There is much variation when it comes to defining efficiency in the cattle business. There are more and more EPDs and $ Values being introduced by breed associations to help producers measure these so-called “efficiencies.” Unfortunately, nearly all of these tools determine efficiency by measuring pounds of high-energy processed feed required for a pound of gain.
They forget… not all gain is created equal. It takes 2.5 times more energy (feed) to put on a pound of fat than it does to put on a pound of muscle or bone. By selecting for cattle that gain well with low intake levels, you are inadvertently selecting for tall, lean, late-maturing cattle that have the genetic propensity for muscular and skeletal growth at the expense of fat deposition (fleshing ability and fertility).
At Pharo Cattle Company®, we use our Grass Efficiency Score to measure and compare efficiency. This score essentially measures maturity rate relative to an animal’s projected mature size. This levels the playing field and allows us to determine true efficiency regardless of an animal’s consumption, gain and frame size.
Johan Zietsman, a rancher and consultant from Zimbabwe, said, “Grass-efficient animals will look like eight pounds of sugar in a 5-pound sack.” We believe that to be an accurate analogy. Grass-efficient animals will be moderate in height, with extreme thickness and fleshing ability. Unfortunately, most of today’s beef animals look like five pounds of sugar in an eight-pound sack. They function very well on a high-energy feedlot ration – but not so well on grass.
Two Grass-Efficient PCC® Bulls are pictured above. You won’t find bulls like this in other bull programs. We provide a grass-efficiency score for all of the bulls selling in our upcoming bull sales. If you use our unique Quick Sort program, you will discover that over 90% of the 525 bulls selling in our four bull sales have a grass-efficiency score of 4 or 5 – with 5 being the best!