“National Math Trail”
The Math Trail
My
Dad needs to know how many pounds of feed he will need to background the 200
spring calves from Oct. 1st, 2001 to Feb. 1st, 2002. They
will eat approximately 3% of their body weight (16 ½ lbs.). He wants to average
7 lbs. of grain/day. The balance of the 3% in roughage is 9 ½ lbs.
My
dad feeds twice a day (most of the time) on a regular basis. He does this to
make sure all of the calves get about the same amount of feed. They also will
have a better chance of being the same weight.
He
stores the grain in his truck and in some bins (tin) with augers in them. He
augers the grain from the truck or bins into the cake feeder on the back of the
pick-up. A cake feeder is a bin with an auger at the bottom that augers the
grain from the bin to feed bunks.
A
rancher is somebody who raises cattle and sells them for money. A rancher keeps
some cows to breed and then sells their calves. Another name for a rancher is a
cowboy. Some people laugh at cowboys but without cowboys there would be no cows
or beef. Some people don’t know where beef comes from. They think beef comes
from the back of the store.
My Dad feeding with the cake feeder.
 |
 |
| A picture from the ranch. | A calf about to lick grain from its face. |
| Feed | lbs/day/calf | Days | # of calves | Total |
|
Grain |
7 lbs. |
151 |
200 |
211,400 |
|
Brome |
3.5 lbs. |
151 |
200 |
105,700 |
|
Hay |
3 lbs. |
151 |
200 |
90,600 |
|
Sowed Feed |
3 lbs. |
151 |
200 |
90,600 |
First fill in the days.
Then multiply the pounds by the days then multiply that times the number of
calves. Then fill in the Total box with the answer that you have.