More and more seedstock producers are using GrowSafe equipment to measure and compare feed efficiency in the bulls they sell. On the surface, this seems like a very simple and accurate way to test and compare animals for feed efficiency. There is one extremely important fact, however, that most people totally ignore.
FACT: Producing a pound of Fat requires 2.5 times MORE feed than producing a pound of Muscle or Bone.
As a result of this fact…all feed efficiency tests will heavily favor tall, lean, late-maturing, high-maintenance animals that lack the propensity for fat deposition and fleshing ability. They perform best in a test like this because they are gaining pounds of muscle and bone.
In contrast, moderate-sized, early-maturing, easy-fleshing animals will perform very poorly in a test like this because they stop growing skeleton and start storing up energy in the form of fat at a much younger age. These traits are of utmost importance in a maternal cowherd!
Terminal or Maternal? Testing bulls for feed efficiency may make sense if you have a terminal program in which ALL of your calves are sent to the feedlot – and no heifers are kept as replacements. However, if you produce your own replacement females, buying bulls that perform well in a feed efficiency test will very quickly take your program in the wrong direction.
Quote Worth Re-Quoting
“Life is filled with difficult decisions – and the winners are those who make them.” ~ Dan Brown