Abstract
The exploitation of dairy steers for meat production is an alternative to improve production rates, but feed alternatives to cereal grains like corn used in animal feed should be researched. In this study, we aimed to evaluate performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality of dairy steers consuming different levels (0, 250, 500, 750, and 1000 g/kg, dry matter basis) of mesquite pod meal replacing corn. Twenty-five intact Holstein-Zebu dairy steers at approximately 18 months of age and with an initial body weight of 219±22 kg were used. A completely randomized design with five treatments (replacement levels) and five replications (animals) was adopted, and data were analyzed using PROC GLM for analysis of variance and PROC REG for regression analysis. There was no significant influence of the levels of replacement of corn by the mesquite pod meal as regards dry matter intake, final body weight, weight gain, carcass weight, or carcass yield (P > 0.05). The meat quality of the cattle was not significantly affected by the different levels of replacement (P > 0.05). Mesquite pod meal can fully replace corn in diets for dairy steers.
Highlights
The dairy agribusiness is a prominent growing sector in the global economy
It is clear that a large portion of calves born in the world originate from dairy-purpose herds, and part of these animals is kept in arid and semi-arid regions (United States Department of Agriculture [USDA], 2014)
The region is characterized by irregular rainfall, with an average annual precipitation of 700 mm, 108 mm of which occurred between May and September of 2013
Summary
Of a total of 1.03 billion cattle heads in the world, 251.9 are intended for milk production In this context, it is clear that a large portion of calves born in the world originate from dairy-purpose herds, and part of these animals is kept in arid and semi-arid regions (United States Department of Agriculture [USDA], 2014). The grains and cereals used in cattle diets do not always achieve expressive production levels in many parts of the world, which elevates their price in arid and semi-arid regions, especially during dry periods. It is essential for the beef cattle industry that alternative feedstuffs be introduced to eliminate or at least lessen these effects
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