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Gaining cattle feed efficiencies

Feed makes up about three-quarters of the operating cost for most cattle producers.

Dr. Meredith Harrison with precision livestock technology company C-Lock says cow-calf and feedlot operations can improve margins by doing more than maximizing output.

“But when you start to measure feed intake, you can look at the amount going into those animals. Which can result in some really sizeable savings.”

She tells Brownfield C-Lock has developed a smart feed system for cattle that uses electronic ear tags.

“And then when they stick their head through that feeder, the RFID tag will assign feed consumed to that animal. So we’re able to measure each pound of feed consumed by those animals throughout the day.”

Harrison says by tracking feed efficiency this way, producers and breeders can save more than $14,000 on the return on investment of a bull in its lifetime.