Where Are We Going As Cattle Get Bigger?

Some would say that the cattle industry is slow to change. However, if you look at the change that has occurred during the past 60 years, one may need to ask the question, “Can we keep up with the change?” Quantity of beef produced per cow has increased by over 50% since 1982. In the last 30 years carcass weights have increased over 20% with a peak of 422 kg in 2015. However, is the current trajectory sustainable? Can packing plants handle the extra carcass size? Can distribution channels handle heavier boxes? How do consumers accept large cuts of beef? More importantly, what happens to the efficiency of the beef production system? Several researchers have shown that HCW is the most important factor in determining profitability. Record carcass weights have been achieved by using later-maturing genetics, growth enhancement technologies, and improved nutritional management. Factors which contribute to feeders taking cattle to heavier weights are the need to dilute higher feeder cattle prices with greater pounds and the ability to distribute increasing fixed costs and lower costs of gain. Research has quantified that the biological changes associated with increasing days on feed and taking cattle to heavier weights are not the same changes we saw in cattle 50 years ago. Physiological changes in feed intake and dressing percent contribute to this phenomenon. Efforts to quantify changes in efficiency within the feedlot and throughout the beef system are needed to better assess industry implications. There are consumer concerns with larger LMA and portion size. Current carcass weight trends are resulting in cutting steaks thinner to meet menu parameters. Boxed beef is surpassing acceptable weights. Excess fat is an increasing concern with percentage of YG 4 and 5 carcasses increasing from 5.7% in 1985 to 12.78% in 2015, reaching over 17% in the fall of 2015. Can award systems be identified that increase the efficiency of beef production systems? Identifying and matching a particular biological type to a production system and slaughter group is a viable tool which will increase fed cattle efficiency while decreasing excess fat.