Source: Lisa M. Keefe, MEATINGPLACE, 2/1/19


Grow yards – an interim step between cow-calf operations and feedlots – are growing in use and importance to the entire beef supply chain, according to a recent report from RaboResearch.

They have gone from being mainly used as residual housing to having a permanent role in the development of feeding cattle, wrote Don Close, senior analyst at RaboResearch, in his report “Growth in the background.”

“Grow yards that are successful will become permanent fixtures, providing more opportunities to cow-calf producers, challenging stockers to become more efficient operators, assisting feed yards, and providing a more reliable cattle supply chain for cattle feeders and, ultimately, packers,” Close wrote.

Grow yards help relieve pressure on the grazing demands of stocker operations, while providing more control over health and weight gain and more predictability in the quality and size of the animal that then moves on to a feedlot. Younger or riskier cattle that are costly for standard feedlots to care for are more easily and profitable raised in a grow yard. And the relatively economic operating costs of a grow yard provide opportunities for younger ranchers to get started in the business, Close pointed out.

Ultimately, expanded use of grow yards will enable the production of beef to be more efficient, more cattle to be delivered on spec and on time, and capacity to be built to buffer supply shocks along the cattle production chain, according to the report.

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