Welcome to the efficiency breeders
RFI - IT’S ALL ABOUT THE COW
The greatest opportunity for ranchers’ long-term profitability lies in our
ability to efficiently and productively convert grass to pounds and
profitability. To do that it takes a fertile, efficient, productive cow with
longevity… “IT’S THAT EASY!”
Beef Cattle Studies Focus on RFI, KSU
“We are finding that cattle with low residual feed intake actually have lower energy requirements, come to the feed bunk less frequently, spend less time eating each day and tend to have higher digestibilities.”
Canadian studies and determinations
“Measuring and selecting for the inputs and not just the outputs needs some attention for the beef operation to continue generating income, but also to enhance sustainability and save costs. Selecting cattle for their feed efficiency using the RFI trait is the best measure we currently have”
Feed Efficiency and How It’s Measured--Samuel Roberts Nobel Foundation
“In this 4 study, no difference in cattle weight gain was detected, but low-RFI cows did consume an average of 16 percent less forage….. Feed efficiency is a critical aspect of efficient beef cattle production and profitability.”
Cow herd efficiency: How Much Can We Improve It ?
“The range in feed efficiency of the population, without selection, was 40 percent. Assuming a herd of cattle have a normal distribution for RFI, selection for RFI could improve efficiency by 20 percent. There is no other single technology that holds this much promise to reduce feed costs”
RFI Value measures feed efficiency in cattle, Cattle Today
“A collaborative experiment conducted by Dr. Gene Felton at West Virginia University and the University of Missouri compared progeny of a negative RFI bull (efficient) compared to a positive RFI bull. The calves out of the negative RFI bull consumed almost $70 less feed per head from 950 to 1,350 pounds. For example, if the negative RFI bull was used for a three-year period to cover 40 cows per year, it would cost $8,400 less in feed costs for those cattle than if an inefficient bull was used“
The relationship of RFI and voluntary forage intake and cow survival under range conditions, Univ of Arizona
“When considering affective measurement of feed efficiency, RFI appears to be the most valuable tool for the cow/calf producer and feedlot operator alike“
Bringing Feed Efficiency Technologies to the Beef Industry: Challenges and Opportunities, Texas A&M, Gordon E. Carstens1 and others
“There is now considerable evidence that genetic variation exists in beef cattle for feed intake unaccounted for by differences in weight and growth rate—residual feed intake, thereby providing opportunities to improve profitability of beef production systems through reductions in feed inputs.”