Backgrounding Cattle 2024
Every year calves are weaned and then the question is – do I sell them, or feed them??
Since profit is the motivating factor, adding weight to calves revolves around the cost of gain. Corn prices at $4 (or less) per bushel yield a much more attractive cost of gain than $6 corn. Breakeven budgets for Fall 2024 show the potential for feeding calves to heavier weights will be cost effective.
Backgrounding calves is usually an option for three reasons.
First, backgrounding eases calves through many stresses. It’s best if calves only deal with one stress at a time.
- Weaning is a stress.
- Changing from grazing pasture grass to eating a mixed feed ration out of a feed bunk is a stress.
- Comingling with calves from other herds is a stress.
- Adverse weather is a stress.
- Vaccinating and working calves is a stress.
- Hauling calves is a stress.
Putting too many stresses on a calf at one time usually leads to sickness and possible death loss.
A second reason for backgrounding calves is to delay marketing. Hopefully, the wait relates to a better market price. There is seasonality in markets, with the rush of freshly-weaned calves sometimes dropping the market price. Heifer calves seem to be under-priced when they weigh less than 500 pounds, so selling steers at weaning and feeding heifers up to 700 or 800 pounds seems to work well for some ranchers. Ranchers that keep replacement heifers are already feeding, so feeding extra heifers calves allows a larger replacement pool and puts more weight on heifers that will be sold.
The third reason to background is to add value to both feeds and animals. Home-raised feeds can be marketed through calves at – hopefully – a lower cost than purchased feeds. Also, good performing calves are efficient at converting feed into weight. Low-cost feed and low-cost of weight gained combine together to make a competitive feeding environment.
The NDSU Extension Livestock Team has recorded a series of backgrounding videos for 2024. Topics planned for the 2024 series are:
Budgets for multiple classes of calves (Bryon Parmon)
Rations, feed cost and cost of gain (Karl Hoppe)
Minimizing stress on weaned/backgrounded calves (Rachel Gibbs)
Beef Quality Assurance for backgrounding calves (Lisa Pederson)
Additional information on backgrounding budgets and calculators can be found at the same internet site.
Karl Hoppe
Karl.Hoppe@ndsu.edu
Extension Livestock Systems Specialist
