Benefits of Weighing Beef Cattle This Fall

Oct 02, 2023

Greg Hubbard, manager of the Pennsylvania Livestock Evaluation Center, weighs cattle.

Weighing your cattle can be beneficial, but a scale is often absent on smaller farms.

This one piece of equipment can help save and make money, grow better cattle and boost herd efficiency.

Without a scale, producers estimate cattle weight gain (or loss), pharmaceutical dosages, feed requirements and average daily gain. The absence can also increase the risk of penalties when selling groups of cattle.

Record keeping, diets and stocking rates can be managed efficiently when you have accurate weights.

Considering the high cost of feed, correct cattle weights help avoid over-feeding.

This year, farmers might be more concerned about underfeeding or feedstuff quality.

Recordkeeping for weights can also provide an average daily gain and ensure that rations fed to growing cattle are efficiently meeting their dietary needs.

Most performance records in cow-calf operations are based on weight. Weighing mature cows will allow producers to better manage the herd and genetics and provide knowledge to assist in reaching production goals.

For example, when looking at weaning weight, one might assume that a group of steers that average 600 pounds is better than the group averaging 520 pounds.

However, when you consider that the 520-pound calves were weaned off 1,100-pound cows versus the 600-pound calves that came off 1,350-pound cows, the overall efficiency of the two herds is noticeably different.

Over- or underestimating mature cow weight will also significantly affect one’s stocking rate. For example, assuming your average mature cow size is 1,000 pounds when, in reality, you are running 1,200-pound cows will result in overstocking your pastures and lead to future problems with feed and mineral supply.

On the flip side, if you are underestimating by just 100 pounds, you would be missing out on grazeable pasture per head and are likely overspending on the mineral.

Fertilizer costs are high. Suppose a producer cannot determine the total pounds of cattle an acre supports per month or animal units per month. In that case, fertilizer or supplemental feedstuff investments are not adequately managed.

This year’s lack of rainfall has some producers looking at their stocking rates and the affordability of supplements to assist with lackluster pastures.

Cattle feeders will find benefits in weighing their cattle by monitoring animal performance, improving animal health, and forecasting the best time to sell the cattle.

A clear idea of the animal’s or group of animals’ average daily gain will allow the producer to manage better feed rations, under-performing animals, and grouped cattle.

Feeding programs for stockers and feeders can vary by region, byproduct availability and goals. Routinely weighing cattle will help determine the success of different feeding programs and allow the selection of animals for preferential feeding.

This year’s rainfall has many cattle feeders pushing numbers and sourcing alternative feedstuffs to meet their growth and timeline goals.

Even if the goal is to sell freezer beef, an accurate live animal weight is needed. Either an invoice for the live animal is made prior to the date of slaughter, utilizing the butchers processing fees and live weight, or a live weight and the USDA pricing guide can be used for retail beef.

If the producer has contracted cattle to sell at a specific weight, having accurate weight numbers will provide better guidance to meet those requirements. It will also help you avoid weight penalties at the packer plant. Those penalties add up over time if uniformity is not prioritized.

Utilizing cattle weights can help determine where to buy calves. For example, suppose you have a group of cattle performing poorly from a specific farm compared to other cattle on the same ration. In that case, you may not want to buy from that farm again.

Some may find that their transitioning calves have been weaned early or given creep feed as an alternative due to the dry summer or the region the calves are coming from.

When an animal is sick, the accurate pharmaceutical dosage is crucial to management and beef quality assurance. Correct body weight will allow the dosage to be precise, which is best for the calf and cost-effective for the stocker.

Livestock owners and veterinarians should work together to make decisions that improve animal health. All drugs should be administered as directed by its label.

Collecting accurate weights on beef cattle will be nothing short of beneficial to managing your operation and finances.

Profit margins in the beef industry are continually being challenged, so a simple practice can grow significant returns.

Pencil-pushing accurate numbers will always provide the producer with the best information to allow for changes and growth within cattle production.

There are a few options to consider if you are a beef producer with no working chute or scale. Producers can apply for cost-sharing grants and use free chute systems available across the state.

For additional information on these resources, please contact me at [email protected].

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Taylor Zahn is a Penn State Extension livestock educator in York County.

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