42 Story Idea? Email Paul.Nolan@Farms.com Better Farming | July/August 2024 In the past five to 10 years, there has been a rapid increase in the use of beef semen in dairy herds, particularly lower milk-producing animals, to produce a beef-on-dairy calf. As dairy-beef cross calves continue to make up a greater proportion of Ontario’s feeder calves, many producers wonder where they fit into the beef industry. This has also provoked questions about the nutrition and management requirements of these calves. Keith Schweitzer, dairy nutrition and management advisor at Wallenstein Feed & Supply, says that he has observed the rise of the beef-on-dairy trend over the past five years. “Nobody seems to have a great handle on the number of dairy-beef calves in Ontario, but when talking to people in the genetics business, they are saying that up to 40 per cent of breedings are producing beef-cross calves,” says Schweitzer. While Schweitzer says that he’s seen a plateau in the trend recently, these calves maintain their presence in calf-rearing facilities and feed yards. How do these calves offer a new income opportunity for dairy and beef producers, and where do they fit into the future of the beef industry? Opportunities Both dairy and beef producers can reap the benefits of raising beef-ondairy calves. “For dairy producers, I think it really helps manage some of the bottom end of the herd and see the economic benefits from their offspring, with what calves are selling for of late. It can be a nice fit if there is excess barn space available,” says Schweitzer. “You get a little better money out of a beef-cross calf compared to a Holstein bull or raising too many heifers.” In the past, bull calves on dairy farms have held little value. Sexed semen already offered producers an opportunity to produce replacement heifers from their genetically superior cows. Breeding with beef semen further allows them to produce higher-value calves for meat production from animals which are not suited for producing replacement heifers. “There’s a lot of margin to capture in a 10-day-old calf,” says Schweitzer, noting that some producers have shared that calves from their dairy farms have been purchased for $800 to $1,300. He does caution that producers looking to rear these calves from birth to finish on-farm should assess whether it makes sense financially. “If it came down to raising heifers to sell for export or local opportunities or raising beef crosses, you would really have to sit down and crunch the numbers with what is going on with their respective markets at that time and look at if it fits the workflow on the farm,” Schweitzer adds. “The longer the calf is there, the more cost and labour is put into keeping it healthy. If you don’t have a good number of calves to sell to the processor, and if you aren’t going to ship a truckload consistently to a feedlot, you should ask yourself, ‘Does it make sense to build a barn?’ If you sell calves at 10 days old, you aren’t taking on more risk or more cost.” For beef producers, calves from Do your research before filling a pen. Leighton Kolk photo RAISING DAIRY-BEEF CALVES ‘The whole business stays healthier with a balance of enough supply & demand.’ By Emily Croft Livestock
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