Photo credit: National Cattlemen's Association |
If one has access to relatively inexpensive surplus feed (hay or silage),
has some underutilized pasture, or has a non-farming neighbor who wants
to keep their fields open, then a backgrounding project might be an ideal
way to participate in the beef program.
A backgrounding project (also known a stocker operation), takes lightweight
(450-600 pound) feeder steers and makes heavyweight (700-900 pounds) feeder
steers out of them. This can be accomplished by feeding a low cost feed
resource such as pasture or, after a good summer, surplus hay and silage.
The 4-H member then has the option of selling the heavyweight steer to
a cattle feeder, feeding it to market weight herself (or himself), or having
it custom slaughtered for really lean beef.
A backgrounding or stocker project can be a lower investment, lower
intensity experience compared to the showring market steer and when the
feed is good, but truly inexpensive (say a unused pasture that has previously
been mowed to keep the weeds down), then it can be profitable over a range
of price situations. On the other hand, when expensive feed must be purchased
and heavy feeders are going to be much cheaper per pound that light ones,
then another project may be more suitable.
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Beef Backgrounding Project
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