Beef industry efficiency

beefandsleep · Jan 15, 2017

On Woodheads producer website you can see all sorts of stats on your cattle weights, grades, condemned offals etc.
One stat I find interesting is the lifetime carcass weight gain stat. It tells you how many kilos of carcass your beasts have put on per day of life. It also gives the last 3 month average of cattle killed by Woodheads.
It really shows what massive potential there is to increase the efficiency of beef production in the U.K. The latest figures I have shown above put average carcass gain at .39 for heifers!!! For average sorts that puts dlwg at 0.7kg a day.
Steers not miles better at .45 or 0.8 kg dlwg.
Now some of these cattle must have had seriously hard homes before ending up on a finishing farm.

Is this a stat we should be focusing on as a measure of Industry efficiency? Or is it of little importance?
Could slaughterers reducing the ages of in spec cattle actually be doing us a favour by forcing us to focus on lifetime gain and do away with wasteful store periods?

Northeastfarmer · Jan 15, 2017

Would time spent at grass not reduce DLWG...all mine spend two summers at grass so obviously that reduces the average...but when I compare mine to woodheads 3 month average yes some peoples cattle are doing poorly

Beef farmer · Jan 15, 2017

@gone up the hill you obviously don't send any there.

beefandsleep · Jan 15, 2017

Northeastfarmer said:
Would time spent at grass not reduce DLWG...all mine spend two summers at grass so obviously that reduces the average...but when I compare mine to woodheads 3 month average yes some peoples cattle are doing poorly

Yes it would but cost of gain for that period would make it cost effective. It's still far too common for people to store cattle over winter growing next to f**k all during the most expensive time of their lives.

Lovegoodstock · Jan 15, 2017

Maybe missing the point as only quickly looked, but as @Northeastfarmer said he grazes two summers, an average gives an average. Man a might have old poor pasture to make silage, or buy in cheap barley and silage, man b silages seeds and feeds good grade waste products bought in on mass at discount, man a figures will not compete if finishing the same cattle but nor will his costs? So so many systems in what effectively is a tiny country, so hard when you see a thread started whats the best breed, or best way of finishing steers

beefandsleep · Jan 15, 2017

Beef farmer said:
@gone up the hill you obviously don't send any there.

Lol, do you want a big spoon?

Northeastfarmer · Jan 15, 2017

beefandsleep said:
Yes it would but cost of gain for that period would make it cost effective. It's still far too common for people to store cattle over winter growing next to fudge all during the most expensive time of their lives.

True you need them motoring now...cattle need to be finished at 18-21 months, once you stunt them at the growing age they never seem to get going again

Newby · Jan 15, 2017

Northeastfarmer said:
all mine spend two summers at grass

Are they bought in or home bred? Or both?

Northeastfarmer · Jan 15, 2017

Newby said:
Are they bought in or home bred? Or both?

Mainly homebred but I do buy suckled grazing bullocks to run along side my own

Northeastfarmer · Jan 15, 2017

Newby said:
Are they bought in or home bred? Or both?

The ones I buy will only spend one summer out with me but they will of had a summer out at the breeders farm

Chae1 · Jan 15, 2017

It's a pretty pointless statistic unless you are a breeder/finisher.

As said above animal could have been on a extensive low input system before it reached finisher. Then finisher could have done good job feeding it for last 3 months and made a good profit on it.

We are moving to one summer at grass for steers on our farm and pushing them on and finishing them at around 16 month's.

An Gof · Jan 15, 2017

beefandsleep said:
View attachment 456350

On Woodheads producer website you can see all sorts of stats on your cattle weights, grades, condemned offals etc.
One stat I find interesting is the lifetime carcass weight gain stat. It tells you how many kilos of carcass your beasts have put on per day of life. It also gives the last 3 month average of cattle killed by Woodheads.
It really shows what massive potential there is to increase the efficiency of beef production in the U.K. The latest figures I have shown above put average carcass gain at .39 for heifers!!! For average sorts that puts dlwg at 0.7kg a day.
Steers not miles better at .45 or 0.8 kg dlwg.
Now some of these cattle must have had seriously hard homes before ending up on a finishing farm.

Is this a stat we should be focusing on as a measure of Industry efficiency? Or is it of little importance?
Could slaughterers reducing the ages of in spec cattle actually be doing us a favour by forcing us to focus on lifetime gain and do away with wasteful store periods?

Beef industry efficiency? They killed that down here when they stopped taking young bulls

beefandsleep · Jan 15, 2017

I'm not sure it is pointless. I was thinking of the efficiency of the whole chain. While it doesn't necessarily reflect on the finisher, for fat cattle to average a daily live weight gain of 0.7 kilos over their lives they must have been through some very lean times. I would be disappointed with that gain over a summer at grass, they must of been starved for maybe two winters.

gone up the hill · Jan 15, 2017

beefandsleep said:
I'm not sure it is pointless. I was thinking of the efficiency of the whole chain. While it doesn't necessarily reflect on the finisher, for fat cattle to average a daily live weight gain of 0.7 kilos over their lives they must have been through some very lean times. I would be disappointed with that gain over a summer at grass, they must of been starved for maybe two winters.

If you want to see some very poorly farmed cattle then take a trip to sedge one sat as some they get in are an utter disgrace as @Henarar can confirm.

There were some Lim stores on sat in the store ring that came from a dairy farm, these cattle were basically skin and bone and must have been living on thin air!

Beef farmer · Jan 15, 2017

gone up the hill said:
If you want to see some very poorly farmed cattle then take a trip to sedge one sat as some they get in are an utter disgrace as @Henarar can confirm.

There were some Lim stores on sat in the store ring that came from a dairy farm, these cattle were basically skin and bone and must have been living on thin air!

That's how you get your 1.7 kgdlwg

gone up the hill · Jan 15, 2017

Beef farmer said:
That's how you get your 1.7 kgdlwg

I wouldn't buy them, chances are at least one will drop dead within a week of being on your farm! also they get a lot of cattle 22/24 months old the size of a weaned calve, nothing you can do with that.

kps · Jan 15, 2017

gone up the hill said:
I wouldn't buy them, chances are at least one will drop dead within a week of being on your farm! also they get a lot of cattle 22/24 months old the size of a weaned calve, nothing you can do with that.

What did they make?

gone up the hill · Jan 15, 2017

kps said:
What did they make?

Think from memory £750/800 head.

Northeastfarmer · Jan 15, 2017

gone up the hill said:
Think from memory £750/800 head.

Not bad for 24 month old cattle

gone up the hill · Jan 15, 2017

Northeastfarmer said:
Not bad for 24 month old cattle

Seen the really poor stirks make £300 at 24 months old before..

Beef industry efficiency

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0 %

Up to 25%

25-50%

50-75%

75-100%

100% I’ve had enough of farming!

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