PSVI-2 Economic Evaluation of Forage-Fed vs Concentrate-Fed Beef Finishing Systems

Abstract

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine the price points at which it is more economical to finish beef animals on forage-based or concentrate-based diets. To accomplish this, Hereford steers (n = 21; BW = 444 ± 10 kg) were fed out on one of three diets: a long-stemmed grass hay (HAY, 10.8% CP, 2.11 Mcal ME/kg DM), an alfalfa hay diet (ALF, 20.5% CP, 2.85 Mcal ME/kg DM) or a mixed ration consisting of 30.0% corn silage, 28.0% DDGS, 30.0% rolled corn, 10.5% soybean meal, and 1.5% mineral supplement (CON, 22.0% CP, 2.90 Mcal ME/kg DM). The data were analyzed in SAS v9.4. Animals were evaluated on intake, growth, and performance measures during a 35-day feeding trial. Average daily gain (ADG) and hot carcass weight differed significantly (P < 0.05) between treatments with CON steers gaining 1.47 kg/d with a hot carcass weight of 394.8 kg, ALF steers gaining 0.77 kg/d with a hot carcass weight of 334.7 kg, and HAY steers gaining 0.1 kg/d with a hot carcass weight of 237.4 kg. Dressing percentage was significantly different between all treatments (P < 0.05). The dressing percentage was 58.2%, 54.3%, and 50.6% for CON, ALF, and HAY, respectively. The HAY diet rendered significantly lower marbling scores than ALF or CON (P < 0.05). It was concluded based on carcass quality data that there was no difference in the high-quality forage (ALF) and the concentrate diet (CON) other than diet cost and growth rate. Price per kilogram of gain was $1.42, $1.23, and $14.80 for CON, ALF, and HAY, respectively. Results of this trial are expected to indicate at what price point it becomes more economically effective to finish animals on a high-quality forage or a concentrate-based diet.