Performance and Economics of Yearlings Developed with Intensive Winter Management, and Partial Season Grazing

Two experiments were conducted over two years to evaluate effects of two developmental systems on performance and economics of long yearling steer production. Steers were wintered in the normal system with corn residue grazing and dry lot hay feeding, with 5 lb per day wet corn gluten feed as a supplement. Intensively managed steers were given 6 lb per day wet corn gluten feed and implanted with Ralgro® at the beginning of the wintering period and Synovex S® at the beginning of the dry lot phase. In addition, intensively managed steers were removed from summer pasture early. Intensive system steers were marketed in October and normal system steers were marketed in November following a finishing period. Economic analysis indicated a performance and economic advantage to the intensive system, when marketing the steers after the wintering period or after the summer grazing period; however, if steers were marketed after feedlot finishing, profitability estimates were not different