GENERAL PROBLEMS IN BEEF PRODUCTION 455 



Short-feeding vs. long-feeding steers 



Lot I Lot II 



Short-fed Long-fed 



Av. weight at beginning, Ibs 1,165 1,000 



A v. gain per head, Ibs 307 431 



Av. daily gain, Ibs 2. 81 2. 46 



Av. ration: 



Shelled corn, Ibs 19. 72 16. 66 



Cottonseed meal, Ibs 2 . 96 2. 78 



Clover hay, Ibs 4.41 4.48 



Corn silage, Ibs 15.33 14.42 



Feed per 100 Ibs. gain: 



Shelled corn, Ibs 702 678 



Cottonseed meal, Ibs 106 114 



Clover hay, Ibs 152 183 



Corn silage, Ibs 558 584 



Feed cost of 100 Ibs. gain $9.03 $9.34 



Initial cost of steers per 100 Ibs $4. 69 $4. 36 



Necessary margin $1 . 03 $1.61 



Necessary selling price $5 . 72 $5 . 97 



Actual selling price $6. 31 $6. 64 



Profit per steer, including pork $15. 27 $16. 41 



Lot I, the short-fed steers, which were given the heavier and more 

 concentrated ration, made larger gains and at a less feed-cost per 100 

 Ibs. gain. Due to the fact that they were in better flesh, the initial cost 

 of the steers in Lot I was 33 cents per 100 Ibs. more than those in Lot II. 

 Because of this and also their heavier initial weight, the smaller amount 

 of gain needed to finish them, and their cheaper gains, they could have 

 been sold without loss on a narrower margin than the long-fed steers. 

 This brought the necessary selling price of Lot I, 25 cents per 100 Ibs. 

 lower than that of Lot II. The long-fed steers, however, brought enough 

 more when sold to more than counter-balance this advantage, and hence 

 returned a slightly larger profit, when the pork produced by hogs follow- 

 ing was included. 



715. Amount of concentrates to feed fattening cattle. One of the most 

 important matters in cattle feeding is deciding how much grain or other 

 concentrates to feed during the fattening period. Upon a wise decision of 

 this problem depends in no small measure the financial outcome of the 

 feeding operations. 



In early years when corn and other grain were usually very cheap in 

 price, fattening cattle were ordinarily fed all the grain they could be 

 induced to eat, after they had been gotten on feed. Quite commonly 

 2-year-old steers were fed an average of over 20 Ibs. of corn a head daily, 

 in addition to hay and other dry roughage. Later, when corn silage came 

 into wide use for fattening cattle, it was found that naturally when steers 

 are fed all they will eat of silage from well-eared corn, they will not 

 consume as much corn grain in addition to the roughage. Usually 2-year- 

 old steers full-fed shelled corn in addition to corn silage, hay, and enough 



