Cattle Chat Episode Summary

Podcast: Cattle Chat
Host: BCI Cattle Chat Crew (Brad White, Brian, Philip, Bob, Dustin)
Episode: Homestead, Protein Supplements, Facilities
Date: October 4, 2024

Episode Overview

This episode of Cattle Chat from the Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State University tackles a range of practical questions from listeners on three primary topics:

• Getting started with a cattle-focused homestead for personal or family beef production
• Best practices for protein supplementation for cows on dormant pasture when you can only visit infrequently
• Design considerations and pros/cons in beef cattle handling facilities (alleys, tubs vs. bud boxes, flooring)

The hosts blend personal anecdotes, science, and professional experience to provide actionable insights for both beginning and experienced cattle producers.

1. Starting a Homestead with Cattle

[03:27–09:44]

Main Discussion Points

• Definition of Homesteading:
  A homestead is raising livestock and/or crops for one’s own consumption rather than commercial sale, although occasional surplus might be sold. The focus is self-sufficiency rather than profit.

• Commitment and Daily Realities:

  • Raising your own beef is “a commitment” and is not as simple as just buying and butchering a calf:

    “Are you ready for this commitment? ... It’s a commitment. Right. You’re out there every single day watering...if you don’t have an automatic water heater, you’re breaking ice, which isn’t fun.” – Dustin [04:11]

  • Cattle chores don’t take a day off, and emergencies seem to happen at inconvenient times (e.g., just before a family event).

• Time to Beef in the Freezer:

  • Unlike buying beef at the store, there’s a significant time investment:

    “Time before you actually get to beef, depending on what stage you start, it’s a significant time before you actually have beef in the freezer.” – Brad [04:57]

• Production System Choices:

  • Do you want to breed cows or just raise feeder calves to slaughter weight?
  • Land and facilities are necessary. Lack of pasture may require purchasing feed.

• Economics & Protein Demand:

  • Homesteading is rarely economical; it’s more about lifestyle.
    • Consider whether you’ll really use all the beef from an average carcass (~1000 lbs).

    “Most homesteaders don’t do it for economic reasons...It might actually not make sense if you’re just raising for [consumption].” – Brian [05:31]

  • Alternatives, such as small ruminants (sheep/goats), might fit some homesteads better.

• Carcass Utilization:

  • Family use of all cuts, including less popular ones, is part of the experience:

    “Now mom starts serving the organ meats and there’s a lot of cube steak. ... The utilization of the carcass...there was some intangible enjoyment of eating our own livestock.” – Bob [06:26]

• Economic Considerations:

  • List all costs: animals, feed, fencing, equipment, labor, processing, and lost value if you don’t use “all of our...component.”

    “If you’re trying to save money, I would definitely run through all your numbers...It might be cheaper [to buy beef] because you can go buy exactly what you want.” – Dustin [07:40]

• Learning and Support:

  • Build relationships with local veterinarians, extension agents, neighboring producers, and feed mills.

    “The extension service is a good place to start. Having a relationship with a veterinarian...and extension service and local veterinarian are two good places to start.” – Brian [08:32] “The feed mill can help you understand a little bit about what type of feed you need at different stages...” – Philip [09:20]

Key Takeaway:
Homesteading cattle is rewarding but requires realistic expectations, planning, and commitment. Consult local resources and do the research to understand costs, labor, and your actual needs.

2. Protein Supplementation Frequency on Dormant Pasture

[09:44–14:57]

Scenario & Listener Question

A producer with cattle in several distant locations is busy with harvest for the next six weeks and can only check/supplement each group once per week. Their cows are on dormant forage with low protein, and they want to know if feeding protein only once a week is effective or if the typical “every other day” recommendation is critical.

Insights and Recommendations

• Ruminant Nitrogen Recycling:

  • Cows can recycle nitrogen/protein and don’t require supplementation strictly every day.

    “They can recycle protein or nitrogen...they don’t need protein every day.” – Bob [11:08]

• Research Findings:

  • Supplementing once a week results in a slight decrease in forage digestibility benefits but remains better than not supplementing at all.

    “There’s a little bit of drop off for once a week...but it’s still better than no supplementation.” – Philip [12:25]

  • Cows may lose some body condition versus more frequent supplementation, but that loss is less severe than not supplementing.

• Adjust Feed Amount:

  • Don’t feed a single day’s ration once a week; feed several days’ rations in one go (e.g., double or more).

    “He needs to supplement an additional amount...you’ve got to give the animal excess protein that they can recycle.” – Philip [13:06]

• Monitor Cow Condition:

  • Use fecal pat appearance as a real-time indicator for dietary protein:

    “...monitor the fecal pat as an indication...if not, what you’ll see is not good. ... You want it kind of a more normal fecal pat that if it dried out you could use it as a frisbee...” – Bob [13:57]

  • Body condition changes lag behind dietary changes; fecal consistency changes quickly.

• Practical Outlook:

  • For a six-week period, supplementing once a week, especially if you increase the single feeding amount, is a reasonable compromise.

Memorable Moment:

“Your frisbee test is a two person job. You gotta have a thrower and a catcher...” – Brad [14:57]

Key Takeaway:
During a busy season, weekly protein supplementation is acceptable for a limited period if you scale up the dose and monitor cow digestion cues, especially fecal consistency.

3. Beef Cattle Handling Facility Design Choices

[14:57–24:40]

Key Discussion Areas

• Alleyway Design: Solid-Sided vs. Open-Sided (with Walkways)

  • Solid-sided, raised walkway:
    • Safer and less stressful for unacclimated (“wild”) cattle and less experienced handlers.

      “I kind of like the solid sided, raised platform for cattle that are kind of wild and not used to having people around them.” – Bob [16:05]

  • Open-sided, on-ground:
    • Can work well for calm cattle and trained handlers.
    • More opportunity for handler-cattle interactions, but more risk if handlers are inexperienced.

      “If I have people that are not well trained at cattle handling, I want the solid sided panels...” – Brian [17:28]

• Tub vs. Bud Box for Loading Chutes

  • Tub (semicircular):
    • Easier to train inexperienced people, safer with wilder cattle.

      “Probably the more easier to train one is the tub system.” – Brian [21:41]

  • Bud box (rectangular):
    • Works very well but requires people trained in Bud Williams’ low-stress livestock handling system.

      “If I’ve got either wilder cattle that aren’t used to being handled or people that aren’t as well trained, then I think...the safer option is the...solid sided tub.” – Bob [19:14]

  • Safety:
    • No facility design can make up for lack of repair or poor training. Danger increases when facilities are broken or people are untrained.

• Facility Repair and Maintenance

  • Take time before the cattle work season to repair all attachments, welds, and moving parts.

    “What’s dangerous is facilities that are broke or broken and a person is in trouble. So make sure...the facility is really strong and ready for large animals to bang against it.” – Bob [21:41]

  • Don’t just “look” at the facility—walk through where cattle will move to spot problems.

• Flooring in Handling Areas

  • Dirt:
    • Best footing for small herds if kept dry; can get muddy/rutted with larger numbers.

      “With small herds, I kind of like dirt...as long as it doesn’t get muddy and slick.” – Bob [23:22]

  • Concrete:
    • Preferred for larger groups and easier cleaning, especially if rain or repeated use is expected.

      “In an outdoor facility, you just don’t know...I’m going to go concrete.” – Brian [23:39]

  • Gravel:
    • Least favored; harder to clean, can be rough/slippery.
  • Alleyway doors:
    • Dirt floors can interfere with sliding doors due to debris buildup.

• General Facility Philosophy:

  • Prioritize both animal and handler safety, design for calm cattle flow, keep facilities well maintained, and train people appropriately.

    “So many of the things that you guys talked about are really about...We’re trying to progress rapidly, but we’re not trying to hurry...Go slow to go fast is what we’ve said several times.” – Brad [24:40]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On homestead beef:

  “One bite at a time, Brian. ... You just take one bite at a time.” – Brad [06:22]

• On monitoring cow nutrition:

  “Frisbee test is a two person job. You gotta have a thrower and a catcher to make sure it’s the right quality.” – Brad [14:57]

• On untrained cattle handlers:

  “It might be hard to recruit grad students after that.” – Brian [20:40]

Timestamps for Major Topics

• [03:27] – Homesteading: what it involves, commitment, and considerations
• [09:44] – Protein supplementation frequency—science, practicality, and real-life solutions
• [14:57] – Facility upgrades before processing/weaning: alleys, tubs vs. bud boxes, flooring
• [21:41] – Importance of facility repairs and walking the site
• [23:12] – Flooring preferences: dirt, concrete, gravel tradeoffs
• [24:40] – Facility summary and cattle handling philosophy

Final Thoughts

This episode blends practical advice, scientific insight, and humor to answer real listener questions about beef cattle care, whether for family homesteads or commercial operations. The hosts emphasize planning, education, safety, and incremental improvement for sustained success.

For more questions or deeper dives, listeners are invited to contact the Cattle Chat crew via email.