Ag Trader USA
About usAbout Us
More about us and what we do.
ClassifiedsClassifieds
Equipment, property & more...
SubscribeSubscribe
Begin your subscription today.
ArticlesArticles
Farm safety, animal care & more...
AdvertiseAdvertise
Advertise with us, view our rates.

April 2013 Articles

Just Rambling, April 2013
Recent E.coli outbreak calls attention to food safety rules
Strain elected SASDA president
Historical Fact
Milk Per Cow Increasing
Historical Fact
Economic Implications of Replacing Synthetic Nitrogen With Clovers in a Cool-Sea
New pest could cost blueberry growers
Use Science In Regulating Antibiotics, Agriculture Coalition Says
Historical Fact
EPA Regulation of Greenhouse Gases Will Burden Farmers
Statement by Bob Stallman, President, American Farm Bureau Federation, Regarding
Horse Facts
EPA Updates to Air Quality Standards Concern Farmers
Office of Animal Health and Food Safety has new tool to track cattle
Composting recycles yard waste
Help Your Horse Beat the Heat this Summer
Parasites and pastures
Objective of Goat Enterprise, Purpose of Pastures for Goats and Implications for
Beef Export Volumes Lag 2011 Record Levels
Historical Fact
Chicken Labels - Confusing?
Notes from Germany
Historical Fact
Spiritual Corner
Cutting Corners: Ginger's Fabulous Brownies
Report Shows Real Harm of Estate Taxes
Watch for Toxic Plant Problems During Drought
Drought Impacts Cattle Inventory and Cattle on Feed
• Think before you Creep
It's time to plant late-summer vegetables
U.S. Meat and Poultry Production Year-to-Date 2012
New foreign worker law could hurt Louisiana processors
Managing Cattle With Reduced Stress, Bryan Kutz, Instructor, U of A
Equine Vaccinations
The True Value of Youth Livestock Projects, Steven M. Jones, Associate Professor
Anaplasmosis
Nationwide Drought Impacting Louisiana Ports, Strain assesses low river levels
Horse Facts
Anaplasmosis vaccine gains additional approvals
Financial Education Boot Camps provide training, free resources for teachers
AFBF Asks to Join Poultry Farmer's Lawsuit Against EPA
Farm Groups Urge House to Preserve Family Farms
Notes from Germany
Spiritual Corner
A Visit to J W Farms
The EPA: A Positive Perspective
Consider bald cypress for your landscape
Quote
Poor Temperament Can equal Poor Performance
Cost of Legume Establishment Depends on Planting Procedure
Agriculture losses from Isaac depend on September weather
Horse Facts
Historical Fact
Mosquito repellants offer various levels of protection
West Nile virus increase corresponds to heavy rains
Local Culling Decisions in the Face of a National Drought
The Use of Ultrasound Technology in Today's Beef Cattle Industry
Successful ponds require good management
Ponds provide recreational opportunities, increase property values
LSU AgCenter offers quicker route to Master Farmer status
Cargill donates to AgCenter alligator research
Spiritual Corner
Sow Slaughter Up: Pork Output Will Drop in '13
Cutting Corners: Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

(65 articles found)

Archives by Months

Think before you Creep

Think before you Creep Dr. Karl Harborth, LSU AgCenter


I have received many inquiries on creep feeding this year due to the record high feeder cattle values. I think to answer this question we need to look at the advantages and disadvantages of creep feeding. The following list of advantages and disadvantages was originally written by Dr. Harlan Ritchie (Ritchie, 1987) and was adapted from DiCostanzo and Gill (2008):
Potentially advantageous scenarios:
Calf prices are high relative to feed prices
Fall-born calves
Drylot cow operations
Calves from first-calf heifers
Forage for cows is limited
Milk production is limited
Maximum weight or "bloom" is desired
Male calves
Large-frame, late-maturing calves
Calves will be finished by the cow-calf producer on a high-grain diet
Less advantageous scenarios:
Feed prices are high relative to calf prices
Heavy milking cows
Forage is abundant
Heifer calves
Smaller-framed, earlier-maturing breeds
Spring calves
When calves will be backgrounded on a high-roughage diet
When creep-fed calves are severely discounted
The number one reason on the list is calf prices are high relative to feed cost, which increases the desire to take advantage of the added weight gain obtained from creep feeding. The problem is the second half of Dr. Ritchie’s first advantage. Carcass data should be used as another management tool that breeders have to make a more informed decision about selection of the cattle that will enter their breeding programs – “relative to feed prices.” Currently, we are in a high-calf-value-to-high-feed-cost scenario. In this situation, I feel that it becomes a tougher question to answer. Most people do not like my answer as I feel we can more efficiently feed calves by early weaning rather than by creep feeding. If we look at the historical studies of creep feeding, feed efficiency is variable at best and can range from a couple of pounds of feed per extra pound of gain to as much as 20 pounds of feed per pound of added gain. These differences can be attributed to many factors. Which one would you prefer? Of course we would prefer the lower feed to gain conversions. But the problem is, you may not know how efficient your calves will be on a diet until they are consuming it, which makes it very difficult to budget.
The number one reason most people want to creep feed is to reduce the amount of milk a calf consumes or to take some pressure off of the cow. While this is a great theory, studies have shown that calves will still consume similar amounts of milk compared to non-creep-fed calves. Creep feeding will put additive gains on your calves, but the question is – at what cost? I think everyone has to look at their individual situation and put a pencil to the cost of the creep feed and what the expected returns will be in relation to the value of the added weight and condition gain.
Creep feeding is a management practice that if used properly and/or during the proper economic scenarios, can increase the profitability of your cattle operation, However, at the same time, if not practiced in the proper situation, it may actually cost you more than it is worth.

Advertisers - October 2021
Poole Well Service
Odom Veterinary Clinic
QC Supply
Red River Livestock
Taylor Auto Body
Thomas Nursery & Feed
Union Veterinary Clinic
NAPA
Taylor & Wilkes CPA's
Origin Bank