Steer Responses to Protein Supplementation and Lasalocid on Bermudagrass Pasture

Abstract

Bermudagrass [Cynodon dactyl on (L.) Pers.] is a productive warm-season, perennial grass that usually declines in forage quality during the summer. A 2-yr grazing study was conducted to determine whether protein supplementation or protein supplementation plus lasalocid influenced steer weight gain. Performance of steers on continuously stocked common bermudagrass were compared between treatments of: 1) daily consumption of a supplement, containing soybean meal and cotton seed meal, to provide individual steers in each group with 0.2kg of protein/d, 2) daily consumption of the quantity of supplement plus 150 mg/d of Lasalocid, and 3) pasture only (control). Average daily gain (ADG) for the supplements were higher (P<0.1) than for the control, but ADG did not differ (P>0.1) between the two supplements. Crude protein of bermudagrass was above 9.0% for most of the study, indicating it was not deficient, but low organic matter digestibility over most of the study period indicated that energy content of the grass was low, as anticipated. Gain per hectare did not differ among the three treatments. Economic analysis further indicated that the cost of the increase in individual animal gain may be too high to have any positive cashflow benefit. Soybean and cottonseed meal protein supplemented to steers on bermudagrass may be utilized for energy rather than protein and will likely not provide any apparent economic benefit.