CONVERTING THE HERD

CONVERTING THE HERD ... TO RFI EFFICIENT ANIMALS

by Bruce Derksen

It was a proud moment for Limousin breeder Wulf Cattle of Morris, Minnesota, when their bull, Wulfs Xcellsior X252X, topped the 2020 list of GrowSafe Systems 150 proven bulls for Residual Feed Intake (RFI). In total, the North American Limousin Foundation (NALF) placed 11 bulls on the list with three in the top 10. While many purebred breeders sat up to take notice, some of their fellow seedstock producers, and a large percentage of commercial cattlemen, raised an eyebrow and questioned what this really meant.

Definition and Importance

RFI has been around for a long time but is often an ignored or misunderstood factor in determining cattle efficiency. Most cattlemen rate their animals on feed to gain or feed conversion ratios and in a pen setting, this can give a good indication of how efficient one group of cattle is in relation to another. But for cow-calf producers attempting to strengthen their herd through genetic selection, this can be less meaningful and even less useful.

RFI is calculated by subtracting the expected feed requirements for maintenance and growth from the actual intake of an individual animal, resulting in a low or negative number being the most efficient animals. Systems such as GrowSafe track feed and water intake through a computerized process over a period of at least 70 days and calculate actual individual consumption and weight gain. Efficient (negative or low RFI) animals use less feed for a high average daily gain. Inefficient (positive or high RFI) animals consume a larger amount to match the same gain.

Dr. Gordon Carstens, Professor of Animal Nutrition at Texas A&M University, says it is important to identify cattle that are superior when it comes to converting feed to pounds of meat. These costs can represent more than 70% of total production costs to cow-calf producers thus any opportunities for reduction can provide benefits to an operation’s bottom line.

“Real cost savings go back to feed cost savings, but mature cow sizes have become larger. A rancher with a definitive grazing acreage who stocked one cow per five acres 20 years ago, is likely still stocking the same today. Yet those females might be 10-15% heavier, so the actual cow numbers on those acres should have been reduced.” Feed costs can represent more than 70% of total production costs to cow-calf producers thus any opportunities for reduction can provide benefits to an operation’s bottom line. It is important to identify cattle that are superior when it comes to converting feed to pounds of meat.

Studies have also shown low RFI heifers remain consistent as mature animals. “There is a favorable association between the efficiency of the growing animal and the cow,” said Carstens. “It’s not an automatic when we select for a particular trait in a growing animal that it translates into genetic merit in a mature female.”

He described an A&M trial that measured RFI in heifers and again as 2- and 3-year-olds, using an electronic feed intake system. Results showed the low RFI heifers matured into low RFI cows.

Trials and Savings

Feedlot tests routinely show an improvement in conversion rates of 9-15% in identified low RFI cattle with extreme cases as high as 25%. Since the trait transfers to the adult, populating the average commercial herd with low RFI females can have an astounding effect on costs.

Groups of cattle will normally exhibit a 40% range in efficiency. Low RFI females in the herd will be 20% more efficient than the average. A hypothetical 50 cow herd comprised of low RFI animals would consume 20% less hay or forage to maintain the desired health and condition in comparison to an unselected 50 cow herd. Assuming a 1,200-pound cow eating 24 pounds of hay per day, a 20% reduction delivers a 4.8 pounds/day saving. All 50 animals eating 4.8 pounds

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less than the unselected herd amounts to 240 pounds/day and 24,000 pounds of hay saved over a 100-day period. Using a conservative spring 2020 cost of average quality hay at $100/ton, this 50-cow owner would realize a saving of 12 tons or approximately $1,200. And this is only hay savings over a short time. Pasture stocking rates could also be adjusted to make better use of spring and summer grass.

Selection and Benefits

Carstens says moderation in size and efficiency can still be maintained when selecting for low RFI. “The good news is you can have improved efficiency independent of selection for growth and mature size. Selecting for both will reduce the demand for forage and in the long run let the rancher run more animals per acre.”

But the question becomes—how does a cow-calf producer identify and place these low RFI animals into the herd?

“It’s definitely moderately heritable. The obvious thing is to use sires with favorable EPDs for residual feed intake. If you then keep those females from that mating back as replacements, you will start noticing an improvement in efficiency of the herd,” said Carstens. “The problem is, while most breed associations are interested in gaining more information on breeding values for RFI, many don’t have them yet. There are

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Systems such as GrowSafe track feed and water intake through a computerized process over a period of at least 70 days and calculate actual individual consumption and weight gain. RFI is calculated by subtracting the expected feed requirements for maintenance and growth from the actual intake of an individual animal, resulting in a low or negative number being the most efficient animals.

at the

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OWNERS: JIM & CAROLE COUNSIL KEVIN COUNSIL - (281) 808-5511 • COOKINKEV@AOL.COM 21314 OSR • MADISONVILLE, TX 77864 WWW.COUNSILFAMILYLIMOUSIN.COM

ELIGIBILITY: FOR ALL-AMERICAN LIMOUSIN FUTURITY SHOW All cattle must be recorded with the North American Limousin Foundation (NALF) to be eligible to show in the All-American Futurity (AALF). The 2020 AALF will have Limousin (orange papered 75% or greater), Lim-Flex (purple papered) and Fullblood showing together. The NALF Board has approved awarding Level I MOE points for this show as requested by the NALF Show Committee and the AALF Executive Committee. A) Females calved between September 1, 2018, and January 31, 2020, are eligible to show. B) Cow-calf pairs must have a natural-born calf nursing that is less than 250 days of age show day. Calf at side may be shown in individual class if born January 31, 2020, or before. C) All cattle will be checked in by show management—tattoos will be read. D) EPDs will be made available to the judge(s) on all animals shown. E) A Jan Mapes’ sculptured trophy will be awarded to the Supreme Grand Champion Female. AFTER 5 CLUB: Competition will be at National Western Stock Show HOW TO ENTER: Entries will be due in the American Cattle Services office on or before May 1, 2020. Entry fee of $50 each shall accompany each entry. $100 entry fee after May 1 deadline. Cow-calf pairs are considered one entry—$50 fee, unless the calf is to be shown in an individual class. Entries received after printing of show program must pay a $300 entry fee. No entries will be excepted after cattle are checked in at show location. Cattle must be entered as recorded with NALF. No email entries! BEDDING FEE: All cattle in the AALF show that are not entered in the Junior show must pay a $40 bedding fee—which pays for first-time bedding and tie-out bedding. PREMIER BREEDER & PREMIER EXHIBITOR: Trophies to be awarded to winners of the following group classes: (a) Premier Breeder: Presented to the breeder compiling the most points on cattle bred by, not necessarily owned by said breeder. (b) Premier Exhibitor: The exhibitor whose owned or co-owned cattle accumulate the greatest number of points under the NALF point system. CLASSIFICATION FOR THE AALF SHOW: All cattle will be listed in the program by age, youngest to oldest. After all cattle are checked in, a committee will break the entries into classes with a minimum age spread. Class winners will compete for division champions, division champions will compete for grand champion. The cow-calf pairs will show first and will not compete for grand champion female. DIVISION OF PREMIUM MONEY: The premium will be decided upon receipt of entries. The premium fund consists of the total amount of money paid in entry fees, plus appropriations and contributions from program ad sales and benefit auction funds less administrative costs. NOTE TO JUNIOR EXHIBITORS: An entry in the National Junior Limousin Show does not automatically enter you in the AALF.

EXHIBITOR: For correspondence and premiums

Name: __________________________________________________________

Address: _________________________________________________________

City: ____________________________________ State: ______ Zip: ____________

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Contact ACS for advertising space in the program.

Prefix/Tattoo Birth Date Sex Entered in Jr. Show (Y/N) Send entries to: LEVEL I MEDAL OF EXCELLENCE SHOW

JUNE 27-JULY 3, 2020 West Monroe, Louisiana

HOW TO ENTER: A copy of the registration paper or copy of the application for registry is the only acceptable form for entering the AALF show. All cattle must be entered as recorded with NALF. This enters you only for the AALF show. ENTRY DEADLINE: May 1, 2020 Entry Fee: $50 | Bedding Fee: $40

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some DNA markers, but they lack precision. The key is to focus on using DNA to enhance the accuracy of developing EPDs based on collective phenotypes. This is really the bottleneck right now—coming up with enough sires not only having EPDs for RFI but having accurate EPDs.” The irony is not lost that although Limousin bulls scored high in the recent residual feed intake efficiency trial, the breed’s EPD index for the category is still in the works. But Carstens points out they are not alone. “The swine industry is a lot better at this. They have a paternal and maternal line and use a selection program for different traits and lines. We’re not that refined yet in the beef industry. We need to do more.”

“We collect data and submit it to International Genetic Solutions (IGS) as it gets incorporated into our run,” says NALF Executive Director Mark Anderson. “IGS is in the process of updating their marker subsets and some of the heterogeneous variances, and they are looking at three or four potential new EPDs to go into production near term. One of those eventually will be an RFI EPD.”

“Additionally, we actually enter the RFI data into the animal’s performance page if producers submit it so a member can look that up. The actual EPD is not published by IGS yet, but that is something we will see down the road,” Anderson said.

There are other established benefits of low RFI commercial herds beyond the substantial feed savings. Since efficient cattle have decreased intake, their selection also implies a decrease in methane production as emissions are directly proportional. Higher dry matter intake equals higher methane emissions. “Low or negative RFI animals will generate less methane because they are eating less,” said Carstens. “And it’s the same with manure production. Lower RFI animals will produce less manure.” But Carstens warns placing these efficient females into the herd takes time. “It’s kind of unfortunate—when you select for growth, it’s easy to see higher weaning weights one or two years down the road. Or if you select bulls with better genetic merit for marbling, you soon see better grading results. Cattlemen can visually see the benefits of those kinds of selection programs when they go out to look at their cows. It’s always a challenge to convince folks that it makes sense to select for efficiency because it’s not a trait you can observe.”

Ranching is a tough business at times and the potential for production and financial advantages should never be ignored. Carstens says RFI efficiency offers these gains in no uncertain terms. “If we continue to see more advances in facilities with the capabilities to measure intake and make more progress with genetic markers better able to accurately predict RFI, that’s all going to take the industry forward. It’s the direction it has to go.” Limousin breeders should be proud of all their low RFI tested bulls and females. Residual feed intake efficiency will be a vital part of the beef cattle industry’s future and it’s a sure bet more producers of all variations will be taking extra notice.

VIDOR, TEXAS 77662 WWW.GOSSLIMOUSIN.COM ANTHONY GOSS 281-794-1339 DAVID GOSS 832-260-5885

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Bruce Derksen has worked in Western Canada’s ranching and feedlot industry for more than 30 years. In his spare time, he writes about present day agriculture related topics, hoping to give today’s producers as much up to date information about the future of the industry as possible.

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TEAMWORK What it’s all about! Lifelong Friendships May 1: Regional Show & NJLSC Entry Deadline May 15: Late Entry Deadline May 15: Scholarship Applications Due May 15: NALJA Board of Director Applications Due May 15: Limi Booster Junior Grant Program Applications Due May 29-30: Heartland Regional Show June 12-14: Eastern Regional Show June 18-20: Western Regional Show June 27-July 3: National Junior Limousin Show & Congress North American Limousin Junior Association The purpose of NALJA is to develop knowledgeable, motivated beef industry leaders, while promoting the Limousin breed through fellowship, leadership and education. The initial cost of a junior membership is $50. This fee activates the Junior membership for the current year and the following calendar year. After this time, Junior members pay a $50/year activity fee to qualify for active member rates and to show at NALF and NALJA sponsored events.

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• APRIL 2020 41