YORKTON, Sask. – Cattle are ruminants and should be treated accordingly, says an American producer.
Steve Radakovich of Earlham, Iowa said producers must graze their cattle on grass and other forages as long as possible because that is how they were meant to be fed and because it is cheaper.
“We have to keep (cattle) as ruminants because that’s our ace in the hole,” he told about 130 producers at a seminar here. “Their purpose is to eat poor quality forage and turn it into a nutritious flavorful product.”
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The longer cattle graze, the more profit a ranch makes, he said. Feeds like corn are economical right now, but probably won’t be in the long term. Seventy percent of all feed fed to cattle in the world is just maintenance, or to keep them alive.
Radakovich said he can graze his cattle on grass for 15 cents per head per day, compared with feeding hay at $1.
Fit the environment
He said instead of designing cattle genetically for single traits like marbling, the industry should make sure cattle fit an environment where they will graze more efficiently.
“We need to match our environment very similar to our customers’, but how many good stock people do that,” Radakovich said.
He said in Australia, a “good” cow is one that musters well by helicopter, and producers don’t haul supplemental feed out to their herds.
In Africa, producers are turning to indigenous cattle that have the ability to eat poor quality forage and adapt to climate change.
“We think all our problems in the industry are genetic, they’re not,” he said in an interview.
He points the finger at changing market demands, which breeders can’t keep up with genetically. He said people don’t plant two-by-four trees, the saw makes that decision. And, poultry producers don’t breed for a sweet-and-sour trait.
Radakovich said it is easier and less expensive to modify beef after slaughter to deal with swings in demand.
