The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-01-19

to grain feed cattle the second on
\ third winter unless the feeding liz con.
| tinued on Jrass, IL the cattles are ia
/ be marketed I'm the fall off of grass
| IL is my observation that winter grain
| fed cattle make less grass gains then
will cattle nicel-. winaered otherwis
and the excess Of their total weight Is
so slight In the fall that the winter
feeding will have been done at a loss
/ While In some parts os the state you
can more profitably raise and market
feeding" steers, men in other parts
OF the sta's can better afford to feed
continuously and market beef steers
at year younger than we are doing.
There are, however, general rules that
apply in all cattle marketing operatio- s
everywh re and t..4sse are:
First: ThE 4 never pays to sell
f. ,ding steers at less weight than
1,050 to LOO pounds for this is the
WEIGHT that brings the highest price
for that class of stock, The average
steer at two past here weighs $50 to
$50 pounds and costs $27 II $50 to pro-
duce and will sell for about the same
amount. Selling at this age and weight
Is so common a pre- ctice that J am Of
the opinion that most all of the losses
and disbursements OF the business
come from just this practice. Where
do these steers go? The Illinois and
the Iowa feeder buys them, winters
them and the next season feeds and
finishes them all on higher priced hay,
grain and pasturag, than you have
here. If 200 pouLds were added to this
900 pound steer, and which could be
60 In
cent will be added to it's value In case
this steer world be kept over one more
year to be marketed as three year old
beef steer 1t should not be sold at a
less weight than 1900 pounds and with
some finish. Here again we would be
throwing away a chance at most excel
lent profits that come two months with
a little additional feeding, and 100 or
20 pounds more weight on them. But
to just what extent we should try TO
finish them would not be able to say,
only do not know that it pays to try
to finish them somewhat, and every 100
pounds over 1880 is we'll paid for and
steers runt into big money that weigh
1,400 pounds or over.
My second general rule would be
that 1t, is absolutely essential to sue
cess, or any profit whatever, that you
use the best beef bred cattle obtain
able. 1t is my belief that 80 per cent
of the losses are due to the neglect of
these two practices of marketing at
too young an age and too light weights
and the use of poorly bred stock.
We have had no particular success
with winter feeding However, if 1t
is profitably done in Illinois or Iowa
/ see no reason why it may nor be
done in the eastern parts of the state
If our weather is colder / doubt If the
winters are harder on stock than is
the damper weather OF those states.
We need protection from the winds
and this Is absolutely essential The
only advantage that they have, it seems
to me, are, that they are closer to mar
kets and have a longer grazing season.
This latter condition we could help
if we could use bronze grass, blue grass
and white clover in our tame grass
pastures. We have hawever. the adj
vanrages of cheaper pasturage, cheap
er corn and grains and hay.
Instance of Winter Feeding.
Let me instance what your neigh
bors are doing in the way of winter
feeding and fitting of Individual ami
mails that are sent to the best and
highest class stock show on earth. the
International that is held at Chicago
every December. Mr.. Fletcher won a
championship with his white bull. bred
by himself and sired by a North Da-