2002 Northwest Florida Beef Producer Survey

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2002 Northwest Florida Beef Producer Survey

• Presented by Doug Mayo
• Jackson County Extension
• NW Fla Ag Extension Team Chair

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Need for the Study

• Examine current production practices to better
  understand clientele needs
• Use data to help set long term Extension and
  Research Goals
• Serve as a benchmark for future surveys
• Gain producer perspective on current information
  delivery methods

Are you really sure you want to know?
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Objectives of the Study

• Sample 25 of beef cattle operations in the NW
  Florida Extension District
• Develop a general description of the type of
  cattle operations in the region
• Compare current use of recommended management
  practices of this study group to the most recent
  surveys in South Florida and the US
• Determine Extension and Research needs of cattle
  producers to improve profitability, efficiency
  and resource utilization
• Determine the usefulness of current Extension
  information delivery methods

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Survey Population

• Total mailing list of 1,684 producers from 12
  counties
• Randomly sampled 50 842 names 77 bad
  addresses 765 actual good addresses
• 411 surveys returned (54 return rate)
• Only 264 actual cattle producers(64 of returns
  had cattle)
• Actual sample size 13 of total population
  according to 97 Ag Census
• Take home message
• Need commodity coded mailing lists

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Producer Responses by County
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Average Cattle Ranch

• 71 Head breeding herd
• 1 Bull for every 23 cows
• 58 calves weaned
• 81 weaning rate
• Avg wwt. 481 lbs _at_ 7 mos. Old
• Average Culling Rate9 (6 head per operation)
• Average acreage-153 acres per operation for
  cattle operation

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Average Cattle Ranch

• Average acreage-153 acres per operation for
  cattle operation
• 99 ac-65 Permanent Pasture
• 28 ac-18 hay field
• 41 ac-27 temporary grazing
• 10 overlap of uses
• Avg land rent-25/acre
• Avg Stocking Rate-2.2 acres per cow (all 3 land
  types)
• Avg hay fed-3.3 round bales/cow
• Avg hay production-9 round bales/acre

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33.6 Lost Money 31.6 Broke Even 34.8 Made
Profit
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1 Bull23 Cows Sired 18 Calves
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Bull Selection Criteria

• Visual Conformation
• Birth Wight
• Weaning Weight EPD
• Price
• Yearling Weight EPD
• Scrotal Circumference
• Pedigree
• Individual Weights
• Carcass information
• Bull Test Performance

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Controlled Breeding Season Stats

• 78 4 months or Less
• 62 Fall Calving
• (September-November)
• 31 Winter Calving
• (December-February)
• US Study 64 Spring Calving
• 15 AI in NwFla
• US Avg-13
• SoFla Avg-4

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Heifer Management

• Average Weight at Breeding-792 Pounds
• So Fla-731 lbs.
• Heifers Exposed to Bull Ahead of Cows-41
• So Fla-51
• Heifers Managed in Separate Herd-53
• So Fla-89

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45 in Nw Fla kept individual animal records
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NwFla Pounds of Calf Weaned per Cow Exposed 390
lbs
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Marketing

• 92 Auction Market
• 16 Private Treaty
• 13 Order Buyer
• 12 Special Cattle Sales
• 10 Retained Ownership
• 5 Video Auction

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Adding Value to Calves

• 72 Deworm
• 60 Dehorn
• Polled bulls or physical
• 59 Castrate
• 48 Blackleg
• 26 Shipping Fever
• 24 Creep Fed
• 17 Growth Implant

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Breeding Herd Health

• 95 Control External Parasites
• 91 Deworm
• 30 Liver Fluke Control

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Feeding the Herd

• 30 use BCS to determine supplement use
• Average for StudyStart feeding supplements in
  October and end in March

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Supplements Used

• 49 Molasses feeds
• 48 Protein blocks
• 37 Salt/protein mix
• 33 Protein Mineral
• 31 range Cubes
• 25 Purchased Feeds
• 25 Cottonseed
• 19 Grain

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Fertilization

• Permanent pasture
• 41 annually
• 42 twice annually
• 2 3 or more times
• Hay fields
• 18 once
• 29 twice
• 46 Spring and after each cutting
• Temporary pastures
• 47 once
• 41 twice
• 10 at plant and after grazing
• 12 use organic fertilizer
• 87 poultry litter

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Problem Pasture Weeds

• Dogfennel
• Pigweed
• Briars
• Smutgrass
• Common Bermuda
• Wild Radish
• Coffeeweed
• Ironweed
• Horsenettle
• Sandspur
• TSA

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Sources of Information

• Other cattle producers
• County agent
• Farm supply dealer
• Veterinarian
• Univ. Specialists
• Relatives
• Sales Rep
• NRCS agent
• Ag Teacher
• Consultant

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Information Methods

• Farm magazines
• Extension newsletters
• Extension bulletins
• Watch other ranchers
• One-on-one agent consultation
• Newspaper
• Beef field days
• Farm Demos
• Research Center Demos
• TV
• Cattlemens Tours
• Radio
• Beef Conference
• Univ. web sites
• Comm. Web sites
• County Ext. web sites

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59 or survey respondents had attended an
Extension program or received information over
the last 12 months
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Key Areas for Long Range Extension Planning

• Improving efficiency and profitability
• Marketing options
• Record keeping
• Breeding season Management
• Pregnancy testing
• Herd vaccination
• Supplement alternatives
• Forage testing
• More written information

Well, with all of this to work on I guess they
really do need me!