Student-Managed Farm - Livestock Research Committee 2019

Livestock Research Unit 2018‐2019

Our Team Vision “Our unit strives to continue to build an extensive, low maintenance, strong maternal cow herd with a vast amount of information regarding the animal’s background data and breed composition”

Recommendations from Last Year

• Continue to parentage test animals • Retain calf crop for research projects • Participate in Beef Day selling breds • Sell calves to feedlot instead of auction • Look to increase grazing days

Goals Accomplished • Retained 44 heifer calves for RFI trial • Sold steer calves to JGL off pasture • Parentage test heifers to determine breeding groups • Sold 5 bred Angus heifers at Beef Day

Team Goals • • • • •

Graze 365 days Keep gathering data on our herd 80% Black Angus and 20% Hereford Selling animals privately Sell animals at Beef Day sale

SWOT Analysis Strengths

Weaknesses

‐ Genetic information ‐ Calving rate on pasture ‐ Grazing days ‐ Internal calving through out the College ‐ Consistency of staff

‐ Land base ‐ Biosecurity ‐ Communication

SWOT Analysis Opportunities

Threats

‐ Variety of trials ‐ RFI scores on our animals ‐ Industry trials ‐ Lakeland College Livestock and Forage Council ‐ Social media

‐ Feed availability ‐ Funding and approval for trials to happen ‐ Low understanding about the ICE herd

Key Performance Indicators KPI

2018

2019 Industry (predicted) Average

Growth Rate

39%

>43%

43%

Open Rate

10%

<4%

4%

73 days

62 days

63 days

<1%

<4%

4 %

Length of Calving Season Death Loss

ICE Herd • ICE Herd – Information Collection and Extension herd • 66 cows • 7 bred heifers • 44 heifer calves • 1 Hereford herd sire • 2 Angus bulls rented from other SMF units • Due to start calving April 22nd 2019

C95T MILES MCKEE 6060 • Big Gully Farm • 3 year‐old • Used previous 2 years

Herd Selection • 50 cows exposed to Angus • 30 cows exposed to Hereford % Angus Influence

Bred Angus

Bred Hereford

87% ‐ 100% 86% or less

Herd Selection • Retaining 7 Hereford influenced replacement heifers • Continue to keep Hereford influence females in future

Health Management

Vaccinations • • • •

Scour Guard 4KC Ultrabac 7/ Somubac Bovisheild Gold FP5 Pre weaning vaccinations

Health Issues • Abscess – 2 calves

• Bovine Respiratory Disease – 2 calves with Resflor

• Lame Cow – Metacam

• Footrot – Bio‐Mycin 200 and Metacam

Finance

Income Cull Bull Sales Cull heifer sales $3,440 $7,791

Bull Rental Income $650 Calf Sales $32,132

Cull Cow $13,617

Bred Heifers $23,875

Total Income: $112,718 Projected: $110,399

Backgrounders $31,213

Expenses Utilities $2,715

Equipment $2,076

Herdtrax/VBP+ Other $6,312 $3,094 Vet/Medications $3,732 Bull Rental …

Labour $4,409

Feed $61,977

Total Expenses: $88,163 Projected Expenses: $86,957

Income Comparison $80,000 $70,000 $60,000 $50,000 $40,000 $30,000 $20,000 $10,000 $0

Projected

Actual

Expense Comparison $70,000 $60,000 $50,000 $40,000 $30,000 $20,000 $10,000 $0

Projected

Actual

Accrued Adjustment Cash Income

$112,718

Inventory Adjustment

($31,920)

Accrued Cash Income

$80,798

Expenses

$56,798

Accrued Net Income

$24,000.15

Cost of Production ICE Herd Industry Total Production Cost/Cow Profit per lb of Calf

$899

$868

$0.30

$0.37

Nutrition

Heifer Diet • 23.3 lbs. of barley silage • 1.6lbs of barley grain • .44lbs of beef supplement • Total = 25.34lbs per head per day • ADG 1.5lbs per day • $0.59 per head per day

Barley Silage Barley Grain Beef Supplement

Heifer Diet • • • • •

18lbs of corn silage 18lbs of pea silage Corn Silage Pea Silage .3 lbs of barley Barley Grain Feedlot Supp .95 lbs of beef supplement Total of 37.25lbs as fed per head per day • 1.6lbs per day gain • Cost of $1.24 per head per day

Range and Forage

Corn Grazing • • • •

7.9 acre field, made into 4 paddocks 78 head 15 days $1.71 per head per day

Bale Grazing • Wheat green feed and slough hay • 77 days – 78 head at $2.34 per head per day

• 14 days – 73 head at $2.74 per head per day

• 28 days – 73 head at $1.87 per head per day

• Cows are on stock piled grass for calving along with supplemented hay

Grazing Plan • • • •

2019 summer grazing plan 73 pairs and 7 replacements, 3 bulls 158 days total $0.98 per head per day

Sustainability and Stewardship

Sustainability and Stewardship • Biosecurity – Boot wash

Sustainability and Stewardship • Soil test

Public Relations

Public Relations • Maintained social media • Field trip in February • Marketed bred heifers

Marketing

Marketing • Sold 5 bred heifers at Beef Day sale • Have 26 replacement heifers for sale after the RFI trial is complete

Research Projects

RFI Trial on Custom Bulls • Pugh Farms bulls • Feed efficiency tests • Infrared scanning

Bull Results

EarTag 370F 277F 2F 99F 149F 41F 234F 372F 8F 390E 42F 447F 52F 69F 100F 86F 5F 16F 79F 478F 181F 308F

Age (days) 323 330 283 298 289 292 291 301 331 439 304 308 315 290 319 305 304 283 331 294 315 321

RFI ‐0.502322 ‐0.466213 ‐0.271408 ‐0.238020 ‐0.163541 ‐0.156727 ‐0.135923 ‐0.119081 ‐0.080861 ‐0.015422 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.051265 0.119081 0.209869 0.271408 0.484343 0.502322 0.511232

Quiet Wean Test Results • Small margin of difference between the two groups • No statistical evaluation • Numerical difference

Quiet Wean Data First 5 days on pasture

1 week after weaning

To Date ADG

Quiet Wean

ADG = 2.95lbs

ADG = 1.35lbs

ADG = 0.91lbs

Traditional Wean

ADG = 3.65lbs

ADG = 0.97lbs

ADG = 0.87lbs

RFI Trial on Heifers • Residual Feed Intake • Planning to infrared scan • Ultrasounding

“Who's Your Daddy” Trial • Parentage test • Neogen • Why this is beneficial?

Bale Placement • Feed consumption rate • Placement of the bales • Water issue limiting paddocks

Recommendations for Next Year • Quiet wean test • Move weaning further back • Bale grazing placements, propose to use other pasture • Purchase another Hereford bull

Recommendations for Next Year • Continue RFI on heifers as well as infrared • Continue to sell at Beef Day • Enforce more strict culling criteria on mature cows

Thank‐You! • • • • • • • • • • • • •

New Holland Amy Stanley Josie Van Lent Peter Walsh Geoff Brown Denise Martin Peter Wilkinson Farm Staff Obioha Durunna Ag. Faculty Ag. Plus Designs Ltd. Other SMF Units Jack Rochford

• • • • • • • • • •

Lance & Sheri Leachman Greg & Amanda Pugh Dr. Tim Goodbrand Dr. Al Schaefer Hartmut Gaza Janet Kerr Keshia Paddick Jessica Emmott Tracy Quinton Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence • U of S Dairy Barn