The Most Valuable Steer In The PenAnd Why

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The Most Valuable Steer In The Pen-And Why

• The Report of the Pennsylvania Steer Test

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• The Pennsylvania Steer Test was a
  cooperative effort of the Pennsylvania Department
  of Agriculture and Penn State University. The
  test was conducted at the Pennsylvania Livestock
  Evaluation Center in Centre County. The
  objectives of the test were
• To determine the factors that influence
  profitability of cattle fed in Pennsylvania
• To determine the value of feeder cattle produced
  in Pennsylvania

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• Procedures
• Commercial beef producers to consign 3 calves
• 1.standardized health program
• 2. known sires

2. Fed the same diet at the PA Livestock
Evaluation Center
3. Carcass data collection using ultrasound to
determine a constant-fat endpoint
4. Consumer panel and shear tests for tenderness
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The Statement of Purpose Each 1 increase in
value of a PA feeder calf through higher demand
represents 800,000 to the industry Each 1
increase in the carcass value of cattle fed in
Pennsylvania represents 65 million to the
industry
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• Outline of testing procedures
• Steers were preconditioned with vaccinations
  completed before arrival at LEC
• Were fed in a single pen at the LEC
• Corn silage, corn, roasted soybeans and minerals
  were combined for rations that were .60 Mcal/lb
  NEg
• Steers were evaluated with ultrasound to
  identify cattle that reached .6 in rib fat at
  harvest.
• All steers were harvested by May 1, 2005.
• Performance, carcass, and consumer data were
  collected.

Only 18 steers were tested due to some health
issues with 30 incoming steers. However, the
steers were a mix of body types and breeds so
effective comparisons could be made.
Consumer Tests 1. The boneless ribeye from each
steer was captured at the processor, and steaks
were cut for consumer evaluations and
Warner-Bratzler Shear test for tenderness. 2.
Cooked steaks were offered to trained panelists
for sensory evaluation. 3. Shear tests were made
in duplicate and the average shear value is
reported.
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The Warner-Bratzler shear test is the method of
choice for objective evaluations of tenderness.
A 1inch core of cooked steak is placed in an
Instron machine like the one above, and the
pounds of force required to cut through the core
is recorded.
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• Feedlot Performance
• Feed intake for an individual in the pen was the
  proportion of the individual steers average
  weight to the total average weight in the pen
  times the total feed intake for the pen. This
  process accounts for maintenance feed intake and
  steer weight gain while on test.
• 2. All steers were weighed at loadout and the
  carcass weight will reflect shrink as well as
  dressing percentage.

Bedding 13.33 per steer Corn 2.25/bushel
Minerals .025/ lb. Roasted beans 235/ton Corn
silage 32.00/ton Yardage .25/day Hay 2.
00/steer
Actual Costs and Prices Bedding 13.33 per
steer Corn 2.25/bushel Minerals .025/
lb. Roasted beans 235/ton Corn
silage 32.00/ton Yardage .25/day Hay 2.0
0/steer Feeder price 90-120 depending on
weight and color Carcass price 1.45, 1.36,
1.18 for Choice, Select, Standard,
respectively
Bedding 13.33 per steer Corn 2.25/bushel
Minerals .025/ lb. Roasted beans 235/ton Corn
silage 32.00/ton Yardage .25/day Hay 2.
00/steer
Bedding 13.33 per steer Corn 2.25/bushel
Minerals .025/ lb. Roasted beans 235/ton Corn
silage 32.00/ton Yardage .25/day Hay 2.
00/steer
Rations were composed of corn, corn silage,
roasted soybeans, and minerals calculated to be
at NEg of .60 Mcal/lb. Corn silage was tested for
moisture and nutrient content, and book values
were used for the other ingredients. Rations
were diluted with corn silage in decreasing
amounts until desired rations were being eaten.
Hay was offered free-choice at entry and was
discontinued within 2 weeks after the cattle
arrived.
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Age
Caloric intake
Health
Carcass Merit
Genetics
Implants
Previous nutrition
Carcass merit is determined by a matrix of
factors that are both independent and dependent
on other factors. For example, cattle that ever
suffered from pneumonia will tend to have lower
quality grades in spite of all other factors, but
genetics for quality grade may be able to negate
the effect to some degree.
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Bone
Muscle
Fat
Small frame
Energy
Bone
Muscle
Fat
Large frame Implanted
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When does marbling start?

• Is it a late developing fat depot?
• Is marbling simply the last fat that is formed as
  the fattening and maturity process continues?
• Can it be developed separately from rib fat?
• Is marbling fat the same composition and the same
  metabolic process as the fat over the outside of
  the carcass?
• Can it be depressed or accelerated?
• Are there ways to manipulate the accretion of
  marbling fat in addition to-or in the opposite
  effect of-outside fat are there ways to reduce
  the accretion of marbling fat in spite of
  continued accretion of outside fat?
• The use of ultrasonics has allowed researchers to
  study the accretion of marbling fat in live
  animals over time, and this has provided some
  important insights into the biology of marbling
  in cattle.

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Backfat and Marbling Regressed Against Hot
Carcass Weight
We now know that, given the energetic
concentration of a diet that will allow marbling
fat deposition, marbling accretion can be linear
over time. Secondly, outside fat deposition is
more of a maturity effect and is independent of
marbling accretion. When the nutritional plane
over a long period of time-preweaning through
postweaning-is high enough, low choice grade will
be reached at a lower carcass weight and at a
lower fat thickness. This is the reason
calf-feds are known to grade better at a lighter
carcass weight and with less outside fat.
Bruns et. al.,1999
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Backfat and Marbling Regressed Against Hot
Carcass Weight
The traditional method of buying cattle that are
thin, have been backgrounded at a lower energy
intake, and are older we now know results in an
extended feeding period to reach choice grade. We
have insisted on cattle having more outside fat
in order to grade because it was necessary for
the marbling accretion to catch up to outside
fat deposition. Compensatory gain is simply the
outside fat deposition since this type of weight
gain is mostly fat. This is a significantly less
efficient system that that in the pervious slide.
Bruns et. al.,1999
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Growth Nutrition

• Marbling development is an intrinsic component of
  growth
• Subcutaneous fat deposition is not
• Compensatory growth may be antagonistic to
  marbling
• High growth cattle need more fuel

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Ranching for Quality Grade

• Late gestation cow nutrition
• Neonatal calf health
• Calving season
• Breeding program
• Weaning strategy

The most overlooked part of carcass value is the
management of the cow herd it came from. Pre-and
postweaning nutrition, colostrum quality and
intake, genetic selection, and weaning methods
will contribute to carcass value after feeding.
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High vs Low Marbling
In a study in which the progeny of sires with
either high or low genetic potential for marbling
were fed the same way, it was shown growth and
feed conversion were not different.
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High vs Low Marbling
In that same study it was shown that age, fat
thickness, and ribeye area were not
different. However, average marbling score and
the percentage of the cattle grading choice were
significantly different. This proves that cattle
can be selected to produce more marbling without
changing any of the other production and carcass
traits.
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Summary Values of All Steers Low High
Price 1.45 1.18 Yardage
47.10 61.84 Feedcost 220.17
343.78 Interest 13.54 25.09 ADG 2
.45 3.65 Health costs 0 27.00 Final
weight 922 1367 Wt/day of
age 2.21 3.71 Incoming wt 468 782
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Net Value 137.42
Net Value 18.58
Net value 60.70 What are the reasons one steer
makes more money than another?
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Which Trait is the Most Important ?

• Sale Price/grade
• Yardage cost/days on feed
• Feedcost
• Interest cost
• Final daily gain
• Health cost
• Final weight
• Weight/day of age
• Incoming weight
• A statistical procedure was used that compares
  the variation in net return with all the factors
  included, then starts eliminating them one at a
  time until the most important ones are left.

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The Most Important Traits Related to Net Value

• 1. Price/Grade
• The Choice/Select spread on a live basis in this
  example was about 6.00/cwt. This implies as the
  spread widens, grade will have a more significant
  impact on net value. As it narrows, concentrate
  on the other important factors. The management of
  cattle prior to feeding is a significant factor
  in feedlot profitability.
• 2. Yardage/Days on Feed
• This implies as the yardage costs goes up, so do
  all the other costs such as feed and interest.
  Final weight was NOT one of the important factors
  of net value. This implies that ownership and
  feeding costs are not offset by more pounds to
  sell. This would be even more important as feed
  costs go up.
• 3. Feedcost
• Corn was priced at 2.25, so even with cheap
  feed, the cost of feeding was greater than the
  value of greater weight by feeding them longer.
• 4. Interest
• Interest for the cost of cattle was calculated at
  6. Again, this is fairly cheap.

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Summary

• Price spreads for Choice and Select were good
  indicators of net value under these prices.
• Ownership costs will offset increased sale weight
  by feeding cattle longer. Does this imply
  ownership costs will offset higher carcass values
  by feeding them longer?

A comparison was made for choice and choice
qualifiers with a 3.00/cwt premium. The most
important factors in net value for this analysis
were 1. Final weight 2. Feed cost 3. Interest
cost The price difference between choice and
middle choice or better needed to be more than
3.00/cwt to be a more important factor in net
value.
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Consumer Values Cooked Meat Steer
No. 1 2 3 4 Overall Liking 5.4 6.7 7.7 6.5 Flav
or 5.9 6.1 7.7 6.5 Texture 5.9 6.3 7.7 6.5 Ten
derness 3.7 3.5 3.9 3.5 Juiciness 4.8 4.3 4.4 4.
5 1 A 9-point hedonic scale was used with 9like
extremely, 8like very much, 7like moderately,
6like slightly, 5neither like nor dislike,
4dislike slightly, 3dislike moderately,
2dislike very much, 1extremely dislike. 2 A
7-point just about right scale was used with
7much too tender(juicy), 6moderately too
tender(juicy), 5slightly too tender(juicy),
4just about right, 3slightly too tough(dry),
2moderately too tough(dry), 1much too
tough(dry).
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• Summary
• All of the steers were acceptable to consumers
• The difference in value among steers is defined
  largely by ownership costs and how the cattle
  were bred and managed prior to feeding.
• Genetics and cost control for feed and interest
  are the goals for the most profitable cattle
  feeding enterprise.