Key Cost Factors in Cattle Feeding
- The biggest variable costs: calf purchase and feed.
- Improving feed efficiency can enhance profitability and reduce environmental impact.
- High feed costs driven by:
- Poor growing conditions in major grain-producing areas.
- Use of feed grains in ethanol production.
- Competition for land between crop production and urban development.
Feed Efficiency & Conversion
- Feed to Gain Ratio (F:G): Measures efficiency; lower values indicate better conversion.
- Dry Matter (DM) Basis: Feed intake measured without moisture for accurate comparison.
- Dietary Impact: Higher grain diets lead to faster growth and heavier carcasses.
- Processing Techniques: Steam flaking improves efficiency over dry rolling.
Growth Promotants & Their Benefits
- Used to enhance feed efficiency and reduce costs.
- Include ionophores, growth implants, and beta-agonists.
Ionophores
- Antimicrobials improving nutrient availability, weight gain, and reducing methane.
- Not used in human medicine; categorized as “Low Importance” in antimicrobial resistance discussions.
Growth Implants
- Hormonal pellets placed under the ear skin to enhance protein deposition and feed conversion.
- Increase average daily gain by 15-25% and improve feed efficiency by 5-10%.
Beta-Agonists
- Redirect nutrients to muscle growth, increasing efficiency and carcass leanness.
- Fed in the final feeding phase to counter slowing muscle growth.
- Latest approval (Lubabegron) includes an environmental claim for reducing ammonia emissions.
Economic & Research Implications
- A 1% improvement in feed efficiency could save $11.1 million annually.
- Since the 1950s, F:G has improved from 10:1 to 6:1 due to research in:
- Diet formulation and management.
- Grain processing techniques.
- Growth promotants and genetic selection.
Diet Management & Grain Processing
- High-grain diets improve growth rates and carcass quality.
- Grain type and processing impact digestibility and efficiency:
- Corn: Requires intensive processing (steam flaking) for maximum digestion.
- Barley: Benefits from dry or steam rolling.
- Over-processing can lead to acidosis; fine-tuning is essential.
Determining Finished Weight
- Tracking weight gain is crucial to prevent excess fat deposition.
- Once growth slows, feed converts to waste fat rather than muscle, reducing efficiency.
Genetic Advances
- Selection for Residual Feed Intake (RFI) enhances genetic feed efficiency.
- Crossbreeding programs optimize weight gain, grading, and carcass yield.
Conclusion
Improving feed efficiency is critical for profitability in beef production. Advancements in diet management, grain processing, growth promotants, and genetics continue to enhance efficiency while maintaining high animal health and food safety standards.
