Six years ago, the NALF Board began discussions with the team at SDSU about conducting a study that was more reflective of the commercial cattle feeding industry trend of feeding cattle to larger out weights and its impact on feed performance and carcass composition.
Those initial discussions led to the NALRF/SDSU research study that was conducted on 2 Montana commercial Angus cow ranches breeding cows to 3 different sire groups utilizing Angus, Limousin, and Lim-Flex® sires. Progeny were then shipped to the research facility at SDSU and fed to 3 different harvest groups with extended days on feed and larger out weights, more reflective of what is currently happening in the commercial cattle feeding industry.
This enabled SDSU to produce and analyze the results of “Effect of Extended Days on Feed on Growth Performance, Efficiency, and Carcass Characteristics of Steers and Heifers of Different Proportions of Angus and Limousin Genetics”.
Dr. Warren Rusche and Grace Olinger were then able to conduct an economic analysis using the actual individual cost of gain, feed conversion, and actual carcass composition results reflected in actual harvest data. The resulting premiums and discounts applied were on a standardized grid after the cattle were harvested in the fall of 2024. This enabled the team at SDSU to do a full economic analysis.
These results were presented at the Beef Improvement Federation meeting in Amarillo, TX, in June of 2025 by Dr. Warren Rusche and Grace Olinger, along with various other meetings around the country. They will also present this information at the 2026 NCBA Cattle Con in the Cattlemen’s College Sessions in Nashville, Tennessee.
The level of work, financial commitment, and dedication the team at South Dakota State University put into this project was outstanding, timely, and critical at a time when cattle are being fed to much larger out weights in today’s beef industry nationwide. The NALF board, membership, and staff are greatly appreciative of the efforts made by the team at SDSU and their commitment to the beef industry.