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"Started Small & Just Got Lucky, is an autobiographical and historical account of consulting nutritionist Kenneth Eng's 50-year career. The book debuts in September, just in time for the Eng Foundation Symposium, Sept. 18-19, in San Antonio, TX.
Eng is the benefactor of the Dr. Kenneth & Caroline McDonald Eng Foundation, which Eng established in memory and as a legacy to his late wife Caroline. The $2 million foundation funds research cow-calf efficiency research at Texas A&M University (TAMU), the University of Nebraska and Oklahoma State University.
Each year, research funded by the foundation is presented in a public symposium, which this year will be hosted by TAMU on Sept. 18-19 at Embassy Suites - San Antonio Riverwalk, in San Antonio, TX. Order a book or learn more about the symposium that will focus on improvements of beef cow efficiency and profitability by intensive and semi-confined production systems.
Chapter 12: Confinement Barns & Calf-fed Holsteins
I've been blessed in my career with good timing, which allowed me to be present when new breakthrough events were occurring. Two of these events began in the late '60s and early '70s - calf-fed Holstein programs and confinement slotted floors. The early pioneers in this business were a father and son team from California. Their background was not in the cattle business but in aviation.
Dale Smith was an early barnstorming pilot, and his son, Dale Jr. was a test pilot for Howard Hughes. Dale Jr. was a bit wild and a good friend. In the late '60s, they built the first slotted feedlot south of Los Angeles. They found their source of calves in the Southern California dairies. Most of the calves cost $5-$10/head and you could select only the best. The calves were placed on feed when they reached approximately 200 lbs. and they sold at a finish weight of 900-1,000 lbs. At that time, Southern California packers discriminated against heavier carcasses and did not particularly want Choice carcasses. The calves were finished on a high-concentrate diet and the conversions were great.
At that time, Californians were the innovators in the commercial feedlot industry because they had an abundant supply of Holstein calves, a mild climate, a demand for lean carcasses and an abundance of available byproducts...