Effects of Feeding Raw Soybeans or Roasted Soybeans to Feedlot Steers

Summary with Implications A feedlot study compared feeding raw or roasted soybeans, soybean meal, or distillers grains to a dry-rolled corn with urea control on finishing cattle performance and carcass traits. Cattle fed roasted soybeans had improved marbling and gained more weight over the feeding period than cattle fed whole soybeans. Feed conversion was improved in the steers fed the roasted and whole soybean containing diets over steers that consumed the distillers grains diet. Cattle fed soybean meal and distillers grains had similar performance and carcass characteristics in this experiment. Cattle fed soybeans, soybean meal, or distillers had better gains and conversions than those fed the urea control diet. These data suggest that soybeans may be fed to finishing cattle to supplement fat and protein and may be an option to displace corn or distillers grains in finishing diets when soybeans are readily available or economical

Long-Term Trends of Annual Herbaceous Expansion in the Nebraska Panhandle: Rangeland Analysis Platform Data

Summary with Implications This descriptive analysis evaluated changes in Annual Forb and Grass (AFG) herbaceous cover in the Nebraska Panhandle from 1986 to 2023 using the Rangeland Analysis Platform (RAP). It was hypothesized that AFG herbaceous cover would show an increasing trend over time, indicating the potential expansion of the annual invasive cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum). County-level RAP data were used to calculate long-term means as an indicator. Results showed an increase in AFG cover across the region. Trends were cyclical, with cover peaking and dipping over time, but the overall trajectory showed increases in AFG in the Panhandle. The increasing dominance of annual herbaceous cover, such as cheatgrass, has significant implications for forage availability, timing, and quality, as well as long-term ecological sustainability. This spatiotemporal analysis provides a better understanding of the potential threat of invasive annual forbs and grasses on rangelands in the Nebraska Panhandle

Artificial Insemination of Beef Heifers with Multi-Sire Semen

Summary with Implications This study compared pregnancy rates of beef heifers artificially inseminated with multi-sire semen to single-sire semen. It was hypothesized pregnancy rates resulting from multi-sire semen would be increased compared to single-sire semen. Heifers were artificially inseminated with semen from one of three sires or semen from a combination of the same three sires. Pregnancy rates did not significantly differ. Paternity testing suggests sire parentage can be unequal when semen is mixed from multiple sires. In summary, similar pregnancy rates were observed using single-sire and multi-sire semen, but progeny may have unequal sire representation

Impact of Feeding Palm Oil to Finishing Cattle on Performance, Carcass, and Meat Characteristics

Summary with Implications This finishing study evaluated the effect of feeding palm oil products on performance and carcass characteristics, and beef quality measures. Dietary treatments included no supplemental fat or feeding: crude palm oil, crude high-oleic palm oil (HOPO), refined, bleached, and de-odorized palm olein oil (RBD olein), or tallow. Supplemental fat was included at 3.5% of diet dry matter. Cattle fed diets containing supplemental fat had improved feed conversion compared to no supplemental fat. Feeding cattle crude palm oil resulted in improved F:G compared to cattle fed RBD olein, with steers fed tallow and crude HOPO being intermediate and not being different from crude palm or RBD olein. There were no differences in carcass characteristics. Feeding palm oil products could offer cost-effective alternatives to traditional fat supplementation

Comparison of Spayed Heifer Performance to Intact Heifers Fed Melengestrol Acetate on Feedlot Performance and Carcass Characteristics

Summary with Implications Pregnancy and estrous cycle management are critical considerations when feeding intact heifers in the feedyard. Alternatively, producers can opt to spay heifers, which eliminates hormonal fluctuations associated with the estrous cycle. A proportion of U.S. feedlots have spayed heifers on feed, although there is limited data comparing the performance of spayed heifers to intact heifers. A commercial feedlot experiment was conducted to compare performance between spayed and intact heifers fed melengestrol acetate. Intact heifers had greater ADG and tended to have greater DMI compared to spayed heifers, although no difference in feed conversion was observed. Carcass weight and final BW were heavier for intact heifers. Spayed heifers were leaner and had a lower USDA Yield Grade compared to intact heifers. These results indicate that spaying heifers upon feedlot entry and feeding similar DOF as intact heifers does not result in improved performance

Evaluating Cow/Calf and Stocker Performance when Grazing Sudangrass With and Without Sunnhemp

Summary with Implications Sudangrass can provide high-quality summer forage, supporting cow/calf pairs and growing cattle. In this study, sudangrass or a sudangrass–sunnhemp mix was grazed over two years by cow/calf pairs and heavy stockers (~880 lb). There was no difference in carrying capacity between forage types. Sunnhemp inclusion had no effect on cow body condition or nursing calf gain. Cows maintained condition through peak lactation, and nursing calves gained 2.27 lb/day. Stockers gained 1.56 lb/day on sudangrass alone and 1.73 lb/day on the mix. However, the added seed cost of sunnhemp increased the cost of gain in year 1 and resulted in only a breakeven return in year 2. From a forage perspective, adding sunnhemp increased seed cost without improving forage production or grazing days. Based on this study, sunnhemp inclusion into sudangrass does not provide an economic advantage for cow/calf or stocker systems

Effect of Using Either Synovex Primer or Synovex Choice Compared to Not Implanting on the Performance of Growing Steers

Summary with Implications A 120-day winter-growing study utilized 576 head of steers to evaluate three dry lot implant strategies on the growth of steers. The three implanting strategies included a non-implanted control, Synovex® Primer™, or Synovex Choice®. While on harvested corn residue fields, steers were supplemented with 4 lb Sweet Bran and 0.375 lb of a vitamin and mineral package. The targeted gain for the non-implanted control was 1.25 lb/d. Both Synovex Primer and Synovex Choice increased ADG over the non-implanted control cattle by 7.5% and 12.7%, respectively. Additionally, Synovex Choice had a 4.8% increase in ADG over Synovex Primer. Steer ADG increased linearly (P \u3c 0.01) in a dose-dependent manner to increasing implant dose during the dry lot phase

Effect of an Accelerated Adaptation Protocol on Performance and Health of Feedlot Steers Drenched with Lactipro

Summary with Implications A finishing study evaluated the effects of an accelerated adaptation protocol in conjunction with Lactipro on performance and health of steers. Five adaptation programs were evaluated with steers adapted to a finishing diet in 21, 14, 7, or 0 days. An additional accelerated adaptation program provided intensive feed delivery with 0-d adaptation. Cattle assigned to the 21-d and 0-d adaptations gained faster and consequently had greater HCW compared to the 7-d and 14-d adaptation, resulting in a quadratic response for ADG and HCW. The 0-d adaptation with intensive feed delivery had similar ADG and HCW compared to the 21-d and 0-d adaptation suggesting more frequent feed delivery during the initial days of adaptation does not prove to be beneficial. No differences were observed for any health outcomes. These data suggest that when cattle are drenched with Lactipro NXT, an accelerated adaptation approach with 100% finisher is suitable as it yields similar results to a traditional 21-d adaptation program

Evaluation of FerAppease Administered at Arrival and Time of Reimplant on Feedlot Performance and Carcass Characteristics of Yearling Beef Steers

Summary with Implications Cattle experience stress in the feedlot during handling events such as initial processing and reimplant that can negatively impact morbidity and mortality, feedlot performance, and carcass outcomes. Application of a maternal Bovine Appeasing Substance (mBAS) marketed as FerAppease (FERA Diagnostics and Biologicals) has been hypothesized to mitigate stress in cattle. A commercial feedlot study compared the effectiveness of FerAppease applied in 10mL doses to yearling native beef steers at initial processing and reimplant to a placebo product on cattle performance, morbidity and mortality parameters, and carcass traits. Steers administered FerAppease tended to have improved feed conversion on a carcass-adjusted basis. FerAppease did not impact intake or average daily gain. Carcass traits, morbidity, and death loss were not impacted by application of FerAppease. These data suggest that FerAppease may be effective in improving feed conversion when applied at arrival and reimplant to yearling feedlot steers

Evaluation of LYSOFORTE Extend on Rumen Fermentation Parameters, Rumen and Total Tract Digestion, and Fatty Acid Digestion

Summary with Implications Supplemental fat fed in finishing diets in recent years has generally increased in price. This digestibility study evaluated LYSOFORTE Extend, a lysophospholipid based nutritional emulsifier, in beef finishing diets containing tallow or corn oil. Five ruminally and duodenally cannulated steers were used in a 5 × 5 Latin Square design. Treatments followed a 2 × 2 +1 factorial: 1) No Oil (negative control), 2) Corn Oil (3.5%), 3) Tallow (3.5%), 4) Corn Oil + LFE (8 g/d), and 5) Tallow + LFE (8 g/d). Cattle fed the negative control diet had greater dry matter intake than cattle consuming diets with supplemental fat but no LYSOFORTE Extend. But, when LYSOFORTE Extend was added to diets with corn oil and tallow, intake did not differ (P = 0.50) from the negative control. There was no difference in total tract dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM) or apparent energy digestibility across any of the 5 dietary treatments (P ≥ 0.23). The impact of LYSOFORTE Extend on rumen fermentation parameters, such as average pH and volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration were limited. There was no difference in average pH (P ≥ 0.21) across treatments, but a main effect of LYSOFORTE Extend on total VFA concentration (P ≤ 0.05), where diets that included LYSOFORTE Extend had greater total VFA concentration than those without LYSOFORTE Extend. While supplemental fat reduced intake, when fed with LYSOFORTE Extend it appeared to mitigate this effect, which may warrant further research into this response