carcase weight and the length of feeding time for early and intermediate maturity breed types fed from varying weights and ages to varying levels of backfat cover. The steers used in the experiment were Beef Shorthorn (early maturing) and dairy x Beef Shorthorn
(intermediate maturity).
Other British Breed types could be expected to give similar results to the Beef Shorthorn, but Angus would be slightly earlier maturing (more fat at lighter weights) and Herefords would be slightly later maturing. Heifers would be earlier maturing than steers, and different strains within breeds can also differ in maturity.
To assess the profitability of this activity these estimates of final carcase weight and feed required are combined with the projected value per kg of the finished animals during the autumn-winter period.
The estimated length of feeding period also provides an indication of the labour which will be required.
As fluctuations in both grain prices and beef prices affect such an enterprise, profitability must be assessed in detail beforehand. The estimates of feed required and carcase weights attained from the research programme are available from the Department of Agriculture in Farmnote No. 9/78, "Ready reckoner for beef cattle feeding budgets".
The most effective feed available in summer and autumn for feeding for the autumn-wintei market is a mixture of about 70 to 80 per cent grain and 20 to 30 per cent roughage and minerals, and with extra nitrogen added to increase the crude protein content of the mixture.
Advice on formulating, mixing and introducing a grain-based diet is given in another Farmnote, No.
12/78, "Grain-based diets for finishing beef cattle out of season".
An efficient winter-finishing enterprise of low capital cost
123
Journal of Agriculture Vol 19 No 4 1978
