Intensification Focus Of Eng Foundation Symposium

Cattle industry representative hear latest research on expanding cowherd

Record cattle prices resulting from all-time low cow numbers in the U.S. is signaling expansion among ranchers across the country, according to experts. However, land availability and available capital are challenges in meeting cowherd expansion.

Texas cattle industry representatives met recently in San Antonio for the Dr. Kenneth and Caroline McDonald Eng Foundation Symposium, where they could hear more about these challenges.

The symposium examined intensification options or increasing output of beef per unit acre. There was interest from attendees since intensification in cow-calf systems historically hasn’t been viewed as an economical option to grazing from rangeland or improved pastureland.

Intensification is increasing output per unit acre. With land in the U.S. becoming more expensive for cow-calf operations, as well as available operating capital, intensification could be an option to consider for some ranchers, according to experts.

Dr. Tryon Wickersham, Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist and professor in the department of animal science at Texas A&M University, said the increasing affluence of developing countries coupled with a rapidly expanding global population will require more high-quality protein production.

“The world population is expected to increase to 9.6 billion people by 2050 and the demand for protein will continue,” he said. “The challenge is basically there is no more land and it takes a considerable amount of capital for cow-calf producers to expand their herds.”

Wickersham presented research that examined managing energy requirements in confined cows. He said beef cow inventory in the U.S. has declined considerably and the Texas beef cow inventory has decreased 28 percent in the 2000s.

“The market definitely signals expansion, but what’s limiting growth? In Texas, some feel we are not fully out of the drought. Some are hesitant to go out and buy a $2,000 or $2,500 cow only to have to take her to a fire sale next year when there is a drought.

“Land is also being bought by folks for other uses than agriculture. There’s big competition for available land and there are constraints to available capital. Are there better investments, for example, rental property? Even if we do increase, can we increase enough cows to meet beef demand?”

Wickersham’s research focused on these challenges. The framework for his study was based on a ranch that has a supply of energy, and he noted that ranch managers need to harvest that energy to meet certain requirements.

“We did a trial limit-feeding high energy diets versus low energy diets to improve efficiency of cow-calf production especially for cows during the dry period,” he said. “We found when we fed a diet that contains more concentrate, we decreased the amount needed to feed cows and made them more efficient with regards to reducing maintenance energy requirements. We could feed those cows considerably less than we would if allowed to consume diets of a lower energy value.”