Stud Cattle/Store Cattle/ Finished Cattle

Have you looked lately, at what your aims are with Miniature Herefords.

• Most of us have studs. That is we are breeding Miniature Herefords to produce the best Miniature Herefords we are able.
• Do you have enough feed to fatten the steers produced or do you manage to sell all your steers as pets/lawnmowers?
• If you do not have enough feed to finish steers, consider early weaning and selling them as store cattle.
• With the cost of transport these days, some members are finding that to send their steers to market, the cost of transport is equal to the cost of at least one animal!
• That is very tough on the small producer. If you only have say 7 animals to send to market, to only be paid for 5.5 animals and the have agent’s fees taken out again, means you will only be paid for approx 4.5 animals.
• On the other hand do you finish off the steers and send them to market at 16-18 months?
• If you have enough feed yes. If you do not have pasture suitable for finishing, consider not finishing.
  To buy in hay and cattle nuts these days is getting very expensive.
• It is necessary to make sure our lactating and pregnant cows have a good protein level, but is it worth the extra expense of feeding growing steers?
• Have you considered looking for a “finishing market”?
• It is worth while revisiting your goals and aims from time to time. Updating if necessary, depending on the type of season, the amount of feed. Are your initial farm plan goals the same or do they need changing on a temporary or permanent basis?

Meat production won’t keep pace with global population

3/09/2008 6:24:00 PM

• Normally livestock producers increase production of meat each year, at least enough to keep up with the increase in population, but according to World Agricultural Outlook Board chairman Gerry Bange that will not be the case next year.
• “Production will be down some if you look at meat in total,” Mr Bange says. “We are looking at about a 1.2pc reduction in US meat production for the 2009 year.”
• Mr Bange says beef production will drop 0.5pc next year, pork 2.3pc and broilers just under 1pc, but that is less of a cutback than had been expected earlier this year.
• “One of the reasons of course is that the producers are looking at somewhat lower feed costs,” he says.
• Still, livestock producers will be paying record high prices for corn and soybean products, meaning a
  cut in the number of animals being fed, which will send livestock prices as well as meat prices up.
• FarmProgress, USA  – Source: http://www.farmprogress.com