Using dairy cows for meat has become a growing practice with a declining beef herd. Nutritional experts with Purina say the industry needs to start providing the best animals now in order to earn a place in the market before the beef herd makes a rebound.
“The next two years will be the kind of the set the stage, so to speak, for the future. The reason for that is simply because in the next two to three years, the cow-calf herd will gradually rebuild. And so the beef cow-calf guys will be able to provide more beef in the next two to three years. What’s really why this is such a key crucial point in time right now is because there is such high demand, but also we’re setting ourselves up for for success once that cow-calf herd comes back as dairy producers and providing some of the beef markets and maintaining part of that, or for failure from the standpoint we didn’t provide the proper animal, didn’t provide the best animal, that could be provided in the marketplace,” said Tom Earleywine.
As the industry expands, Earlywine says Purina Feed is working to find the best nutrition for the animals.
