Feedlot Production and Cattle Slaughter

Derrell S. Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist

 

The latest USDA Cattle on Feed report shows that the September 1 feedlot inventory was 11.279 million head, 100.4 percent of last year.  Feedlot inventories typically reach a seasonal low in August or September with the low occurring in August in four of the last ten years and six times in September.  The September 2022 inventory was up 0.5 percent from August, indicating that August was the low this year.  The August low was 975,000 head lower, down 8.0 percent, than the record on-feed inventory in February 2022.  

 

Feedlot inventories grow seasonally in the fall but the increase this year is expected to be less than the record levels last year.  August placements in the cattle on feed report continued the trend of recent months of large placements of lightweight cattle with fewer heavy placements.  August placements were 100.4 percent of last year.  In the past four months, from May – August, total placements were down 0.6 percent year over year with placements under 700 pounds up 5.3 percent and placements over 700 pounds down 3.7 percent compared to last year.  Past placements of lightweight cattle suggest fewer cattle available for placement going forward.

 

The feedlot placement patterns this year are consistent with feeder cattle marketing data.  In Oklahoma, since July 1, the combined auction volume of feeder cattle has been 17.5 percent above last year but the percentage of those cattle that were over 600 pounds has been much less than normal.  There are certainly indications that more feeder cattle have been marketed earlier and lighter weight than usual.  The fall run of calves in October and November should be noticeably reduced this year.

 

Marketings from feedlots in August were 106.4 percent of last year.  There was one more business day in August compared to one year ago which accounts for part of the increase but daily average marketings were higher by 1.7 percent year over year.  In the last four months, total marketings have been up by 1.7 percent over the same period last year.  

 

Both feedlot inventories and cattle slaughter have remained stubbornly high this year due to drought forced movement of cattle out of the country.  Total fed cattle slaughter thus far in 2022 is up 0.8 percent as the 1.7 percent decrease in steer slaughter for the year to date is offset by a 4.9 percent increase in heifer slaughter.  Total cow slaughter is up 5.6 percent so far this year, driven by a 13.4 percent increase year over year in beef cow slaughter.  Total cattle slaughter is up 1.8 percent year over year thus far in 2022, with female (cow plus heifer slaughter) accounting for 50.9 percent of total cattle this year.  Cattle slaughter and beef production are projected to decrease year over year in the fourth quarter but higher than expected beef production in the first three quarters of the year likely mean that annual totals for beef production will be steady or fractionally higher year over year.  Feedlot production, cattle slaughter and beef production are all expected to decrease sharply in 2023.

 

 

Managing for Optimum Body Condition Scores 

Mark Z. Johnson, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Breeding Specialist

 

During the normal production cycle a cow should be in her best body condition at the time of calving.  After calving, the nutritional stress of lactation will cause most cows to lose weight and body condition up to the point of weaning.  Bottomline: it is easier to feed cows for optimum Body Condition Scores (BSC) when they are dry.  The (BCS) system is intended to provide a consistent way to quantify relative fatness of cows to serve as a management tool for producers.  If cows are to maintain a calving interval of one year, they must bred back within 80 – 85 days after calving.  In cows of all ages, it is well established that BCS at calving time determines the rebreeding performance of beef cows in the subsequent breeding season.  The system, used to assess a cow’s body energy reserves, ranges from 1 to 9.  A score of 1 indicates cows that are thin and emaciated, cows of BCS 9 are fat and obese.  Pictures and definitions of the BCS system can be found in Chapter 20 of the 8th edition of the OSU Beef Cattle Manual. 

 

There is a strong relationship between weight and BCS.  For each unit change in BCS, cows should gain or lose approximately 7% of their BCS 5 weight.  For example, a cow that weighs 1,300 lbs. at a BCS 5 should reach a BCS of 6 at 1,391 or drop to a BCS 4 at 1,209 lbs.  Cows maintaining body weight, therefore having ample energy reserves before parturition, exhibit estrus sooner than cows losing weight.  Body weight change during pregnancy is confounded with fetus and placenta growth.  Therefore, the estimation of body fat by use of BCS is more useful in quantifying the energy reserves of beef cows.  The process of fetal development, delivering a calf, milk production and repair of the reproductive tract are all physiological stresses.  These stresses require the availability and utilization of large quantities of energy to enable cows to rebreed in the required 85 days.  Cold and/or wet weather often faced by spring calving cows adds additional environmental stress resulting in energy intake that is below body maintenance needs.  The cow compensates by mobilizing stored energy or adipose tissue which is why adequate BCS at calving is so critical to reproductive performance.

 

Producers should manage their calving season, genetic potential for growth and milk levels, grazing system, supplementation program and herd health to achieve an average BCS of 5 to 6 (target 5.5) in the mature cow herd at calving time.  The goal for first calf heifers is a BCS of 6.  Typically the greatest reproductive challenge in beef cattle is the breed back of two-year old females raising their first calf, lactating for the first time and still growing themselves, accordingly the higher BCS of 6 is recommended.  This fall, as you wean, assess the BCS of cows and manage your feeding and supplementation program accordingly.  It will pay dividends in the reproductive performance of your cow herd next spring.  

 

References

Beef Cattle Manual. Eight Edition. E-913. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension. Chapter 20.

Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. AFS-3283. Body Condition Scoring of Cows.