This Sector Has Room To Grow

Beef-on-Dairy has evolved over recent years from a niche market to a sizable part of the beef industry. Laurence Williams, Beef-on-Dairy development Specialist at Purina Animal Nutrition said these cattle perform really well on the dinner plate.

“They're a high-quality eating experience," he said. "And as the native cow herd has declined over the last few years because of drought, these beef-on-dairy animals have stepped up and filled part of this gap. They're now 12% to 15% of the of the fed cattle, which is significant. So, you take that big of a number, and then add that quality component, and they're just really important to the consumer.”

Williams added these cows are also really important to the beef industry as well. To help dairy operations looking to make beef-on-dairy part of their portfolio, Purina is out with its 2nd Edition of the Beef-on-Dairy Industry Report. Williams said this year’s Edition is chalked with great information and insights from those working in and researching the Beef-on-Dairy sector.

“We have a great section on nutrition. We have Dr. Ruth Woiwode from University of Nebraska-Lincoln that really dials in on how we raise these cattle with intent," Williams said. "The ethical, the welfare components of this, really, she'll talk about people too, and how you have a well-trained team to take care of the cattle. That's a great section. I think Dan Thompson has a great contribution talking about calves and that early development and what that means to the feedlot. And, we have our friends from Certified Angus Beef that just talk about these cattle and where they fit in the supply chain and that they do qualify for that, for that Certified Angus Beef label.”

Click Here to read that 2nd Edition of the Beef-on-Dairy Industry report.

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