To offset the smallest cattle herd in 75 years, beef producers are marketing cattle at heavier weights. “We don’t have the cattle, but one way the beef industry can make that up is by adding more pounds,” said Tim Petry, livestock marketing specialist, NDSU Extension. We’ve simply been doing that; our average steer carcass weight has continued to increase every year.” This scenario hasn’t changed things for cow-calf operations. “Calves are still weaned in the fall at 550 to 600 pounds. The big difference is that at the feedlot level, they’re being fed longer and to heavier weights because the market needs the beef and it’s economical to do so.”
