Weaning Method Evaluation for Beef Cattle

Weaning is a stressful event for calves. Various management practices have been suggested to reduce weaning stress. The purpose of this study was to evaluate three different weaning management practices on calf gains at weaning. Eighty-eight bull and heifer calves were assigned to one of three weaning treatments at two research locations. The weaning management options were abrupt weaning, fence-line weaning, and use of a nose-flap weaning device. Calves were weighed at the start of the measurement period and then two weeks later after weaning was completed. Calves that were weaned using the nose-flap method had significantly lower gains than calves that were abruptly weaned or fence-line weaned. Bulls also gained more during this weaning period than heifers did. Generally, fence-line weaned calves have a greater gain than abruptly weaned calves, but in this study where the calves were abruptly weaned and only moved a few miles from the dams, we did not see a difference in gains during the weaning event between abrupt weaning and fence-line practices. The nose-flap device seemed to lead to a lower gain for calves during this period and more research on the device is needed before determining the best weaning management practice

Effect of Corn Type and Form of Supplement on Grazing Steers – Year 2

Eighty stocker steers were grazed on bromegrass from the end of May to the middle of August and were provided five different feeds while on grass during the summer. Treatments evaluated included (1) mineral only; (2) free-choice supplementation in the form of liquid feed (MIX30) or (3) block format (Mintrate 40 Red); and hand-fed supplements of 60% corn:40% dried distillers grains at 0.5% of body weight on a dry matter basis offered daily where the corn was either an (4) isoline corn (ISO; parent genetic line) or (5) Enogen feed corn (ENO; includes alpha-amylase gene). Steers were weighed every 28 days while on grass and were measured for carcass quality by ultrasound prior to being sold. Hand-fed steers had greater gain than self-fed supplemented steers and these steers tended to have more backfat, marbling, and did have more muscle depth coming off grass than other supplemented steers. Steers that received free-choice mineral or self-fed supplements also had lower gains than steers being hand-fed supplement. During a drought year overall, supplemented steers had a greater gain than non-supplemented controls (receiving mineral only). This advantage became apparent after 56 days on grass when the drought was the most severe and the difference may have become more pronounced if the steers hadn’t been removed from the pasture due to limited biomass. Overall, hand-feeding is the method that maintained a more consistent gain, regardless of pasture quality and biomass production. Evaluation of operational costs of production need to be evaluated before determining if the hand-feeding management strategy is the best for returns to the operation

Stocker Steer Gains and Fly Numbers as Impacted by Burn Date and Type of Mineral on Tallgrass Native Range – Year 4

This study aims to evaluate effectiveness of two operational management systems for steer gains and fly control. The first strategy evaluated was pasture burn date of March (MAR) or April (APR). The second management strategy was free-choice mineral with spices (SPICE) or without spices (CON). Eight pastures (n = 281 steers; initial weight 566 lb) were used in a 2 × 2 factorial treatment structure. Steers were weighed individually, randomly assigned to treatment, and grazed for 89 days. Weekly, 33% of steers were photographed to count flies and evaluated for hair coat score. Steers that grazed pastures that were burned in March had a greater average daily gain than those grazing pastures that were burned in April and resulted in nearly 30 pounds more gain per calf during the grazing season. Steers that consumed the mineral that contained the spices/essential oils had a 0.10 pound per day advantage as compared to steers on control mineral. There was an interaction between pasture burn date and mineral type where steers gained the most on March burned pastures (with no difference in mineral type), had the second greatest gains on the April burned pastures with Spice mineral, and had the lowest gains on the April burned pastures with Control mineral. Weather plays a very important role in cattle performance following a complete pasture burn, and in a year with excessive spring moisture and extreme drought beginning in June, a March burn was the better management practice

Evaluation of Implants, Clover, and Fescue Variety on Stocker Steers – Year 3

Sixty-four growing steers were used in a split-plot experiment, where the whole plot was pasture, and the split-plot was the implant level. Whole plot treatment was a 4 × 2 factorial with four levels of fescue (High Endophyte, Low Endophyte, Novel, or Endophyte Free) and two levels of legume (Legumes or No Legumes). The split-plot included four implant levels (No Implant, Synovex One Grass, Revalor-G, or Ralgro). Data collected were weights and ultrasound carcass characteristics when steers were coming off grass. Steers on High Endophyte had a lower average daily gain (ADG) and final weight than steers on novel endophyte, with those grazing pastures that had low endophyte and endophyte-free were intermediate. There was no difference in cattle gains or carcass measurements based on the addition of legumes or the type of implant the steers received. The drought restricted the days on grass and potentially reduced the positive effects of implants

Evaluation of Grazing Options During Summer for Growing Heifers – Year 3

Developing methods to provide high quality forage through most of the year is important for cattle operations. The purpose of this study was to determine forage management options to offset the summer “slump” with fescue. Four grass pasture treatments (10 pastures total; 4 acres each) were used in a completely randomized design and stocked with growing heifers (n = 49; initial wt 461 ± 65 lb). Pasture treatments consisted of novel fescue (FES), crabgrass (CRAB), bermudagrass (BERM), and sorghum-sudan interseeded into novel fescue (SS-FES). Heifers were weighed and they grazed pastures from May to September. Heifers on FES were continuously grazed. All other pastures were rotationally grazed. Sorghum-sudan was interseeded into fescue pastures in May. Average daily gain (ADG) for the entire grazing period was not different between pasture systems. Heifers on BERM and SS-FES had greater gain per acre than those FES pastures, with CRAB being intermediate. This result was primarily based on the increased stocking rates for those pastures. The extreme drought during the summer of 2022 resulted in little to no production of the sorghum-sudan and these pastures had the lowest biomass through the grazing period. Moisture is essential for success of interseeding sorghum-sudan into fescue pastures. Weather patterns impact animal performance as it impacts forage production. The best management practice may involve operations that have a variety of cool and warm-season grasses that producers can use to optimize forage production through varying weather events

Sodium salicylate during the first 7 days of lactation affects the entire lactation

Inflammation has been proposed as a contributor to metabolic disorders in transition dairy cows. The purpose of this experiment was to determine if a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, sodium salicylate (SS), benefits transition cows. At calving, 78 cows [primiparous (1P) n = 39; 2nd lactation (2P) n = 24; ≥3 lactations (3P) n = 15] were assigned alternately to either a control or SS treatment for 7 days and production responses were evaluated through the entire lactation. Treatment was administered via individual water bowls, delivering a mean of 123 ± 5.5 (mean ± standard deviation) grams salicylate per day during the 7 days of treatment. Cows were followed throughout the lactation by monthly milk yield and component testing, and the effects of treatment on the risk of leaving the herd and on normalized 305-day milk, fat, and protein yields were determined by Fisher\u27s exact test and mixed model analysis, respectively. Treatment influenced both 305-day milk and fat yields differently across parities. Milk yield was increased by 17% in 3P SS cows (4,374 ± 1,549 lb greater for 3P SS cows). Primiparous SS cows tended to produce 2,155 ± 824 lb less 305-day milk than control cows; no differences were detected for 2P cows. Furthermore, 3P SS cows produced 285 ± 50 lb more 305-day milk fat and tended to produce 108 ± 40 lb more 305-day milk protein. No effects were detected in 1P or 2P cows. A treatment by parity interaction was observed for the risk of leaving the herd where 1P cows treated with SS tended to have a greater risk of leaving the herd than controls (30% vs. 6% risk). Treatment did not alter herd retention in 2P or 3P groups, and SS had no effect on the risk of leaving the herd overall. Results indicate that SS has long-term effects on lactation characteristics of aged cows, particularly on fat metabolism, but has potential negative effects for primiparous cows.; Dairy Day, 2012, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 2012; Dairy Research, 2012 is known as Dairy Day, 201

Evaluation of Grazing Options During Summer for Growing Heifers – Year 3

Developing methods to provide high quality forage through most of the year is important for cattle operations. The purpose of this study was to determine forage management options to offset the summer “slump” with fescue. Three grass pasture treatments (8 pastures total; 4 acres each) were used in a completely randomized design and stocked with growing heifers (n = 32; initial weight 559 ± 20 lb). Pasture treatments consisted of crabgrass (CRAB), bermudagrass (BERM), and sorghum-sudan interseeded into novel fescue (SS-FES). Novel fescue is fescue variety that has endophyte organism but does not produce toxin. Heifers were weighed and grazed pastures from May to October (150 d). All other pastures were rotationally grazed with two paddocks for CRAB and BERM and 3 paddocks for SS-FES. Sorghum-sudan was interseeded into fescue pastures in late May and June. Average daily gain (ADG) for the entire grazing period was not different between pasture systems. Bermudagrass pastures produced the greatest average biomass. Crabgrass pastures produced one of the lowest biomass early in the grazing period, then one of the highest at the end of grazing period. Biomass production results for the SS-FES pastures were very low, except for July when the sorghum-sudan had the greatest forage production

Stocker Steer Gains and Fly Numbers as Impacted by Burn Date and Type of Mineral on Tallgrass Native Range – Year 5

This study aims to evaluate effectiveness of two operational management systems for steer gains and fly control. The first strategy evaluated was pasture burn date of March (MAR) or April (APR). The second management strategy was free-choice mineral with spices (SPICE) or without spices (CON). Eight pastures (n = 281 steers; initial weight 566 lb) were used in a 2 × 2 factorial treatment structure. Steers were weighed individually, randomly assigned to treatment, and grazed for 89 days. Weekly, 33% of steers were photographed to count flies and evaluated for hair coat score. Steers that grazed pastures that were burned in March had a greater average daily gain than those grazing pastures that were burned in April and March resulted in nearly 30 pounds more gain per calf during the grazing season. Steers that consumed the mineral that contained the spices/essential oils had a 0.10 pound per day advantage as compared to steers on the control mineral. There was an interaction between pasture burn date and mineral type where steers gained the most on March burned pastures (with no difference in mineral type), had the second greatest gains on the April burned pastures with SPICE mineral, and had the lowest gains on the April burned pastures with CON mineral. Weather plays a very important role in cattle performance following a complete pasture burn, and in a year with excessive spring moisture and extreme drought beginning in June, a March burn was the better management practice

Effect of Corn Type and Form of Supplement on Grazing Steers – Year 3

Eighty stocker steers were grazed on bromegrass from the middle of May to the beginning of November and were provided five different feeds while on grass during the summer. Treatments evaluated included (1) mineral only; (2) free-choice supplementation in the form of liquid feed (MIX30), or (3) block format (Mintrate 40 Red); and hand-fed supplements of 60% corn:40% dried distillers grains at 0.5% of body weight on a dry matter basis offered daily where the corn was either an (4) isoline corn (ISO; parent genetic line) or (5) Enogen feed corn (ENO; includes the alpha-amylase gene). Steers were weighed every 28 days while on grass and were measured for carcass quality by ultrasound prior to being placed in feedlot. Hand-fed steers had greater gain than self-fed supplemented steers and these hand-fed steers tended to have more muscle depth coming off grass than other supplemented steers. There was no difference in backfat nor marbling scores off grass for any treatments evaluated. Loin muscle depth was greater for supplemented steers as compared to non-supplemented. Overall, if a steer was supplementally fed, it had 64 pounds more weight than if fed a mineral only, and this advantage was driven primarily by hand-fed supplements. However, each operation needs to calculate cost of production and ease of feeding daily over the convenience of self-fed supplements

Effects of Supplementing Corn Silage to Fall-Calving Heifers and Cows Grazing Tall Fescue on Cow Performance

The objective was to test the effect of fescue cultivars and supplemental feeding of cows grazing fescue pastures on cow performance and pasture management. Primiparous and multiparous Angus-based crossed cows (n = 45) averaging 151 ± 7 d of gestation at turnout, were randomly allocated and stratified to pasture treatment by parity. Each pasture contained 3 cows of different ages, consisting of a young (first-calf heifer), middle-aged (3-5 yrs.), and old (≥ 6 yrs.) cow. Treatment was a 2 by 2 factorial design with two types of pasture (toxin producing or non-toxin producing fescue) and two levels of supplemental feeding (non-supplemented or supplemented at 1% of body weight on a DM basis of corn silage). Toxic fescue pastures consisted of K-31 endophyte infected tall fescue (n = 8) tested at 507 ppm ± 0.82 SEM for ergot alkaloids with a 92.5% infection rate. Non-toxic pastures consisted of novel (MaxQ) and endophyte free varieties (n = 7). Cows were fed silage (32-42% DM and 7.83% CP) daily in fence-line bunks, with feeding amount being adjusted at each weigh date. Cows were weighed on 2 consecutive days prior to turnout (middle of the second trimester), midpoint (beginning of the third trimester), and at about 2 weeks prior to the estimated calving date for herd. Body weight, body condition score, hair score, and rump fat measurements were taken at each weigh date. Supplementation tended (P = 0.07) to increase body weight gain and rump fat (P = 0.06) regardless of fescue type. Cattle grazing toxic fescue tended to have longer hair (P = 0.09) and did not “slick” off as quickly as those that were supplemented (P = 0.08). Cattle grazing toxic fescue exhibited classic fescue toxicosis symptoms, and supplementation improved cow performance regardless of fescue cultivar