The current economic climate of high input costs coupled with low calf prices has producers all over the country pursuing efficient cattle.  They want cows that are easy keepers in that they will maintain body weight utilizing winter range or low quality forages and feeder cattle that will gain weight in the feedlot on less feed.   

Some breed associations have been working hard to develop tools that will help producers identify efficient cattle.  The American Angus Association has developed a dollar value for feed efficiency which they call the $ Energy Value ($EN).  The American Gelbvieh Association has developed a Days to Finish Value (DtF) which identifies cattle that grow faster while being fed in the feedlot.  In the near future I am sure that other breed associations will be releasing information on how to measure cattle for efficiency.

Let’s take a look at how a producer can use the Angus $ Energy Value when selecting a bull.  To begin with we need to define the $ EN Value.  The $ EN is the difference in cow energy requirements expressed in dollars per cow saved.  The higher the number, the more efficient the future daughters of a bull will be which relates to more money saved.

As an example, let’s say we are interested in two bulls; Bull A and Bull B.  Below are the $EN values for the two bulls:

Bull A - $EN = +15.74
Bull B - $EN = +2.41

The expected difference in cow energy savings per cow per year for future daughters of the two bulls is 15.74 – 2.41 = $13.33.  Females sire by Bull A on average would save $13.33 more money in energy (feed) costs than females sired by Bull B.

If you want to select for efficient replacement females, you would select Bull A due to his higher $EN value.

Let’s look now at the Gelbvieh Days to Finish (DtF) Value.  DtF is expressed in days to reach a constant fat endpoint, which is commonly used in the feedlot to determine when cattle are finished.  Again as an example, we have narrowed our selection down to two Gelbvieh bulls; Bull A and Bull B.  Below are the DtF values for the two bulls:

Bull A – DtF = +5.3
Bull B – DtF = +3.9

On average, Bull A’s progeny will reach a finish weight in the feedlot 1.4 days sooner than progeny from Bull B.  If you feed cattle to finish, Bull A should be selected.

Residual Feed Intake (RFI) is another selection tool that has been getting a lot of attention in the last couple of years.  Several bull test stations and larger purebred bull producers are gathering RFI data on the bulls they are feeding. 

So what is RFI?  It is the difference between an animal’s actual feed intake and its expected feed requirements for maintenance and growth.  Efficient cattle eat less than expected, inefficient cattle eat more than expected.

To collect RFI data producers must:

1. Have enough bulls in the same contemporary age group, within 90 days of age, to make it worthwhile.
2. Must estimate required daily intake for maintenance and growth.
3. Must weigh what each bull eats every day.  Requires an expensive feed bunk system.  Most common system is called the Grow Safe System that measures feed intake via computer technology.
4. Must weigh the bulls on and off test, usually a minimum test of 70 days, 100 to 120 days is recommended. 

When the feed test is completed a report is generated and distributed to customers at the time of the bull sale.  Below is an example of the kind of report that a bull buyer might receive:

Sample RFI Report
                                                                  Intake
Animal ID               Start   End    Gain      Actual        Calc.         RFI
                             Wt.   Wt.                Feed         Feed

      1                     600   950     350      36.56         32           4.56

      2                     605   980     375      29.25         32.8       -3.55

If you look at the data on these two bulls, Bull 1 had an RFI of +4.56 which means that he ate 4.56 pounds more feed each day than he was estimated to need.  Bull 2 had an RFI of -3.55 which means that he ate 3.55 pounds less feed each day than he was estimated to need.  In this example, Bull 2 is more efficient.  If you were looking for a very efficient bull, Bull 2 would be the bull selected.

Let me share a word of caution.  Many train wrecks have occurred in the beef business when people select for a single trait.  Do not single trait select.  Determine the weaknesses and strengths of your cowherd and select replacements using a balanced trait criteria. 

In summary, if you are looking for more efficient cattle, $EN values, RFI values and DtF values can help.  Like I mentioned earlier, I think you will see more breeds developing tools to identify efficient cattle, so stay tuned.  For more information on this topic, feel free to contact me.