Montana farmer-stockman. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1947-1993, 1956-08-15
Pasture VS.. Drylot
viii it Pay to Feed in DryIot
And Not Bother With PastMe:2
By c. B. BAKER and o. o. THOMAS

increases. But it can be seen rather cas-
lily that the required price for fed steers
does not increase as rapidly as does
the price paid. In the previous example,
it was necessary for the fed steers to
sell for more, per cwt., than they had
originally cost.
If we let the price of concentrates
stay at $3 per cwt., however, we see
that at around $22.30 per cwt., the
steers could be bought and sold for the
same price and the feeder would about
break even on his feed OUTLAWS. At
prices higher than this, the fed steers
could actually sell for a price lower
than the price paid and still repay the
feed costs. We remind you, however,
that these are not the only costs which
must be recovered to make the oper-
alton a profitable one. Yet they are the
major costs.
Pasture Feeding
The second group of steers were fed
on pasture. They ate 1,517 pounds per
head of the concentrate mixture, 2s
barley and 70 dried mOlasses beet pulp
plus the mineral supplement. They were
grazed on irrigated pasture "a 1O-year-
old pasture seeded to a Huntley mix
Our evidence is inconclusive on this
point, but it appears that settled steers
of this weight (6O4 pounds) could be
grazed at 2.5 steers per acre. We as
sumo this stocking rate for purposes Of
the following calculations. At the end
of 126 days on pasture, the steers
weighed an average of 917 pounds.
With this information we can estimate
what these steers must sell for, based
on price paid for the steers and for the
concentrates. AS in the previous article
we assume the pasture costs to be $4
per acre-$15 to pay for OUTLAWS mad
in establishing and maintaining it, So
because of the returns which could b
earned from the best alternative t
pasture. All these various costs mus
be recovered in the end value of tn
steers, in order to make the pasture
feeding operation profitable.
If Steers Cost SIS
For example, suppose the steers co:
$13 and the concentrate So per cwt. TIL
steers must then sell for at least $18T
to pay for the cost of pasture, feed ar
the initial cost of the cattle. 1t may /
recalled that with these prices paid fl
steers and feed, the previous artic
reported a required price of $17.78 Fl
the fed steers.
, The higher price in the present e
ample reflects the Importance of Il
price paid for steers (604 pounds
stead of 534 and the slightly low
4 stocking rate of these heavier stee
e (25 instead of 275 steers per acre..
e In Figure 2, we present chart viii
0 gives method for estimating the pri
required for the pasture-fed steers
several prices paid for them and
the concentrate. The example just Civ
is marked on the chart. With conc
trate priced at So per cwt. it can
seen readily that the steers can
bought and sold for about $40 per c.
and leave the producer to 'break eve
on the whole operation.
AS cattle prices go up from the
the steers can actually sell for less ]
cwt. than they cost and still pay
the feed and pasture. This operati
*Dr. C. b. Baker is with the DE
partment of Agricultural Economic
and Rural Sociology. DIR. o. @
er Thomas is with the Department {