Global demand for food is set to increase between 59-98% by 2050 (International Association of Agricultural Economists). This explosive growth will put a tremendous pressure on agriculture worldwide. Higher demand for food means farmers will either need to increase the amount of agricultural land, or improve the productivity on existing land.
The effects of this increase will not only impact the crop industry, but the beef industry as well. Feedlot operators will need to improve productivity in order to keep up. On the feedlot, productivity is all about optimizing the weight gain of the animals. The best way to do that is to improve the feeding efficiency of the herd.
In the beef industry, feed efficiency refers to the amount of feed an animal must eat in order to gain one unit of mass. Take this scenario for example, two steers both have an average weight gain of 4 pounds per day. But one of those steers eats 5 pounds less feed per day. That steer who eats less is able to convert less feed into more weight gain, making it the more efficient of the two animals. The more efficient animal allows feedlot operators to cut back on resources while still producing the same amount of quality protein for human consumption. Improving the efficiency of an entire feedlot has potential to provide massive reductions to resource usage.
Cattle are very inefficient in comparison to poultry and swine. Typical feedlot cattle require 6 pounds of feed in order to put on 1 pound of mass. In contrast, poultry and swine only require 2 pounds and 3.5 pounds of feed respectively. There is a clear opportunity to improve cattle feeding efficiency.
Researchers and feedlot operators are exploring many different ways to improve feed efficiency of cattle. New types of feed and feed supplements are being tested and put into practice to promote more optimized weight gain. In addition, researchers have found a genetic link to feed efficiency and are working with genetics to modify breeding practices, meaning cattle can be bred for efficiency before they even arrive at the feedlot.
New agtech solutions, like HerdWhistle, can help in the feed efficiency conversation as well. HerdWhistle monitors cattle eating and drinking behaviour 24/7 on the feedlot. Behavioural metrics like consistency and frequency of meals can be used to identify the high efficiency animals in the yard. Feedlot operators can then use that information when selecting new animals to fill their pens.
By building a more efficient herd, feedlot operators can supply the world with more food using less resources. This will be essential to keep up with the explosive growth in demand over the coming years.
