Dr. David Lalman, Professor and Extension Beef Cattle Specialist Oklahoma State University

Dr. David Lalman, Professor and Extension Beef Cattle Specialist Oklahoma State University

Forage availability Oklahoma = 3 acres per AU to 25 acres per AU Forage nutritive value Native tallgrass prairie in Oklahoma: Protein = 2-16% of forage DM vs cattle requirements of 7-14% Energy = TDN 48-75% of forage DM Persistent macro and micro mineral imbalances

Climate Temperature Humidity Rain, mud Ice Snow Sun and access to shade Wind and access to break or shelter Parasites Internal External Disease challenges Distance to water (or between clumps of grass) Water quality Rock vs sand as influence feet and teeth

Management Animal handling Grazing management Inputs Low input: survival of the fittest Moderate input: expend time, effort and $ to remove some of the environmental impediments High input: expend time, effort and $ to remove most of the environmental impediments

A cow that can Wean a healthy calf every 365 days for 12 consecutive years Problem free - requires no extra-curricular handling or medical treatment (including the owner) Low cost - requires little supplemental feed in your grazing and management system Utilize your country travel and forage where the grass, weeds and brush haven t been grazed or browsed Get too fat in the good years and thrive in the bad years (make you think you need more cows) Produce steer calves with the capacity to gain on grass, convert in the 5 s, gain 4 lb per day, never need treated, produce a large, high quality carcass calves that have the capacity to build your reputation (hopefully a good one)

Today cattle have tremendous capacity for post-weaning growth and carcass weight Photo Courtesy of Oklahoma State University

3.90 Finishing Phase (Feedlot) Performance is Increasing 3.70 3.50 3.30 3.10 2.90 2.70

900 875 850 825 800 775 750 725 700 675 650 625 600 Pounds Steer Carcass Weight Federally Inspected Finished cattle weights increasing at rate of 4.3 kg per year Carcass weights increasing at rate of 2.6 kg per year 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

Cattle have tremendous capacity for marbling

90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 79 62.7 48 51.7 1995 2006 2009 2017 Livestock Marketing Information Center, 2016

Photo Courtesy of Oklahoma State University

Kansas: Kansas Farm Management Association (KFMA) Kevin Herbel North Dakota: Cow Herd Appraisal Performance Software (CHAPS) Dr. Kris Ringwall New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas: Standardized Performance Analysis (SPA) Dr. Stan Bevers Upper Midwest (FINBIN), Center for Farm Financial Management, University of Minnesota

100.0 95.0 90.0 85.0 80.0 75.0 70.0 SPA KFMA* CHAPS FINBIN 65.0 60.0 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

91% 90% 89% 88% 87% 86% 85% 84% 83% 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 Source: Dr. Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University

Photo Courtesy of Oklahoma State University

2.75 2.50 2.25 2.00 1.75 1.50 1.25 1.00 0.75 0.50 0.25 0.00 Hay production/use per cow is increasing at the rate of 66 lb per year 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012

When cattle producer s are provided effective science-based tools, THEY USE THEM We have a tendency to overdue things Dramatic improvement in post-weaning performance, total beef produced per cow, and carcass quality In the meantime, commercial cow herd efficiency, particularly fertility have made no progress Exceptions: dramatic improvement in frequency of dystocia Some improvement in longevity in those breeds

Our current level of beef production can be sustained with 20% lower feed inputs 30% lower methane production 17% lower N, P and K output Selection for feed intake and residual feed efficiency is now a reality EPD s for feed intake and residual feed efficiency now available for Angus, Hereford, and Simmental Photo Courtesy of Oklahoma State University

-0.8-0.6-0.4-0.2 0 0.2 0.4 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 DMI EPD

Weaning Weight (lb) y = 0.0607x + 459 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 700 1200 1700 2200 Cow BW (lb)

16 14 12 10 Feed Intake, KG 8 6 4 2 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 ADG, KG

16 14 Residual = +2 12 10 Feed Intake, KG 8 6 Residual = -3.75 4 2 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 ADG, KG

GrowSafe Insentec SmartFeed

How about the cow?

Photo Courtesy of Oklahoma State University

One OSU cow herd, no intentional selection for higher milk EPD s 2015, 2016 milking machine after calf removal Peak yield (May) = 31 lb

There is a limit of milk production that YOUR forage can support?

Requires long term commitment Moderate size, growth and milk Cull open cows Be willing to challenge them Resist the temptation to gradually modify the environment Keep only early-born heifers Keep only early-bred heifers Buy (or keep) bulls out of cows that always calve early

Find source of seedstock that: Puts PRIORITY on ERT s related to fertility and forage use efficiency Culls open cows Keeps only early-born heifers Keeps only early-bred heifers Puts environmental pressure on their cattle weed out those that do not match Purchase bulls out of cows that are challenged in an environment similar to yours, have never missed a calf, and calve early

Genetic tools will finally be available to make meaningful improvement in fertility Longevity EPD s have helped in those breeds Genomic discoveries developing now Hereford, Red Angus, Angus working hard to roll out new fertility EPD s Photo Courtesy of Oklahoma State University

The Sustained Cow Fertility (SCF) results, reported in percentage units, are oriented such that larger breeding values reflect sires whose daughters calve annually for more years.

Both bulls have 200 plus daughters in production One bull SCF = 170 One bull SCF = 57

Explore post-weaning performance, carcass quality and production systems. You cannot rely on moderation of cow size as your only contribution not for long. Find your weaknesses then go to work correcting and improving Photo Courtesy of Oklahoma State University

Photo Courtesy of Oklahoma State University