NDSU Extension Offers Answers to Backgrounding Questions

Dec 20, 2019

A rough, wet, snowy, cold fall has many cow-calf producers delaying weaning until the end of this year.

Typically, calf weaning is completed in October or November for April- or May-born calves.

“Depressed market prices haven’t offered enough incentive to sell calves earlier,” says Karl Hoppe, Extension livestock systems specialist at North Dakota State University’s Carrington Research Extension Center. “Now producers are considering the options for this year’s calf crop. Questions are: Should we wean and sell off the cow? Or should we background the calves?”

NDSU Extension has a series of video presentations on backgounding calves that may help producers answer those questions. The videos are available at https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/livestockextension/backgrounding.

The video topics and presenters are:

Current cattle price situation and outlook for backgrounding calves - Tim Petry, NDSU livestock economist
Calf health update and how to prevent cattle from getting sick - Gerald Stokka, NDSU Extension veterinarian and livestock stewardship specialist
Feed costs and rations, including information on multiple feeds that, when combined, can make low-cost rations with good cattle weight gain - Hoppe
Backgrounding cattle budget analysis, including several budgeting scenarios with steers and heifers at low or moderate average daily gains - Bryon Parman, NDSU Extension agricultural finance specialist.

“With relatively low-priced feeds, feeding calves via a backgrounding program may provide positive returns when future market prices remain somewhat constant,” Hoppe says.

Source : ndsu.edu

Video: CEOs of the Industry: John McIntire, Partner at Pike Pig Systems

CEOs of the Industry, Jim sits down with John McIntire, Partner at Pike Pig Systems, one of the most quietly impressive 26,000-sow operations in the U.S. John shares how he grew from operator to partner, how Pike built a people-first culture with long-tenured managers, and why they’re committed to weaning bigger, stronger pigs at 25+ days.

John breaks down how Pike stays efficient in a tough economic environment, the power of their shareholder-owned farm model, and how their work with PIC and a 240-head boar facility drives genetics and health outcomes. He also opens up about the innovations Pike adopts — and how they decide what’s truly valuable versus industry hype.

From Prop 12 and labor challenges to trade, consumer expectations, and sustainability, John chooses a hot-button issue and shares how Pike is preparing for the future. The episode closes with a rapid-fire “Fast Five” — mindset, leadership, daily habits, and three words that define Pike Pig Systems in 2025.

If you want a look inside a people-driven, purpose-driven, quietly elite pork system, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.