A Guide to Beef Cattle Backgrounding

On our farm and cattle feeding operation, we call ourselves backgrounders, and are part of the cattle production process. The process of raising beef cattle is typically broken down into three stages, each based on the nutritional needs required in a cow’s diet at various stages throughout their life. As backgrounders, we play a key role in ensuring the cattle we feed are healthy, gaining weight, and being cared for as they transition from calf to final production.

Stage 1: Cow/calf

When calves are born, they’ll be kept with their mother over several months, where their diet consists of milk and grazing on pasture.

Stage 2: Backgrounding

After being weaned, the cattle are then put on a high forage diet to help gain weight and grow their frames for the next stage of production.

Stage 3: Feedlot Finishing

After backgrounding, cattle are often moved to a feedlot to finish growing to optimal market weight. Here they will graze at feed bunks containing a balanced diet made up of hay and grass, as well as grains such as corn and soybean meal.

About Backgrounding

We buy cattle that weigh between 450-550 pounds from cow/calf herds all over the Midwest and Southeastern U.S., and feed them until they are between 850-900 pounds, where they are sold by the truckload to feedlots across the Midwest. Our farm’s goal is to keep the calves healthy and meet all the nutritional requirements they need to be ready for the next stage of production. To do this, we take several steps to help the calves with their transition.

• Comfortable environment: Fresh feed and water are given to the cattle daily, and bedding is added to ensure the cattle have a safe and dry place to lie down and rest.
• Daily health monitoring: We monitor the animals daily for any signs of sickness, and give them medication if needed to help them get back to optimal health.
• Quality diet: About 40% of the cow’s diet consists of corn silage (whole corn plants chopped into small pieces), which is a great source of energy.

We do our best to ensure the animals that we feed and sell are healthy and that our family earns a good reputation of successfully backgrounding cattle for the feedlot stage of production.

Our family farm is one of many family-run operations in Illinois. In fact, 96% of all farms in Illinois are owned and operated by families. Learn more about our family and other Illinois farmers committed to bringing you the healthiest, most sustainable food anywhere. Thank you for following along on our backgrounding operation!

Trevor Maiers

Payson, Illinois