Disposition Pays

Data on nearly 50,000 feeders proves docility makes a difference

Nervous and aggressive cattle are a pain in the wallet.

Data collected on nearly 50,000 cattle from 18 Iowa feedlots, shows that cattle that were considered docile graded Premium Choice and Prime at more than double the rate of their nervous to very aggressive contemporaries.

All cattle in the data set were consigned to the Tri-County Steer Carcass Futurity* over a span of eight years (2002-2009). The research proves that docility in the feedlot pays off with better performance, improved carcass merit and reduced morbidity and treatment costs.

Using the six-point Beef Improvement Federation disposition scoring system, calves in the Futurity were scored three to four times during the feeding period. Based on their average scores, they were grouped into three categories: docile (DC), restless (R) and nervous to very aggressive (NVA).

While calves in the study had similar arrival weights, the DC and R calves were, on average, 10 days younger than the NVA calves. DC calves more than made up for their age, gaining 3.21 pounds (lb.) per day compared to the NVA’s 3.01 lb., and outweighing them by 39 lb. in final live weight.

That feedlot performance proved increasingly valuable in the carcass data (Table 2). With a 30.7- point difference in marbling score between the most and least docile cattle, it’s not surprising the former have better CAB brand acceptance rates.

A $40 difference in profit is also pretty significant. Taking into account quality and yield grade, cost of gain, death loss and treatment costs, the DC calves brought in an average profit of $46.63 per head, while NVA calves made $7.62.

*Tri-County Steer Carcass Futurity data from 30,000 head on feed, 2002-2009, read more (pdf)