Spring born steer calves, weaned and delivered to custom feedlots by
Kansas producers, were fed to slaughter weight. Gain and carcass information was
gathered on over 5,000 head fed in 53 separate tests since the fall of 1974.
Retaining ownership of steers through the feedlot phase has been profitable
for producers in six of the last nine years, and in only two years have losses been
large. Those same calves, if sold at weaning, would have been profitable in only
three of the last nine years, using Kansas Farm Management Association average
costs of production.
The cattle averaged 59 percent USDA Choice and 98.3 percent USDA Yield
Grade 3 or trimmer carcasses. Death loss averaged 1.2 percent over the nine years.
Breed groups with the ability to gain rapidly and grade USDA Choice were
most profitable. There was an $86.63 difference in profit and a .7 lb per day
difference in gain from the low to high gaining breed groups.
Profit increased as yearling hip height and rib eye area increased while
carcass quality grade and fat thickness decreased. Profitability leveled out when
yearling hip height exceeded 47 inches, rib eye area exceeded 13.5 sq. in. and
quality grade went below 50 percent Choice.
