Show I I I It Pays To Feed Steers To Choice Grade Says Agent Does Docs it pay a feeder to finish his beef cattle from a U. U S. S grade of good to a grade of oC choice This is a question feeders 0 of often often of- of ten ask reports County Agent A. A Fullmer Allred So that stockmen wont won't be misled by some of the answers they receive to this query the agent presents these basic facts 1 A high finish on cattle re requires requires requires re- re quires grain a surplus crop 2 Choice steers sell for or about two to four cents more than good grade steers and from about about about a- a bout four to eight cents more moreal at al live weight than commercial steers 3 Finished steers ship better belter than others and shrink less in travel 4 The carcass of a choice steer is worth about four cents more per pound than a lower grade when sold The following problem will illustrate this the agent sug sug- Assume a steer is put into a feed lot a pounds He cost the feeder about 17 cents a pound or a total of The steer will put on about 2 pounds a day Now the feeder has a choice He can feed the steer to a good grade at 1000 pounds in days It will then sell at west coast const prices for about 2050 per lbs Ibs or a total of This will give the feeder feed feed- feeder er a gross return of or 62 cents cents' a day clay for feeding the steer Subtracting the cost of feed will give his net profit The feeders feeder's other choice is isto isto isto to carry the steer on another 40 days to a weight of 1075 and anda a grade of choice Because west coast markets pay 2 cents more for choice than good beef he will get a total of for his choice steer at 2250 per pounds This is more than he would have gotten gotten gotten got got- ten for the good steer or 92 cents a day for for- forthe the extra 40 days' days feeding Can the feeder afford to finish finish finish fin fin- ish his steer to a grade of choice lie He got 92 cents a day for the extra feeding compared with 62 cents for the first feed feed- I h U ml 4 1 1 ing period llla i s more moie t t man ran 48 percent more than he would get for feeding the steer to the good grade The county agent points out that this is probably the reason most steers sold by Utah feeders feeder'S go into other feed feedlots feedlots feedlots lots for 30 to 60 more days before being slaughtered Many Utah feeders only finish their steers to a good grade Why does the choice steer bring the extra cents There are two reasons One is obvious choice meat is worth more West Vest coast prices bring about abort 40 cents per pound for a choice carcass and only about 36 cents for good meat The other reason reason reason rea rea- son is that a choice steer dresses dress dress- es at about 61 percent of its live weight while a good animal dresses at about only 58 per per- I cent Since low quality steers steer dont don't have this difference most commercial commercial commercial com com- mercial feeders carry steers on at least to the choice grades Many of the animals they carry carryon on ar are arc those that farmers Carmels called fat and sold sold at a grade of good thus losing some of the profit One thing that has confused farmers the agent says is that the U. U S. S grade or choice today is what has been called goo good I in it the past The choice grade of ten years ago is now called callec U. U S S. S prime Ten years ago feeders were advised to carry steers to good grades at least The same sound advice holds to today tot to- to t day to carry steers on to that tha same actual finish which is now no called U. U S. S choice It pays o |