When a rancher has facilities, feedstuffs and management expertise but not enough cattle to run a profitable operation, custom feeding can be an option.
The Iowa Cattlemen’s Association prepares an annual directory of Iowa custom feedlots that is included in the ICA magazine. It is also distributed to ICA members and affiliated businesses throughout the year.
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Feedlots in Iowa
During the course of the year, many cattle owners call the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association (ICA) in search of a place to custom feed their cattle. To assist these cattlemen, the ICA prepares and publishes an annual Iowa Custom Cattle Feeders Directory.
The benefits of custom feeding cattle in Iowa include competitive markets, quality forages, access to feeder cattle and a personal touch from on-site family-owned businesses. Combined with low feed costs and the availability of inexpensive ethanol co-products, these factors make Iowa one of the best places in the country to feed cattle.
Before placing your cattle in a feedlot, it is important to do your homework. This involves estimating the cost of gain and evaluating the feedlot’s fee structure. Also, ask about vaccines, medicine and implants. Lastly, check out the facility’s financial condition and be sure to avoid lots that are in financial trouble.
Feedlots in Nebraska
If you are a cow-calf producer considering retaining ownership of your cattle or looking for a way to evaluate the genetic merit of your herd, it is important to select a feedlot with experience in feeding to slaughter weights. Custom cattle feeders have the technology, skills and services to meet all your needs.
Commercial feed yards specialize in feeding high-concentrate finishing rations. A variety of feed ingredients are used to formulate the rations, including high moisture corn, wet corn distillers, dry rolled corn and silage. Ration adjustments are made as weather changes occur.
Many feed yards also offer risk management programs, such as futures markets, hedging and options. These programs can help you manage cash flow problems and reduce the risk of selling your cattle before you are sure they have a market.
When you are selecting a custom feed yard, make sure you have an up-front interview with the manager and ask them about their fees and services. If you are not comfortable with their service, don’t waste your time or money with them.
Feedlots in Kansas
Commercial feed yards often specialize in feeding high-concentrate finishing rations and can provide technical advice to producers on how best to place cattle. They also may have access to local banks or finance companies that can help arrange financing to place cattle on feed.
In Kansas, livestock farmers and ranchers are increasingly reliant on feedlots to care for their cattle. These facilities are able to offer economical access to grains and other roughages like silage, hay and tallow.
However, they must be carefully selected to avoid pitfalls that could endanger the health and safety of cattle or people. Documents obtained by Harvest Public Media and The Kansas City Star reveal that the state health department has levied major penalties on 38 feedlots for monitoring and environmental infractions over a decade.
A heat wave is causing thousands of cattle in several western feedlots to die. The death losses are so large that it could have an impact on food supplies, according to a DTN Livestock Analyst.
Feedlots in Missouri
Whether you are looking to start a custom feedlot, or want to add a finishing operation to your farm, there are several factors to consider before making the decision. MU Extension livestock specialist Jim Humphrey shared four key areas that first-time finishers need to consider when planning for a new facility:
Square footage of the building, including both the confinement area and runoff storage. The size of the confinement area should be based on the market weight of the cattle, Humphrey said.
The type of manure management system used at the finished cattle feedlot is another consideration. Missouri beef feedlots are categorized into solid, semisolid, slurry and lagoon systems based on the amount of bedding and water dilution used.
Beef manure can be diluted and handled as a slurry, or the liquid can be stored for land application in a lagoon. The runoff from the lots and pens is often routed through a settling basin to remove large solids. The remaining portion of the runoff is stored in a holding pond for later land application.
