Comparison of alternative beef production systems based on forage finishing or grain-forage diets with or without growth promotants: 1. Feedlot performance, carcass quality, and production costs

• Published in: Journal of animal science 2006-08, Vol.84 (8), p.2168-2177
• Main Authors: Berthiaume, R, Mandell, I, Faucitano, L, Lafrenière, C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anabolic Agents - pharmacology; Animal Feed; Animal Husbandry - economics; Animal Husbandry - methods; Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Animal productions; Animals; beef cattle; Biological and medical sciences; Body Composition - physiology; carcass quality; Cattle - growth & development; cattle feeding; Diet - veterinary; Dietary Supplements; economic analysis; estradiol; Estradiol - pharmacology; feed grains; feed supplements; feedlots; finishing; Food industries; forage; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Glycine max - metabolism; grass silage; growth promotion; Hordeum - metabolism; Ionophores - pharmacology; liveweight gain; Male; Meat - economics; Meat - standards; Meat and meat product industries; monensin; Monensin - pharmacology; Poaceae; production costs; Silage; soybean meal; Terrestrial animal productions; trenbolone; Trenbolone Acetate - analogs & derivatives; Trenbolone Acetate - pharmacology; Vertebrates; Weight Gain - drug effects; Weight Gain - physiology
• ISSN: 0021-8812; 1525-3163
• DOI: 10.2527/jas.2005-328

Forty Angus-cross steers were used to evaluate 5 beef cattle management regimens for their effect on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and cost of production. A 98-d growing phase was incorporated using grass silage with or without growth promotants (trenbolone acetate + estradiol implants, and monensin in the feed) or soybean meal. Dietary treatments in the finishing phase were developed, with or without addition of the same growth promotants, based on exclusive feeding of forages with minimal supplementation or the feeding of barley-based diets. Overall, ADG for animals treated with growth promotants or fed supplemented diets (soybean meal and barley) was increased (P < 0.01) by 25 and 21%, respectively, compared with steers reared on grass silage alone and not treated with growth promotants. Except for HCW (P < 0.01), the use of growth promotants did not affect carcass measurements. Increasing the proportion of barley in the diet of steers finished on forage produced a heavier HCW (P < 0.01) and a greater (P < 0.01) quality grade. Because of their lower HCW and quality grade, cattle targeted to a forage-fed, nonimplanted beef market would need to garner a 16% premium to be economically competitive with cattle finished conventionally.