A No. 2 Pencil is a Beef Producer's Best Tool

One of the most important tools for livestock producers is a sharp No. 2 pencil.

The pencil and some basic arithmetic can help take the emotion out of desperate measures to find feed. When you do the math, buying grain or other alternative feeds may be the best bang for the buck, says University of Missouri Extension agricultural business specialist Wesley Tucker.

“Many people think their only options are to pay whatever they must to buy hay or sell their cows,” says Tucker. Not so, he says.

Producers actually have multiple options: 1) Buy high-priced hay; 2) Limit feeding of hay on hand and make up the difference in grain; 3) Buy straw and supplement with grain; 4) Buy corn silage/baleage from row crop neighbors.

Some producers may not have access to every option, or it may not work for them, says Tucker. Producers must decide for themselves what works with the time, manpower, equipment and other resources they have.

Tucker and MU Extension beef nutrition specialist Eric Bailey say producers might save money by buying grain and investing more elbow grease to weather drought-related shortages.

First, ask what you are getting for your money by calculating the cost per pound of TDN (total digestible nutrients). Measuring TDN is akin to reading the calories on the back of a candy wrapper. It represents energy in the feed. Compare each alternative on price for a pound of TDN to identify under- and over-valued feeds, says Bailey.



Photo Credit: gettyimages-seb_ra