Getting More $$Dollars for Your Feeder Calves

Getting More $$Dollars for Your Feeder Calves

Beef cattle have been a part of our area for decades and decades and we have learned how to produce cattle in high demand by the buyers. However we, for the most part, have not been getting all we could when we take these higher quality calves through sale barn. Given the current cattle marketing climate it may seem strange to talk about adding value to feeder calves. After all they are commanding high prices right now. There is more profit to be had for the beef producers who are willing to make provision for it.

The Virginia Quality Assured (VQA) feeder cattle program was established to give producers of high quality calves this opportunity. This program has successfully added value to feeder cattle and acquired a favorable reputation among feeder cattle buyers. In 2008 over 10,000 feeder calves were sold with the VQA designation at a premium of $49 over similar cattle sold through in barn graded feeder calf sales.

Virginia Quality Assured feeder cattle can be certified at four graduated levels. The Gold Tag or “health program assured” level calls for the cattle to have been vaccinated (including any required boosters) against 7 strain clostridial (blackleg), IBR, BVD (Types I and II), PI3, and Pasteurella  (with Leukotoxoid) no earlier than 120 days old and at least 14 days before sale. In addition to sudden death protection (clostridial) the vaccination program seeks to protect the cattle from respiratory disease. The second level of certification, Gold Tag with a “W” mandates that in addition to the above vaccination program, the cattle have been weaned at least 45 days and feed and water trough broke.

The next tier of VQA certification addresses the genetics of the feeder cattle. The Purple Tag calves must meet Gold Tag requirements as well as have been sired by bulls with superior growth genetics. Sires, for most breeds, used in the Purple Tag program must have a yearling weight EPD which is above breed average for the year in which the bull was born. Due to their advantage in growth Charolais and Simmental bulls must have yearling weight EPD’s in the top 70% of their respective breeds. For bulls with no yearling weight EPD, weaning weight EPD is used. The final level of VQA certification is the Purple Tag with a “W.” These cattle pass the Purple Tag criteria for health and genetics and have additionally been weaned at least 45 days.

Additional guidelines call for all vaccinations to be given in the neck area, a minimum weight of 400 pounds, all calves to be castrated and healed, no horns, heifers guaranteed open, and the seller must attend a beef quality assurance meeting and have owned the cattle at least 60 days. A vaccination processing map and certification form must accompany the cattle to the buyer. One additional guideline that has made the VQA program attractive to buyers is that a trained third party must certify that the prescribed vaccinations have been given and/or the calves’ sire qualifies for Purple Tag designation. These trained certifiers include many Extension agents and veterinarians.

It will be to the seller’s advantage to use the marketing method that recognizes and segregates VQA cattle. Many VQA cattle have been sold as single or multiple owner load lots offered through VCA telo-auction field sales. These cattle are graded in the field, auctioned over the phone and delivered to a take up point (such as a livestock market) normally within seven days of the sale date. Some producers with larger groups of relatively uniform cattle have made arrangements with local market operators and Feeder Cattle Associations to sell their cattle as a separate lot during graded sales. More information on this program and marketing methods is available from your Extension office.

I’ll bet many area beef producers are already doing most if not all of the things required by these programs. It seems like a shame to not get the reward for the effort.