Intensive Beef Production Research Articles

Advances in intensive feedlot beef production in developed countries with particular focus on the United States

Through a combination of latest scientific research and technological innovations, the United States (US) beef industry has made some tremendous achievements in beef feedlot production through improved genetics, nutrition and pharmaceutical research among others. This is beneficial in that the country can be able to produce enough food to meet the demands of the nation and also get income through export. Advances in animal nutrition and pharmaceutical research have too resulted not only to fast growth rates but better carcass quality which is beneficial to the producer. However, some of these developments are still faced with a number of challenges such as costs and scarcity of resources such as land given the increasing human population. Developments in breeding for example use of sexed semen has not only shown the advantage on sex but has proved to reduce the incidences of dystocia especially where a producer use X bearing sperm to have only female calves. However, the cost for semen still remains a big challenge in large cattle herds thus not always producer friendly. A long lasting sustainable production is therefore necessary.

Application of the Welfare Quality® assessment system on European beef bull farms

Welfare concerns for intensive beef production have often been raised, but on-farm welfare assessment studies are rare. The aim of this study was to apply the Welfare Quality® (WQ) welfare assessment system for fattening cattle on beef bull farms to evaluate the state of welfare at the level of WQ measures and of aggregated scores, as well as overall classification. In addition, the purpose was to evaluate two ways of providing feedback information to the farmers with regard to possible welfare improvements on the farms. The study was conducted in Austria, Germany and Italy on a total of 63 beef bull farms with deep litter or cubicle-housing systems. Assessments were carried out 3 times (1 month and 7 months apart from the initial visit). In every country, farmers were assigned to two treatment groups (feedback from initial visit as written report, F, written feedback plus oral advice, FA) and a control group (C), which did not receive any feedback. At the criterion level, the highest average welfare scores were obtained from ‘Absence of prolonged hunger’ (94/100 points) followed by ‘Absence of pain induced by management procedures’ (88/100) and ‘Comfort around resting’ (77/100). Most welfare concerns related to the criteria ‘Absence of disease’ (40/100), ‘Expression of social behaviour’ (44/100) and ‘Positive emotional state’ (48/100), thus indicating room for improvements. Two-thirds of the farms achieved the ‘Enhanced’ level, about one-third was judged ‘Acceptable’ and only one farm ‘Excellent’. After 6 months of monitoring period, there was no significant welfare improvement in both the treatment groups as compared with the control group. Reasons for the lack of effect may mainly be seen in the short monitoring period and a lack of external incentives. In conclusion, the WQ assessment system revealed areas for improvement, but longer term studies and investigations on alternative ways of transferring outcomes from on-farm welfare assessments to farmers should be carried out in future.

Effect of feeding method on intake and behaviour of individually reared beef heifers fed a concentrate diet from 115 to 185 kg of body weight

A total of eight Simmental heifers (114 ± 3.2 days old and weighing 118 ± 3.8 kg BW) were used to study the effects of feeding method on intake and animal behaviour in a crossover design experiment. Treatments consisted of feeding concentrate and chopped barley straw as (1) choice (CH; concentrate and straw in separate feedbunks) or (2) total mixed ration (TMR; concentrate and straw in one feedbunk). Feeds were offered on an ad libitum basis, but always maintaining a concentrate to straw ratio of 90 to 10. The experiment was performed in two 21-day periods, and sampling was carried out in the last week of each period. At the end of each period, treatment was changed for heifers; hence, the final number of animals per treatment was eight. Intake was recorded over 7 consecutive days. BW was recorded at the beginning and the end of the experiment and on day 21 of each experimental period. Barley straw was coarsely chopped with a chopping machine. Once chopped, all the straw was handled for particle size separation using the 2-screen Penn State Particle Separator and only material of more than 8 mm was used to feed the heifers. Animal behaviour was video-recorded for 24 h on day 2 and day 6 of each experimental period. Concentrate intake and total dry matter intake of heifers fed with the CH feeding method were higher (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05) than when fed with TMR (5.1 and 5.3 v. 4.7 and 5.0 kg dry matter (DM)/day, respectively). Conversely, barley straw was consumed in higher amounts in heifers fed with the TMR feeding method (0.3 v. 0.2 kg DM/day, respectively; P = 0.001). The total NDF intake was similar in both treatments. In contrast, NDF intake from barley straw and physically effective NDF intake were higher in heifers fed with the TMR feeding method than when fed with CH. Feeding method used to feed heifers did not affect the consumption of the different kinds of barley straw particles and eating and drinking behaviours but affected ruminating behaviour. Heifers fed TMR spent more time ruminating than heifers fed concentrate and barley straw separately (376 v. 287 min/day, respectively; P < 0.01). TMR as the feeding method in intensive beef production systems could be a good approach to promote roughage intake.

Floor quality and space allowance in intensive beef production: a review

AbstractIn intensive beef production in Europe, finishing beef cattle are typically reared in pens with fully slatted floors and low space allowances. These housing conditions were questioned in a report published by the Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare in 2001. The report concluded that the welfare of finishing bulls and steers is at risk if they are housed on fully slatted concrete or wooden floors or not provided with adequate floor space. The aim of the present paper is to review and update scientific evidence on the effects of floor quality and space allowance on the welfare of finishing beef cattle. It is shown that the recommendations made by the Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare are still valid, and are well supported by studies published over the last 10 years. Furthermore, results of several recent studies testing fully slatted floors with rubber covering indicate that this type of flooring is an acceptable alternative to concrete slats, with positive effects on animal behaviour and leg lesions. Consequently, a phasing-out of housing systems with fully slatted concrete floors is suggested. With respect to floor space, the studies reviewed here support the notion that it is essential to enforce minimum standards resulting in increased space allowances for intensive beef production systems.

Effect of increasing plant maturity in timothy‐dominated grass silage on the performance of growing/finishing Norwegian Red bulls

AbstractAn investigation was made of the potential for attaining high daily live weight (LW) gain, high feeding efficiency and carcass quality in Norwegian Red (NRF) bulls fed grass silage harvested at early stages of maturity, supplemented with minimal amounts of concentrates. Roundbale silage was produced from timothy‐dominated swards harvested at three stages of maturity: stages 1 and 2 were dominated by tillers in stem elongation with two and three visible nodes, respectively, and stage 3 by tillers at early heading, with visible heads, but without head stems. Crops were wilted rapidly and a formic acid‐based additive applied. All silages were preserved with restricted fermentation. Silage DOMD values were 0·747, 0·708 and 0·647 for harvesting time (H) 1, 2 and 3 respectively. Silages were fed ad libitum as sole feed, or supplemented with 2–4 kg concentrate at increasing LW, to six bulls per treatment from age 7 months (288 kg) to slaughter at 575 kg. Daily LW gain for bulls fed unsupplemented silage was 1423, 1262 and 936 g, respectively, for H1, H2 and H3, and 1570, 1567 and 1357 g for supplemented bulls. For concentrate‐supplemented bulls, higher energy intake increased proportions of carcass fat more for H1 (0·163) than for H2 (0·134) but the same amount of energy was retained in the carcass per MJ net energy growth intake for these two groups. It is concluded that, apart from milk and concentrate fed to calves during the first months, an intensive beef production with NRF bulls finished before 15 months of age may be based entirely on local grass resources.

Particle size evaluation of total mixed rations in intensive beef production systems

Samples of total mixed ration (TMR) were collected periodically in 15 beef cattle farms and submitted to a nutritional and particle size evaluation. Samples of faeces were taken and analysed for pH, consistency, colour and visually ranked for corn residues (Corn Residue Index) from 4 (totally digested) to 0 (very high presence of maize residues). Dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), and ash content of TMR for Limousine were higher than that for Charolaise while an opposite situation was observed for crude fiber (CF). Particle size analysis of TMR showed an higher content of small (<1.8 mm) and large (>19.0 mm) particles in Charolaise than in Limousine TMR. From May to September a general increase of larger fractions and a reduction of the smaller ones were observed, as a consequence of empirical practices of TMR formulation during summer. Faeces characteristics did not show any difference between breeds (overall mean pH: 6.00 vs 6.13; Corn Residue Index: 2.90 vs 3.24, respectively for Charolaise and Limousine). A minimum value for pH was observed in November. Corn Residues Index decreased from May to September and than increased reaching values comparable with those observed at the beginning of the trial. These data would indicate a worsening of digestibility for non-fibrous carbohydrates, leading to an increase in the excretion of undigested corn and an increase of starch intestinal fermentation, in particular during summer. Such observations suggest to better standardize the feeding strategy in intensive beef production systems in order to optimize digestibility and productive performances. Further investigations are necessary in order to assess an optimal large/small particle size ratio of TRMs. Our findings highlight the usefulness of TMR particle size evaluation and visual/chemical analysis of faeces as a simple diagnostic methods also for beef cattle production management.

Modelling uncertainty in greenhouse gas emissions from UK agriculture at the farm level

Abstract We outline a framework for considering uncertainty in estimates of emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) where the objective is to determine least cost (profit foregone) adaptations to reduce emissions at the farm level. Three sources of uncertainty were identified as being associated with GHG emissions: lack of understanding of biological systems, poor validation of results and weather-induced variability. Output from existing models and other information on emissions were included in a farm-level optimisation model, Farm-adapt , set up to represent a dairy and beef farm in north west England. Monte Carlo simulation was used to examine the effect of uncertainty on total GHG emissions and the most cost-effective adaptations for reducing these emissions to 60% of the baseline level. We assumed a triangular distribution for all parameters and sampled 1000 times from these distributions. Farm-adapt results showed that cost-effective adaptations were to: (i) eliminate intensive beef production, (ii) reduce stored manures and increase frequency of manure spreading, (iii) substitute concentrate feed for grass and conserved grass in milk production and (iv) apply less mineral nitrogen to grassland. Monte Carlo simulation showed that there was a large degree of uncertainty in the level of absolute emissions associated with the optimal adaptations and the mean of the simulation output (9265 kg ha −1 year −1 CO 2 equivalent) was greater than the Farm-adapt results using default parameters (7787 kg ha −1 year −1 ). However, there was a high degree of certainty in the adaptations required to reduce farm-level emissions, indicating that the cost-effective adaptations were robust to uncertainty in the GHG emission data.

Analysis of factors affecting health status of animals under intensive beef production systems

From 2001 to 2003 health data of 588 groups of fattening beefs (38723 animals) of 29 farms and 5 genetic types (Charolais, Female Charolais, French Crosses, Limousine and Polish Friesian) were collected and statistically analysed considering farm, breed, initial body weight, housing system, season, year, diet, average daily gain and density. The main causes of culling were problems of the locomotor and respiratory systems. As regards the genetic type and the initial body weight, the Polish Friesian breed and the lightest weights increased the probability of dying or getting injured respectively of 70 and 34%, while this probability decreased of 8.5% for every 100 g of daily growth higher than the mean value. As regards the other factors, bedding reduced the risk of culling by 33% in comparison with the slatted floor, while this risk increased of 10% for every m2 available/animal over the mean density.

Production and economic potentials of cattle in pasture-based systems of the western Amazon region of Brazil.

Our objectives were to evaluate strategies to improve productivity and economic returns from beef and dual-purpose cattle systems based on data collected on one dual-purpose (Bos taurus x Bos indicus) and two beef (Nellore) cattle farms in the western Amazon region of Brazil. Forage chemical composition and digestion rates of carbohydrate fractions of grazed Brachiaria decumbens and Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu grasses and Pueraria phaseoloides (tropical kudzu) legume were measured monthly during a 9-mo period from the end of one dry season to the end of the subsequent rainy season. Measurements of milk and growth responses to grazing these forages were used to predict animal productivity responses to dietary nutrient availability throughout an annual cycle. The ME available for gain in our simulations was always more limiting than metabolizable protein. The predicted ME available for gain was 0.50 kg/d for steers grazing B. brizantha and 0.40 kg/d for finishing steers grazing B. decumbens. Grasses contained more NDF and neutral detergent insoluble protein and less ME (P < 0.05) in the rainiest months than in the less rainy season, which resulted in 20% less predicted weight gain by growing steers (P < 0.05). Supplementation with sorghum grain was required to increase milk production and growth by 25 or 50% per animal, respectively, but this strategy was less profitable than current forage-only diets. Greater productivity of land and labor from higher stocking indicated greater net margins for beef production, but not for milk. This study suggested that more intensive beef production by judicious fertilization of grass-legume pastures and greater stocking density is the preferable strategy for owners of these cattle systems to improve economic returns under current conditions. It also might help decrease the motivation for additional forest clearing.

Feedlot Performance and Slaughter Traits of Friesian, Piemontese x Friesian and Limousin x Friesian Young Bulls under Intensive Beef Production System in Turkey

Güngör, M., Alçiçek, A. and önenç, A. 2003. Feedlot performance and slaughter traits of Friesian, Piemontese × Friesian and Limousin × Friesian young bulls under intensive beef production system in Turkey. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 24: 129–136. Feedlot performance and slaughter traits of Friesian (F, n=7), Piemontese × Friesian (PixF, n=7) and Limousin × Friesian (LixF, n=7) young bulls, housed on tied stalls and fattened intensively until 460 days of age, were evaluated. Feedlot performance traits were not affected by genotype. Crosses gave higher dressing per cent than F. Among non-carcass parts and body organs, only hide, liver and lungs including trachea were affected by genotype. It is concluded that despite significant difference in weight at birth, the three genotypes performed similarly.

Carcass and meat quality of Friesian, Piemontese x Friesian and Limousin x Friesian young bulls under intensive beef production system in Turkey

Carcass and meat quality of Friesian, Piemontese x Friesian and Limousin x Friesian young bulls under intensive beef production system in Turkey

Cattle nematodes resistant to anthelmintics: why so few cases?

The apparent lack of anthelmintic resistant nematodes in cattle is due to the management systems used with most cattle and the lack of surveys for resistance. With extensive beef grazing or with beef suckler herds a large percentage of worms are in refugia (not exposed to anthelmintic) and few anthelmintic treatments are used. With dairy replacement heifers resistance can become a problem unless only first year animals are treated and different fields are used for grazing the animals each year. Intensive beefproduction on grass is unsustainable and in New Zealand resistance is already becoming a serious problem. Individual farms require monitoring for resistance and steps taken to avoid the introduction of resistance. New validated tests and surveys for resistance are required as the extent of anthelmintic resistant bovine nematodes is not known.

Comparison of pressed sugar beet pulp ensiled with dried maize distillers grains against a ration based on barley and soya bean meal for fast finishing suckled beef bulls

Intensively finished beef cattle have traditionally been fed rations based on rolled mineralised barley with a protein supplement such as soya bean or rapeseed meal. Since feed accounts for 75-85% of the variable costs of intensive beef production systems (MLC 1999) the use of alternative feeds that have a lower cost per unit of energy are worthy of investigation. The objective of this trial was to evaluate feeding pressed sugar beet pulp ensiled with dried maize distillers grains (Praize, Trident Feeds) on the performance of fast finishing continental cross weaned suckled bulls.

Cattle welfare, science and policy

This paper summarizes welfare problems in cattle. Behavioural as well as health problems are discussed for veal, beef and milk production systems. In particular in veal calves there are major welfare problems related to small space allowance, individual housing and denial of roughage. In the intensive beef production system there are welfare problems as well (some behavioural problems and leg disorders). Welfare problems in dairy cows are mainly caused by health problems such as claw disorders and mastitis. Welfare problems related to the transport of cattle are briefly described. Finally, potential threats are presented. In selecting programmes for increased meat or milk production, and in further developments of the milking robot and of biotechnology, the possible negative consequences for animal welfare (behaviour and health) need to be taken into account.

The effect of supplementing grass silage with molasses and/or a mineralised fishmeal on performance and carcass characteristics of finishing beef cattle

In forage-based intensive beef production systems supplementary feedingstuffs are generally required to optimise live-weight gain and to ensure adequate finish. Information on the feeding of molasses alone or molasses in conjunction with supplementary protein, in grass silage-based beef cattle diets is limited.To evaluate the effect of replacing barley with molasses and/or mineralised fishmeal when fed with ad libitum grass silage to finishing beef cattle.Daily supplements of 2.0 kg of rolled barley + 50 g minerals (B), 0.5 kg mineralised fishmeal (F), 2.0 kg cane molasses + 0.5 kg mineralised fishmeal (MF) or 2.5 kg cane molasses + 50 g minerals (M).

The effect of supplementing grass silage with molasses and/or a mineralised fishmeal on performance and carcass characteristics of finishing beef cattle

In forage-based intensive beef production systems supplementary feedingstuffs are generally required to optimise live-weight gain and to ensure adequate finish. Information on the feeding of molasses alone or molasses in conjunction with supplementary protein, in grass silage-based beef cattle diets is limited.To evaluate the effect of replacing barley with molasses and/or mineralised fishmeal when fed with ad libitum grass silage to finishing beef cattle.Daily supplements of 2.0 kg of rolled barley + 50 g minerals (B), 0.5 kg mineralised fishmeal (F), 2.0 kg cane molasses + 0.5 kg mineralised fishmeal (MF) or 2.5 kg cane molasses + 50 g minerals (M).

An economic evaluation of the differences between intensive and extensive beef production systems.

A model to evaluate economic criteria involved when cattle are raised on high-forage diets prior to finishing or finished directly after weaning was developed using data from two experiments. In Exp. 1, each year for 3 yr, 136 Charolais-cross calves were weaned and allotted to either an intensive system, in which they were immediately finished on a high-grain diet, or an extensive system, in which they were wintered on crop residues, grazed on summer pasture and finished on a high-grain diet. In Exp. 2, 160 British breed steers were wintered, in one of eight different wintering systems utilizing crop residues, using supplemental protein and(or) alfalfa hay. After wintering, the steers grazed summer pasture and then were finished on a high-grain diet. Overall cost of gain and final "break-even" price were lower for cattle finished through the extensive system except when the price of corn was very low in relationship to other inputs. Interest costs were higher for cattle in the extensive system. Increasing the feeder calf purchase price had almost no effect on differences between the systems. Corn price and purchase price affected both systems similarly, whereas interest rate, wintering yardage and finishing yardage affected each system differently. Because of the additional weight produced through the extensive system, it yielded lower final "break-even" prices in most situations.

A simple dryland beef production system

At Lincoln University, a small (3.7 ha) beef unit operates annually with the objective of closely fitting seasonal pasture growth rate to cattle feed demand on Canterbury dryland pasture with no requirement for making or feeding conserved feed. Inputs to this dryland pasture beef production system are kept low. Cattle are not purchased in autumn until the results of a feed budget show that pasture mass plus expected winter pasture growth will meet target animal winter intake. In some years not all cattle are bought at the same time, but the unit is fully stocked (around 6 cattle/ha) by the end of July. Cattle are sold for slaughter progressively from December through February as pasture production ceases to meet animal demands. Grazing methods typically vary from autumn-winter rotations of up to 100 days with weekly block grazing, to 6-paddock rotations of 28-34 days in spring and 2-paddock, 30-day spelling intervals later in the grazing season. The unit-consistently produces each year a carcass weight gain of 500 kg/ha with gross margins of around $400-600/ha representing a utilisation of 100 GJ ME/ha. This performance is consistent with that of other intensive beef production systems. Keywords beef production, dryland, seasonal pasture production

Least-Cost Rations and Optimal Livestock Feeding Policy

In evaluating feeding policy in livestock production, it is generally assumed that an optimal feeding policy will involve using least-cost rations throughout the production process. It is demonstrated that this assumption may not be valid when the supply of some of the feedstuffs used for livestock feeding is limited. A method for testing the validity of this assumption is presented for a linear programming model of an integrated crop and intensive beef production enterprise in which some of the crops may be used for livestock feeding, and an iterative solution procedure is proposed for cases where this assumption is not valid.

A Linear Programming Model for an Integrated Crop and Intensive Beef Production Enterprise

In an integrated crop and intensive beef production enterprise, some of the feedstuffs used for cattle feeding are grown by the enterprise. In evaluating the performance of operations of this type, the interactions between the crop and beef production parts of the enterprise must be taken into account. A linear programming (L.P.) model of this type of enterprise is developed, with the coefficients of the animal feeding activities being derived from a dynamic programming (D.P.) model. This D.P. model is used to determine the least-cost method of feeding animals to produce a specified liveweight gain using rations formulated by L.P. from a given set of feedstuffs. This approach allows the interactions between crop and livestock production to be taken into account without the need to make assumptions about the source of feedstuffs or the rate of liveweight gain.