"We will use it again next year ...
I know we will ... and on more cattle!"

Don Herbers

Faster Gains on Grass Means Fewer Days in Feedlot

January 1998 • Don Herbers conducted a test with 378 of the 5,000 yearling heifers he manages for Pyramid Ranch and HRC Feedyard at Scott City, Kansas.

He used SweetPro tubs on the test heifers and left the remaining heifers on their normal mineral which included a popular ionophore. By the end of the trial, Herbers wished he had used SweetPro on all of the yearlings. The test heifers had out-gained the others by an average of .4 pounds per day. Herbers calculates that the faster gain netted an extra $48.40 per head, based on the 61 added pounds at $.80 per pound. "But that is only half of it," said Herbers. "You also have to figure savings at the feed yard since the heifers are owned until they are finished. Their extra gain will save 21 days on feed."

With feed costing $1.55 per day, those 21 less days resulted in savings of $32.55 per head. The lower cost and increased gain equaled an improvement of $81 per head -- $30,618 on 378 heifers.

In addition to managing pasture operations at Pyramid Ranch, Herbers works at HRC Feedyard in Scott City, Kansas, where the yearling were fed out. HRC has capacity for 24,000 head at the main site, with an additional 10,000 head capacity at a nearby location.

The yard has been active in arranging for yearlings coming off grass and going on to the feedlot, so the test of SweetPro blocks was of particular interest. Herbers noted that consumption of SweetPro blocks averaged .625 pounds per head/per day. The cost per day was about the same as the mineral and ionophore supplement given to the other cattle. "It was pretty obvious the cattle were in better flesh," Herbers said when discussing the performance of the test heifers.

"Typical gains are a pound and a half; anything over that is a gift," Herbers noted as he pointed out the additional four tenths of a pound gained by the SweetPro fed test cattle.

Using the SweetPro bocks to full advantage took a little experimenting and learning. Herbers tried different locations for barrel placement. When they were too close to water, consumption rose. Herbers and the ranch operators decided on placing the barrels 300 yards from water.

Handling was not difficult. A standard goose-neck trailer was employed to distribute the barrels in the pasture. SweetPro 16 was the primary product used for the trial. Kaf Kandi was also used to help some heifers start more quickly. When asked if he was satisfied with the results of the test, Herbers answered emphatically, "We will use it again next year ...I know we will ... and on more cattle!"

• New "Tool" nets $110 more per calf - Jan.1996
• Faster Pasture Gains with Tubs - Mar.1997
• Golden Glover - Not Your average Cow Puncher - Dec.1997
• Fresh Start for Stress Calves, with Sweet Pro Kaf Starter - June1999
• Straight From The Horse's Mouth! - Jan. 2000
• Heifer Breed-back Improves Sharply With SweetPro Tub - June 2000
• Stressed Calves Never Look Back, with SweetPro¨ Kaf Starter. - Jan./Feb.2001
• Weaning Bigger, Healthier Calves After Year 'round Supplementing with SweetPro¨ Lick Blocks - Sept./Oct.2001

• Stalwart Ranch - September 2004

• Dairy Cows recover from DA - March 2005
• A.J. Starr's Story - July 2005
• Milk Production came up and stayed up - August 2005