“The News Feed Live” Webinar Series #2 – “Beef on Dairy X’s – A Discussion on Production Management”
March 24, 2022
As most people involved in the dairy and beef industry know, this rapidly growing trend is becoming very popular in Ontario and warrants an in depth look into its functionality.
By contrast, Quebec is seemingly the most advanced in Canada so far, in terms of calf numbers available and very consistent production of identifiable genetics judging by the appearance of the finished cattle and carcass quality.
This beef on dairy management practice offers the dairy producer choices. They choose the top producers in the dairy herd to produce a desirable heifer calf of selected superior genetic traits for their replacement heifer programs. The remaining cows in the herd are then bred to beef sires, selected for desirable genetic carcass traits, producing the beef on dairy X’s we are discussing in this webinar.
This production model will most certainly continue to evolve in the dairy industry and the resulting beef on dairy X’s will enter the feeder cattle and beef supply chain, thus creating the need for further development in the proper production protocols to produce the most desirable animal for the beef industry. With Ontario’s dwindling beef cow herd numbers over recent years, the industry could benefit from these increasing numbers of cattle types as an alternative.
We felt there was a need to create this webinar to discuss the differences in production management strategies between traditional beef cattle and the beef on dairy X’s. These cattle are currently being placed on feed in numerous cattle feeding operations in Ontario. We see a very distinct variation of quality between groups of these cattle, which is a result of genetics/ sire selection, health protocols and feeding programs.
So, the importance is strongly noted, that we, Ontario Corn Fed Beef, need to continue to identify the issues, and implement the corrective actions to produce a consistently high-quality beef product for our consumers. The beef supply chain includes these cattle types and therefore it’s in our best interest to provide producers who engage in this production model, with the resources to make well-informed decisions.
With our lineup of expert speakers and producer experiences with the beef on dairy X’s, the goal is to provide information to fellow producers, animal health and feed industry partners of the best production management skills to meet the differences/challenges these cattle types present.
The variable weight ranges of cattle going to feed and various rations being used will be described in detail by our featured producers in our presentation.
We hope that by viewing these “Beef on Dairy X’s” webinar/videos, you will take away a better understanding of this production model.
Enjoy the presentations!!