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 poorly in a test like this because skeletal growth slows down at a much younger age and they start storing up energy in the form of fat. Fleshing ability is of utmost importance in a cowherd!
Terminal or Maternal? Testing bulls for feed efficiency may make sense if you have a terminal program in which ALL 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 quickly take your program in the wrong direction.
If you are looking for the very best in maternal genetics, check us out at Pharo Cattle Company®. We have specialized in ultra-low-input maternal genetics for the last 40 years. We have never chased any of the fads everyone else has chased. Our cattle can produce the most for the least. We will be selling 440 low-input maternal bulls in Three Bull Sales in April.
Quote Worth Re-Quoting
“If you don’t change with the times, the times are going to change you.” ~ Marv Levy
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