In today’s Beef Buzz, Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays spoke with Dr. Dave Lalman, Oklahoma State University’s extension beef cattle specialist At the recent Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) meeting in Amarillo, Texas, Dr. Lalman highlighted a major industry trend: the consistent rise in carcass weights. “The thing that really stuck out to me is the never-ending arms race for growth in carcass weight,” Lalman stated. He noted that average steer carcass weights are now “around 930,” and have been steadily increasing for decades.
This push for heavier carcasses is being reinforced by the meat industry’s economics. Dr. Lalman says According to Dr. Ty Lawrence of West Texas A&M, “from a feed yard profitability and a packing plant efficiency stand point they’re going to basically desire and maybe even incentivize continued increase in carcass weight.” He suggested the industry may someday see carcasses weighing “1500 pounds,” Ron pointed out this would require adjustments across infrastructure, including transportation and packing plant facilities. Dr. Lalman responded that infrastructure is already adapting and will have to continue to.
However, this growth presents a dilemma for cow-calf producers. Lalman explained, “Profitability on a given land base is calculated on a per-acre basis. There’s a strong relationship between feed intake and cow size.” Larger cows need more feed and land, yet Dr. Lalman remarks, “Weaning weights are not increasing,” leading to what he called “a more expensive factory that’s producing no more widgets.” This disconnect creates a challenge in balancing efficiency with productivity.
Despite this, Lalman remains optimistic about managing cow size and improving feedlot performance. He emphasized that even with a “1,150 to 1,200 pound cow,” the industry has the capability to produce large finished steers. But increasing average cow size to 1300, 1400 pounds changes the math, says Ron, by raising land and feed requirements. Indicating again that the industry must change as to keep up with the trend. It’s a trade-off: “how much is the added carcass weight worth versus what is the additional cost?”
Finally, on rebuilding the U.S. cow herd, Lalman urged strategic planning. “If you don’t do that, you eventually are not in the cow-calf business any longer.” He recommended heifer retention, especially for those with the skills and the interest, and leveraging tools like OSU’s Master Cattleman Program, extension office, and breed associations. “We have the capability to do both at the same time today,” meaning raising efficient, cost-effective cows that also perform well in feedlots. “We’d be happy to help people with that question,” he concluded.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
