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Articles Tagged with ''feed efficiency''

Get more out of your forage

May 24, 2022

Zeb Gray

The keystone to any cow-calf producer or stocker operator in the past was having cattle to graze forages. Allowing cattle to graze pastures and crop fields has traditionally been the cheapest way to feed and maintain these animals.

Find and fix feed mixing errors to increase profits

October 7, 2021

Kelly Bean

In the day-to-day churn of our dairy farms, it’s easy to lose sight of things that can have a direct impact on our efficiency and profits.

Strategies to improve operational feedyard efficiency

September 28, 2021

Mark Corrigan

All beef producers understand the importance of feed efficiency; it’s the ratio of the pounds of feed required to achieve a pound of gain.

How can cattlemen combat higher feed costs? Feed their potential

June 24, 2021

Craig Belknap

High corn prices, byproduct costs and other feed expenses can create challenges for cattle feeders and the beef industry.

Measuring feed efficiency with RFI aids genetic selection

April 23, 2021

Heather Smith Thomas

Feed efficiency is highly heritable and can be measured with residual feed intake (RFI). Dr. Randall Raymond, director of research and veterinary services at Simplot Livestock, says most breeders want to make cattle more efficient using less inputs.

New Feed Saved trait could improve dairy sustainability and profitability

November 9, 2020

Jaclyn De Candio

The genetics of feed efficiency was the central focus of the 2020 Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB) industry meeting held via Zoom on Nov. 2. One of the latest Holstein genetic traits to be released with Dec. 1 evaluations is Feed Saved, which will aid in breeding more feed-efficient cows.

Genetic tool for feed efficiency coming in December

November 6, 2020

Kristen Parker Gaddis

As dairy producers seek new and additional strategies to improve production efficiency, feed costs are a clear focus, with feed averaging 51% of total dairy farm expenses (USDA Economic Research Services, 2018).

Mining the RFI diamonds of the cow herd

September 24, 2020

Bruce Derksen

Is residual feed intake (RFI) – a measure of feed efficiency – the missing, ignored, unknown or simply late-to-the-party selection trait in today’s cow herd?

Limit feeding cows corn as an alternative to hay

September 24, 2020

Erin M. Laborie

Feed costs make up the largest expense in a cow-calf operation. While hay is often used to feed cows through the winter, current prices make corn a competitive option to feeding hay.

Reduce the feed bill with year-round grazing

August 31, 2020

Robert Fears

Failure to control the feed bill can erode ranch profits very quickly, even to the point of bankruptcy. The most economical feed is normally forage standing in the pasture.

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