Feeding Beef Cattle
The United States is
the leading beef producer in the world.
Almost 26.9 billion pounds of beef were produced in the
United States in 2000 and per capita consumption totaled 78
pounds. The cattle cycle currently is in a declining phase,
and several more years are expected of smaller calf crops, a
slight decline in cattle feeding, small decline in slaughter
rates, and stable consumption rates. Profitability in the cattle
business usually increases as production declines.
Traditional feeder-cattle
enterprises grow weaned calves (450 to 600 pounds)
and yearling steers or heifers (550 to 800 pounds)
to slaughter weights of 1,100 to 1,400 pounds.
Cattle feeding operations exist in all regions of the United
States, but most large operations are in the Great Plains
from Colorado and Nebraska to Texas. Most cattle feeding
operations are relatively small. About 96 percent of all
operations have fewer than 1,000 head, but these small lots
market 18 percent of the cattle fed each year. Feedlots with
more than 32,000 head, on the other hand, comprise less
than 1 percent of the total feedlots but account for nearly 35
percent of the cattle sold.
Cattle feeding in Pennsylvania has been a fairly stable business. In the past 35 years, the number of cattle on feed on January 1 has ranged from 75,000 to 89,000 head. On January 1, 2000, about 75,000 cattle were on feed in Pennsylvania, or 1 percent of the U.S. total. The cattle fed are a mix of beef breeds, crossbreeds, or dairy beef (mostly Holstein steers). Pennsylvania presently packs about 3 percent of U. S. beef.
Cattle feeding is a high-risk business
During some years,
an operation may not recover out-of-pocket costs. Entry into
the cattle feeding business has few restrictions. Although
facilities range from small lots with a few head to modern
facilities with more than 50,000 head, there are economies
of scale in cattle feeding. The cost of feeding per animal
drops as the number of animals in the operation increases.
Because of the high risks and the economies of scale that favor larger operations, beef-feeding enterprises are not as well adapted to small-scale and part-time farms as are beef cow-calf operations. In addition, less land is required for a cattle feeding operation than for a cow-calf enterprise.
Getting Started
Thorough planning and
preparation are essential if you are to have a
successful feeding operation. Operators should
determine where they will obtain feeder calves, which feeds
will be required to finish the cattle to desired market
weights and grades, and what type of shelter will be needed
(particularly since most feedlot cattle are on hand over the
winter months). Feeders also should design a health program
in cooperation with a veterinarian, decide what the starting
and slaughter weights and grades should be, and assess
marketing alternatives. Visit successful cattle feeding
operations to help determine what facilities are needed, such
as a handling chute and head gate to properly restrain
animals when they are vaccinated, implanted, or treated in a
health program.
This publication was developed by the Small-scale and Parttime Farming
Project at Penn State with support from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture-Extension Service and
research funds administered by the Pennsylvania Department
of Agriculture.
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