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I participated in a farm/ranch tour the other day to
hear from some cattlemen using ethanol by-products as feed. The five
operations were all fairly close to plants and are routinely including
distillers cake or syrup in their feedlot and cow rations.
The first stop was in the Red River Valley at the farm
of a sugar beet, corn and wheat farmer. The farm has been diversified over
the generations with a small cattle feeding enterprise. The old feeding
facility had deteriorated, was small, poorly drained, dictating either an
exit from the cattle or a new investment. A couple of years ago a new 900
head finishing lot was built by moving dirt to shape a rise in the flat
topography upon which to layout about 1000 feet of bunkline with a feed road
(fenced as a drovers lane) and feeding pad in a continuous line. Six pens
layed to the east with a 3% slope for 180 feet to a holding pond. They are
fenced with pipe and cable with a central handling area, scale, and loadout.
Calves are bought for feeding along with custom feed for a few individuals
who invest in a pen of cattle from time to time. Earlage, silage, corn, and
alfalfa are harvested from the farm and fed along with beet pulp and wet
distillers grains from local plants. Feds are either sold to Tyson in
Nebraska or at auction in Sisseton, SD.
The next stop was west to a cow calf operation that had
improved their facilities by building a small feedlot to background calves
and use for cows at calving. They ran a 300 cow herd of Charolais and Red
Angus cattle managed to begin calving in mid February that were performance
tested using the Chaps program. Calves were summer creeped, weaned in
September, and fed targeting 3-3.5 adg for sale as heavy feeders in December
and January. The feeding facility consisted of 3 feeding pens in line with
a bunkline of concrete bunks and feeding pad on a built up site for drainage
and a feeding road and pen slope for drainage out to a filtering meadow.
Out of pocket costs for the expansion came to about $75 per calf space.
Along with farm raised silage, prairie hay, alfalfa hay, and corn the
ration was supplemented with wet distillers grain and a custom supplement
with mineral and vitamin. Feed was delivered twice a day with a reel type
tractor pulled mixer. Silage was stored in plastic lined covered bale
bunker, corn was rolled into a hopper bin, and wet distillers were piled on
the ground. Cows were limit fed rations of same feedstuffs along with
rumensin for improved feed efficiency. Plans for expanding the feeding
enterprise depended on interest of a son attending college.
A seasonal feedlot in combination with a grain farm and
small cow herd was the focus of the next stop. Farm produced corn, silage,
and hay were marketed through a 1000 head permitted finishing lot comprised
of a half dozen feeding pens with concrete bunks and feeding aprons.
Additional dirt work was already in place for additional pens. A new
processing barn and equipment including a load scale were recently
constructed. Silage and wet feed were stored in a concrete bunker. Ground
hay in piles on ground and dried distillers grain and rolled corn in an open
sided commodity shed. Corn was rolled from hoppered storage into the shed.
Additional supplements were through liquid pumped on feed loads delivered
with a Farm Aid mixer. Several hundred fresh weaned pre vaccinated calves
are contracted from western North Dakota for October delivery to be fed to
finish. Additional calves to fill the yard are purchased at auction as
needed or opportunities exist. Typically most cattle are marketed in spring
and early summer leaving yard empty for several months in late summer and
early fall. High competition and rents for pasture land limits the cowherd
to a size to use the grazing resources of the operation.
The next stop was to a multi family operation
diversified with a 300 cow purebred seed stock herd, 1600 acre farm, and a
1200 head finishing feedlot. The feeding enterprise focused on feeding for
natural niche markets and procured calves from ranches buying bulls from
them. About 2000 finished cattle were put through the yard each year.
Grass yearlings were brought in August and as they were marketed
preconditioned backgrounded calves were brought in. It is desirable to
have calves weaned and prepared for the feedlot on ranch of origin, allowing
them to enter the feedlot eating well and minimizing health concerns.
Rations used the typical feeds of rolled corn, high moisture bunker stored
corn, corn silage, chopped hay, distillers grain, and custom mineral. No
ionophores, antibiotics, or animal origin feeds are fed. Feeder cattle are
all certified by sellers to be compliant. Cattle contracted for natural
lean market are fed a bit lower energy ration to minimize fat deposition and
marketed at 1100-1200 lbs. Bonuses are paid on muscling. Cattle more
genetically suitable for choice natural markets are fed hotter and heavier
as bonuses will be for marbling. The purebred cow herd uses corn stalks
and chopped corn stalks supplemented with wet distillers grains in early
winter to minimize feed costs. They are currently in the process of
permitting a feedlot expansion.
The final stop was at a large cow calf operation owned
and operated by a 31 year man with help from his father. The operation is
headquartered on 800 acres including a mix of farmland and pasture and new
pen facilities for feeding their own calves. Summer pasture is leased with
a 25 mile distance for cows for the period of May 15 to October 15.
Heifers are calved in February through lots and
facilities and Cows in March and April in adjoining fields and pastures.
The breeding program includes buying replacements and using Charolais bulls
for terminal crossing. Calves are creep fed while on the cow with corn and
supplemental limiter. Calves are weaned in mid September and brought into
the bunkline feeding facility for backgrounding. Calves have high growth
potential and are fed a fairly high energy growing ration targeting nine
weight steers for marketing in January. The operation put up about 1600
bales of hay for over 400 cows and calves along with corn silage. Some
additional corn is harvested as high moisture and packed in a bale bunker.
They have set up an insulated /heated building for storing corn syrup as a
supplement to rations. Calves typically get 5-7 lbs per day in their
ration. After cleaning up corn stalks, cows are fed a mixer delivered
ration of hay and silage and straw along with 3-4 lbs or syrup.
The operations visited had recently, were in the
process, or had plans for further investments in the cattle business. More
particularly in equipment and facilities to either feed their own or
additional calves beyond weaning, utilizing ethanol byproducts in the region
along with home raised feedstuffs. Opportunity came be found where you look
for it. |
