Today’s fed cattle are getting bigger and bigger. Steve Kay wrote in Cattle Buyers Weekly that fed beef carcasses are 38 lbs heavier compared to June of last year. This is good from a sustainability standpoint because more pounds of quality beef are produced from fewer cattle. There are three big problems that this causes. There are increasing problems with back bruises caused by tall cattle hitting their backs when they exit from the bottom deck of a semi-trailer. Unfortunately, this is occurring in trailers that have been modified to provide more back clearance. A second problem is that the huge animals do not fit in chutes and cattle handling facilities designed for smaller cattle. A standard 30-inch chute with straight sides may be too narrow for some of the fattest animals. The third problem is the most serious. Each huge steer has a huge sister who will be too expensive to feed in the winter on grassland ranches. For example, on the Eastern plains area of Colorado, a rancher needs a more modest-size momma cow who is less expensive to feed during the winter. Many ranchers risk going broke if they attempt to feed huge cows on arid rangeland. There is a sustainability tradeoff on cattle size. Grazing grasslands is a highly sustainable method of raising beef that does not deplete ground water. When rotational grazing is done correctly, it improves soil health and provides food from land that is too arid and dry for crops. About 20% of the world’s land can only be grazed. There is not enough ground water or rain for crops. Ranch-raised beef cattle spend approximately half to three-quarters of their lives eating grass and are finally finished on grain.

Today, about 23% of the fed beef now comes from beef on dairy steers, according to an article by Taylor Leach in the January 2024 issue of Bovine Veterinarian. These animals are a crossbreed between Angus and Holstein dairy cattle. They produce high quality beef. Most of their feed rations originate from grassland ranches. It is likely that beef on dairy feeding programs may put more pressure on ground water supplies compared to cattle that are raised on ranches. Calves born on pasture spend over half their life on grass. The good news is that beef or dairy steers have increased the value of newborn dairy bull calves. Handling has improved because calves that are worth more money get treated more humanely; producers are more motivated to take good care of these valuable beef animals. Fewer day-old calves will end up at auctions where they are more likely to be abused.

Cattle size matters

I have been in the beef industry for over 50 years. In the early 1970’s, I was livestock editor for the Arizona Farmer Ranchman. At this time, the predominant beef cattle were small Herefords and Angus. These cattle were definitely too small. Everybody thought that large European continental cattle breeds would solve all their problems. I did a story about two huge Charolais breeding bulls that were imported from France. They were purchased by Sam McElhaney in Welton, Ariz. Everybody marveled at these huge exotics. For years, the industry referred to the European breeds as exotics. Cross breeds with Charolais, Simmental and other large cattle could often not be supported on Arizona desert and other dry rangeland. Al Lane, a county extension agent said, “There is not enough groceries in the desert to feed these large cattle.” Another problem that arose was the size of the meat cuts. The ribeye was too big to fit on the plate. The question I wish to ask is: Are we repeating old mistakes?