11/15/06 Disposition matters

Disposition Matters Just how much does disposition in cattle matter? I'm Jeff Keane; I'll be back in one minute to make dollars and sense of the trait. Cattle with bad dispositions can be a real pain in the neck when working them around corrals or trying to sort them in range pastures. Aggressive cattle can add a little spice and fun to the workday especially if you are not the one being bumped around or sent over a fence. But, if you're victim, the pain in the neck expression can become real. While these unruly cattle can be entertaining, a three-year study on over 13,000 feedlot cattle proved why these less than docile individuals are undesirable in today's beef industry. From 2002 through 2004 cattle entered in the Iowa Tri County Steer Carcass Futurity program were assigned a disposition score each time they were weighed or handled. These scores were averaged to give each steer a final disposition score. The cattle were grouped as docile, restless or aggressive. Data on feedlot performance showed the docile cattle gained nearly three-tenths of a pound per day more than the aggressive group. Carcass quality results showed 74 percent of the docile cattle graded prime or choice while only 58 percent of the aggressive steers were in the two higher quality grades. When all disposition effects on quality and yield grades, daily weight gain, death loss and medical treatment costs were calculated the docile steers returned $62.19 per head more than the aggressive animals. I'm Jeff Keane. National Cattlemen Fall 2006