This page will contain our personal viewpoints on certain issues within the beef industry.   We would like to encourage visitors to this web-site to respond with some of their thoughts and if requested we will post your feedback on this page.

Opinions - Past Column

How big is big enough and when do our cattle get too big?  These are questions that have been debated by a lot of producers in the last few years.

The simple answer is that your cattle should be as big as the FORAGE resource on your ranch can support.   If your cows can maintain body condition, calve and breed back on the grass you can grow then your cows are not too big.  On the other hand if you are supplementing cows with grain or other high-priced supplements to maintain production maybe you need to take a second look at what you are doing.

Here in Western Canada most producers will feed their cows for three to six months of winter.  If they are feeding low cost forages or by-products this will pencil out.  If they are feeding dairy quality hay and grain it will not.

When barley was under $2.00 per bushel it was easy to give the cow a few extra lbs. per day to keep her in shape.  If barley is over $3.00 per bushel suddenly this practise is no longer economical.  If grain prices are going to stay high over the next few years then we believe that there will be a premium paid for low-maintenance, easy-fleshing cows.

We also believe that the Shorthorn breed has a MATERNAL role in commercial beef production and it is vital that we provide these kinds of genetics to the commercial beef producer.  The problem with a lot of purebred cattle, particularly show cattle, is that they are raised in a kindler, gentler world than most commercial cattle.

How do you identify low-maintenance easy-fleshing genetics if the cattle you are evaluating have been fed a high-energy ration for most of their life.  The easiest way to identify these genetics is to feed your purebred cattle no better than the average commercial producer feeds his.  In fact some people would argue that to make the most genetic progress purebred cattle should be raised in a harsher enviroment than the average commercial herd.  High feed grain prices also mean that cattle that can finish quickly in a feedlot are going to have an economic advantage over cattle that need six to eight months on a finishing ration just to grade.

Big-framed, hard-doing cattle are going to be even more costly to raise than they have been in the past.   Producers who can identify and supply cattle with fleshing ability are going to make a lot of money in the next few years.