Commercial Beef Unit

December 9, 2016

Commercial Beef Unit

April 13, 2017

The TeamOur Unit

SWOT Analysis

Strengths • Teamwork • Mentors• Communication

Weaknesses • Communication between units• Large team affects involvement

Opportunities • Marketing• Education• Herd performance & growth• New students with new ideas

Threats • Market crash• Pasture rental• International trade deals

Vision for the Herd

• Maintain 100 breeding females in herd

• Continue to use Simmental Angus cross

• Continue to raise quality animals

• Continued involvement at Beef Day

• Continued involvement at Canadian

Western Agribition

Progress Report

• Continued herd health checks

• Kept monthly weigh-ins consistent

• Successful promotion

• Sold steer calves at market

• Sold heifers at Beef Day and Agribition

• Decreased feed costs

Long Term Goals

• Decrease length of calving season

• Improve quality of herd

• Select replacement heifers that fit our herd

• Increase acres of pasture

• Maintain relationships with producers in the

industry

• Keep chrome and blaze face program

Short Term Goals

• Improve communication

• Successful calving season

• Raise quality Angus/Simmental cross calves

• Pull bulls after 63 breeding days

GOLD

Industry Standard

SMF 2015/16

SMF 2016/17

G- Growth Rate

43% dam’s wt.

41% dam’s wt.

44.5% dam’s wt.

O- Open Cows 4% 9% 11.8%

L- Length of Calving Season

63 days 108 days 100 days

D- Death Loss 4% 4% 3% To Date

Key Performance Indicators

Growth Rate Higher weaning weights, More grass than last year

Open Cows Age, Drought, Nutritional factors, Dystocia

Length of Calving Season Bulls weren’t pulled all summer, Sold 5 late cows and replaced with 5 cows that fit the calving season

Death Loss Scours out break, Pneumonia due to the changing weather

Herd Inventory

Total = 103 breeding animals, 88 calves

Cow/Calf Pairs

Open Cows

ReplacementHeifersBulls

Steer Calves

Heifer Calves

First Calf Heifers

Marketing

• Purchased two yearling Simmental herd sires

• Calf Insurance

• 51 steers at $1.91/cwt for $176/cwt

Sales

• Sold 5 late bred cows for $1,449/head

• Bought 5 bred heifers for $2,420/head

• Sold 2 cull heifers for $1,224.90/head

• Bought 2 black Simmental bulls for $5,000

and $8,500

Select Heifers Sold

Agribition and Beef Day

Lakeland College Agribition Replacement Heifers

$1450/head

Beef Day Average $1885/head

Beef Day 2017

• Lakeland College’s Annual Livestock Sale

• Sold 12 Black Angus Simmental Cross replacement heifers

• Averaged 1005 lbs.

Beef Day 2017

• Pen 1: $ 1,700/hd

• Pen 2: $ 1,950/hd

• Pen 3: $ 2,000/hd

• Profit = $17,785.44

2017 Birth WeightsNumber of Calves

Average Birth Weight

Other Information

Total Calves 88 89 lbs.

Commercial Calves

82 88 lbs.

Embryo Calves 6 98 lbs. 2 Heifers4 Bulls

Heifer Calves 34 82 lbs. 17 from Heifers17 from Cows

Steer Calves 48 91 lbs. 13 from Heifers35 from Cows

Fall WeightsAverage

weaning weight

Cow calf

Average

Weaning weight

Heifer calf

Combined

average

weaning

weight

Heifer

Calves686 lbs 702 lbs 695 lbs

Steer

Calves648 lbs 704 lbs 664 lbs

Average weight at

weaning

Average BCS at

weaning

Cows 1376 lbs 2.93

First Calf

Heifers

1309 lbs 2.76

Calving Comparison

Calving Cycles

Reproduction

• 3 Simmental bulls• 1 blazed face, 2 black

• Renting 1 Angus heifer bull from the Research Unit• $50/ head

• Palpated 23 heifers on March 21st

• 2 were confirmed pregnant

• Embryo Contract was renegotiated with the Purebred Unit to 10 cows

Bull Costs

• $8,500-$2,000 = $6,500

• 4 years = $1,625/yr / 30 cows = $54/hd

• $5,000-$2,000 = $3,000

• 4 years = $750/yr / 30 cows = $25/hd

• Total = $13,500-$4,000 = $9,500

• 4 years = $2,375/yr / 60 cows = $39/hd

Breeding Season 2017

• April 6th – Heifer bull put in with 9 replacement heifers

• April 13th – 3 herd bulls put in with 89 cows

• June 15th – Pull all bulls for a 63 day breeding season

Opens

• Fall 2016

• 10 open cows

• Due to:

• Age

• Dystocia

• Spring drought

Nutrition

• Replacement Heifers:

• $1.44/hd/day

• $223/hd/year

= $7,358.82 total feed costs

• Diet Consisted of:

• Barley Silage

• Barley Grain

• Beef Supplement

Nutrition

• Bred Heifers and Cows:

• $1.71/hd/day

• $132.45/hd/year

= $10,058.95 total

feed costs

• Diet Consisted of:

• Barley Silage

• Beef Supplement

Nutrition

• Lactating Cows:

• $1.75/hd/day

• $91.62/hd/year

= $6,963.99 total feed costs

• Diet Consisted of:

• Barley Silage

• Corn Silage

• Barley Grain

• Beef Supplement

Herd Health

• 88 cow-calf pairs

• 11 calf scours treatments

• 4 calf pneumonia treatments

• 1 replacement heifer pneumonia treatment

• 3 replacement heifer foot rot treatments

• 2 replacement heifer pinkeye treatments

Herd Health

Vet and Supplies Cost

Treatment Costs $881

Vaccination Costs $2,818

Total Costs $3,699

Range and Forage

• Goal: model sustainable, economical, and ethical grazing systems in practice

• Organize and implement a variety of grazing strategies

• Measure annual productivity

• Recommend pasture improvements

• Assess and adapt to industry changes

Range and Forage

• 2016 Pasture = $13,781

• Trucking = $4,400

• Drought

• 2017 Pasture

• Looking for additional land

• Producers

Income

Total Income = $153,876.61

Steer Sales

Cow Sales

Heifer Sales (Beef Day)

Heifer Sales

Livestock Products

Custom Work

Bull Sales

Miscellaneous Income

Expenses

Total Expenses = $109,241.13

Feed Expenses

Labour

Purchase of Bulls

Purchase of Cows

Equipment Rental

Corral Cleaning

Custom Trucking

Deductions

Utilities

Vet/Meds

Breeding Fees

Show Expenses

Insurance

Bedding

Farm Supplies & Materials

Miscellaneous Expenses

Beef Day Expenses

Public Relations (sans BD&Show)

Budgeted Income

Total Budgeted Income = $124,010.00Total Income YTD = $153,876.61 Variance = $29,866.61

$0.00

$10,000.00

$20,000.00

$30,000.00

$40,000.00

$50,000.00

$60,000.00

$70,000.00

$80,000.00

Budget

YTD

Budgeted Expenses

Total Budgeted Expenses = $116,745.00Total Expenses YTD = $109,241.13 Variance = $7,503.87

$0.00

$5,000.00

$10,000.00

$15,000.00

$20,000.00

$25,000.00

$30,000.00

$35,000.00

$40,000.00

$45,000.00

$50,000.00Budget

YTD

Financial Summary

• Cost of Production = $1.63/hd

• Budgeted Net Income = $7,265.00

• Actual Net Income = $44,635.48

Sustainability/Stewardship

• Boot Wash Implementation

• Alberta Environmental Farm Plan and Lakeland Environmental Farm Plan

• Meeting regarding Lakeland College land usage

Recommendations

• Maintain herd size at 100 head

• Find long term pasture rental

• Shorten length of calving season

• Researching new options of record

keeping for the beef units for a more

convenient and organized approach

Recommendations

• Continue involvement in Agribition and

Beef Day

• Continue with blaze faced bull program

• Maintain the Simmental/Angus cross

• Work with and maintain relationships with

other units and farm staff

Thank You!

• Peter Wilkinson• April Warrilow• Austin Partington• Jamie Anderson• Dr. Kent Weir• Geoff Brown• Denise Martin• Westman Farms• Peter Walsh• Leila Hickman• Darrell Hickman

• Tracy Quinton• Janet Kerr• Jessica Hyrciuk• Bevin Hamilton• Marisa Moe• Craig’s• Embroidery

Xpressions• Double Bar D Farms• JBS• CL Ranches

• Soderglen’s• Blairs.Ag Cattle Co.• Michael Verstegen• Jim Pulyk• Doug and Larene

Zimmer• Isaacson Family

Farms• Hagel Feeders• Josie Van Lent• New Holland