SALE Information
RED HILL FEEDING PARTNERS LLC Red Hill Feeding Partners LLC began in the spring of 2025 with a partnership between Gordon and Ty and has been a crucial asset to the Red Hill Farms program. By feeding cattle from Red Hill Farms and Red Hill customers, we have gained valuable insight through breed-to-breed comparisons, sire-group evaluation, and, most importantly, collecting individual feed-intake data during the final 75 days of the finishing period. The information we continue to collect is providing our family with a better understanding of cattle performance and helping us make more informed decisions as we work to increase profitability across every sector of the beef industry.
Gordon & Ty Jones
Key Takeaways
1. What does “cow efficiency” mean in your operation? By collecting feed intake data on cattle during the final 75 days of the finishing period, we have observed that Dry Matter Intake (DMI) and Feed-to-Gain (F:G) are very different traits, with only a 0.07 correlation between the two. This suggests these measurements capture different aspects of efficiency. As you select bulls, it is important to understand that DMI and F:G provide different information and should not be viewed as interchangeable measures of cow or cattle efficiency. 2. Bigger cattle CAN bring greater returns, BUT there is a cost to consider for producers. Cattle feeders continue to pay a premium for cattle that finish at heavier weights because those cattle can generate greater net returns. However, we must also recognize that the feeder is not paying the cost of maintaining the cow in your environment. As we select for larger-framed cattle, we must understand the cow’s increased maintenance requirements and determine whether the additional input costs are justified by the additional output.
As cattle feeders, we recognize the need for larger carcass weights; as cattle breeders, we believe in moder- ating cow size. We realize it is possible to do both. If feeder cattle are backgrounded on cheap forages with minimal gains, we expect higher carcass weights than calves placed in the feedlot shortly after weaning.
3. Fort Knox continues to impress. Fort Knox cattle have been impressive in the feedyard, with his Red Angus-sired progeny averaging 72% Prime. We are excited about the continued improve- ment in quality these cattle can provide and look forward to seeing the progress that will be made over the next several years!
We believe this information will continue to shape the direction of Red Hill Farms and help us produce cattle that are profitable from the cow-calf operation through the feedyard.
Red Hill Farms – 5
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