43 Story Idea? Email Paul.Nolan@Farms.com Better Farming | July/August 2024 dairy farms offer more consistent supply than calves from traditional cow-calf herds. Leighton Kolk feeds calves in his feedlot near Iron Springs, Alta. He began sourcing dairy-beef calves five years ago and increased the number in the yard over the past three years. He estimates that between 40 and 45 per cent of the calves they feed would have dairy influence. “I think the opportunities we have found are that we’ve aligned with a few American farms and a couple in the east,” says Kolk. “The benefit for us is that we can schedule them ahead of time. It’s a more constant supply. If you get ranch calves, you get a whole bunch in September and October, and nothing from January until March or April, whereas dairy calves come yearround.” For beef producers, there are a few important differences to note between feeding dairy-beef cross calves and purebred beef calves. Not your traditional beef calf As with purebred beef calves, genetics play a large role in efficiency and performance in beef-on-dairy crosses. The mix of dairy-type and beef-type genetics often means that these calves have an advantage over purebred Holsteins but may not compete as well with purebred beef calves. “Looking at average daily gain throughout the whole system, you would probably see a 0.3 to 0.5-pound difference between crossbred and traditional beef calves,” says Schweitzer, describing the calves as a ‘murky middle’ between Holsteins and beef calves. “They are just not as good at converting, so you have to feed them a little harder than a traditional beef animal.” The differences in performance are still present by slaughter and processing. “From what I understand, they aren’t going to quite grade out like traditional beef,” says Schweitzer. “Traditional beef calves’ hot carcass yield will be 60 to 62 per cent carcass, whereas the crossbreds are closer to 58 to 60 per cent, and Holsteins are between 57 to 59 per cent.” Kolk says that in terms of quality grade, dairy-beef calves tend to compete well. Reduced yield grade has financial implications for producers, particularly when efficiency is reduced. Besides performance, early-life rearing and genetics also influence the behaviour and health of dairy-beef calves. Kolk suggests that crossbreds tend to retain more Holstein personality. “They act more like Holsteins. They wreck stuff, eat dirt, chew on wires, unlock fences – they are bad actors,” says Kolk, who also notes a few more health issues. “For most of the beef calves we buy, they are still raised out on pasture. They calve in the spring and live in the open air until they are weaned, and then we buy them. If one gets pneumonia, it’s not all of them; it’s just the one. Whereas with Holsteins, they are so used to all being in small hutches. “They tend to get more pneumonias. We get a higher percentage of chronic cases that show up in these calves raised in confinement. There are more challenges with them than ranch-direct beef calves.” Schweitzer adds that processors are also seeing a higher incidence of liver abscesses in dairy-beef calves. “Anecdotally, they look like they probably sort more. I don’t know if that leads into the increased number of abscesses, but it is interesting to see the differences,” says Schweitzer. This reflects Kolk’s observations of more behaviours that would be typical for dairy-type calves. The differences observed in dairybeef calves relative to purebred beef calves still mark an improvement over purebred dairy calves entering the beef production stream. They also create greater opportunity for dairy farmers to find value in non-replacement calves. These calves also have a function in maintaining the competitiveness of the beef industry. Fitting into the industry Many producers have questions about the impact of rising dairy-beef numbers on the beef industry. Despite lower purchase prices for crossbred calves relative to pure beef calves, challenges with performance and health result in a general feeder preference for purebred beef calves. It is still valuable to have access to dairy-beef calves to occupy Ontario feedlot spaces. “The 40-year trend is that the Canadian cow-calf herd is declining, and I don’t see that reversing,” says Kolk. “If we thought the cow herd was going to expand, I would say maybe there was a small competition element that would hurt the rancher. “But because I think the cow herd will maintain or decline over coming years, these calves are allowing feedlot Livestock Better Farming and Farms.com are accepting applications/resumes for the following position. It’s Farming. And it’s Better. APPLY TODAY TO JOIN OUR TEAM: Paul.Nolan@Farms.com FARMING JOURNALIST New full-time or potential part-time home-based role with popular farming magazine. You love farming and can write engaging, insightful stories about our industry and its farming families. You possess a professional, team-oriented attitude with strong language skills. You are comfortable proofing copy for errors and factchecking for accuracy. You enjoy taking interesting farm photos with your mobile device. If this sounds like you, please let us know!
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