With the current economic trend of ever-rising input costs combined with stagnant cattle prices, it is imperative for cattle producers to find ways to increase efficiency in their ranching operations.

In an effort to aid their customers in achieving this goal, Thorstenson Gelbvieh and Angus of Selby, SD has recently installed a GrowSafe Residual Feed Intake (RFI) system to help cattle producers identify cattle that gain more efficiently.

“After studying what the GrowSafe system offers and seeing those features implemented at the Midland Bull Test Station in Montana, we decided that it was something our operation was definitely interested in pursuing,” said Vaughn Thorstenson, one of the owners. “We feel over the next 10 years we should be able to increase feed efficiency enough in our operation to pay for the system.”

Last summer, the Thorstensons installed a 16-bunk system that allows 128 head of cattle to be feed efficiency tested at a time. The ranch's GrowSafe system is one of approximately 30 in place across the United States including several currently utilized in university and feedlot situations.

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