Effects of dietary energy level and intake of corn by-product based diets on newly received growing cattle

Master of ScienceDepartment of Animal Sciences and IndustryDale A. BlasiFour pen studies and one digestibility trial were conducted to evaluate the effects of energy level and intake of corn by-product based diets on newly received growing cattle. In Exp.1 there were four diets where one was offered for ad libitum intake and formulated to supply 0.99 Mcal NEg/kg DM (0.99/100) and the other three treatments were fed at 95, 90, and 85% of the ad libitum treatment and to supply 1.10 (1.10/95), 1.21 (1.21/90), and 1.32 Mcal NEg/kg DM (1.32/85), respectively. ADG was unaffected by treatment (P = 0.32). However, G:F increased linearly with increasing energy and decreasing intake level (P 0.30). Additionally, animals and diets from Exp. 1 were used to study effects on antibody production, acute phase protein response, stress, and immunocompetency of healthy and morbid cattle. Diet had no effect on the parameters measured (P > 0.10). A quadratic response to time (P < 0.01) was detected for haptoglobin, titers for bovine viral diarrhea type 1 (BVD-1), and infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR). Haptoglobin was highest on d 14, and close to baseline levels by d 27. Titer levels for BVD-1 and IBR were higher on d 14, and significantly higher on d 27. Titers for bovine viral diarrhea type 2 (BVD- II) responded linearly (P < 0.05) to time with the highest levels on d 27. Haptoglobin was elevated in morbid animals compared to healthy pen mates (P < 0.05). Titer levels for BVD-I and IBR were higher in healthy animals (P < 0.01). Fecal cortisol was higher on arrival than on d 14 (P < 0.05). In summary, high-energy limit-fed diets based on corn by-products do not affect health and are more efficient than when roughage-based growing diets are fed

Evaluation of the Water Footprint of Beef Cattle Production in Nebraska

Data were compiled on feed usage to model the amount of water needed to produce beef in typical Nebraska production systems. Production systems where cows were wintered on corn residue utilized 18% less water than systems utilizing native range as a wintering source, because of water allocations. Therefore, the water footprint (gallons of water required to produce one pound of boneless meat) was decreased by 18%. In addition, increasing the dietary inclusion of distillers grains from 0% to 40% decreased the water footprint in the finishing phase by 29%, again based on water allocation. Utilizing corn residue and distillers grains in Nebraska beef cattle systems decreases the overall water footprint of production. Additionally, the water footprint of the systems analyzed was 80% green water as rain, minimizing the environmental impact of beef production on freshwater use and ecological water balance

Effects of Supplemental SoyPass in Forage-Based Diets Containing Distillers Grains on Performance of Growing Steers

SoyPass was supplemented in two grass hay diets containing 20% or 35% wet distillers grains with solubles (WDGS) to analyze the effects on growing cattle performance. The SoyPass supplement replaced 0, 30, or 60% of dietary WDGS for a total of 6 treatments with a factorial design. Substituting SoyPass into the diet did not affect average daily gain (ADG) of calves; however, calves consuming the 35% WDGS diet gained 31% more than the 20% WDGS treatment calves. Dry matter intake (DMI) and feed to gain (F:G) increased linearly in the 35% WDGS diet with the inclusion of SoyPass. In the 20% WDGS diet, DMI and F:G were maximized when SoyPass replaced 30% of the WDGS and lowest when SoyPass replaced 60% of WDGS. Therefore, SoyPass can replace up to 60% of the WDGS in forage based diets containing 20% WDGS with no adverse effects on performance by appearing to supply needed lysine

Comparing the Performance of Cattle Castrated Using Different Techniques Upon Arrival at the Feedlot

Objective:To determine the least detrimental castration technique in terms of growth performance when castrating cattle upon entry to the feedlot. Study Description:Intact bulls were sourced from the Southeastern U.S. and received at the Kansas State University Beef Stocker Unit. After backgrounding, 700-lb bulls were castrated using various techniques, including banding, banding with splitting of the distal scrotum, use of the Henderson Tool, and use of a burdizzo clamp. A group of intact bulls served as a negative control group. Weights were obtained at regular intervals throughout the 56-day study to quantify and compare growth performance. Results:The day 0 to day 56 average daily gain (ADG) showed no difference between treatment groups (P= 0.0643) but there was a trend for the Henderson group to gain at a lower rate than all other treatment groups. All other groups ended the 56-day study period with similar ADG. In addition, a trend was found for cattle castrated using the Henderson Tool to exhibit a lower activity time per hour than the other study groups for much of the day on average, as well as a greater number of minutes per hour ruminating on average. Jaw movement recorded as rumination was thought to be teeth grinding due to pain response and the lower amount of activity time would support this assessment. While the burdizzo group performed the best of all castrated groups, the labor-intensive process associated with applying the burdizzo clamp is not practical for cattle of this size. Cattle castrated using the band and band-cut methods performed better than those castrated using the Henderson Tool. The results of this study indicate that any castration technique that is surgical in nature is not ideal for castrating cattle at the feedlot. The Bottom Line:Use of a latex band for castrating cattle at entry to the feedlot appears to be the technique least detrimental to growth performance

Evaluation of the Water Footprint of Beef Cattle Production in Nebraska

Data were compiled on feed usage to model the amount of water needed to produce beef in typical Nebraska production systems. Production systems where cows were wintered on corn residue utilized 18% less water than systems utilizing native range as a wintering source, because of water allocations. Therefore, the water footprint (gallons of water required to produce one pound of boneless meat) was decreased by 18%. In addition, increasing the dietary inclusion of distillers grains from 0% to 40% decreased the water footprint in the finishing phase by 29%, again based on water allocation. Utilizing corn residue and distillers grains in Nebraska beef cattle systems decreases the overall water footprint of production. Additionally, the water footprint of the systems analyzed was 80% green water as rain, minimizing the environmental impact of beef production on freshwater use and ecological water balance

Interaction of urea with frequency and amount of distillers grains supplementation for growing steers on a high forage diet

Two studies were conducted to determine interactions of urea inclusion to a dried distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS; 29.4% crude protein, 5.48% ether extract) supplement fed at two amounts and two frequencies to steers on a high forage diet. In Exp. 1, 120 (247 kg; SD = 20) steers were fed individually for 84 d. Steers received ad libitum grass hay (6.8% crude protein) and one of eight treatments. Treatment design was a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial. Supplement was fed daily or three times per week, amount of supplement fed was 6.36 kg dry matter (DM)/week [0.37% body weight (BW); LO] or 12.73 kg DM/week (0.74% BW; HI) and contained either no urea or 1.3% urea on a DM basis. Steer BW was measured at the start and end of the trial and hay DM intake (DMI) was measured weekly. In Exp. 2, ruminally cannulated steers (310 kg; SD = 25) were used in a row-column design with eight steers and six 14-d periods. Treatments assigned were the same as Exp. 1, except that supplement was fed at 0.4% of BW (LO) or 0.8% of BW (HI) and supplement was fed either daily (DY) or every other day (ALT). Hay DMI, rumen ammonia-N, rumen pH, in situ neutral detergent fiber (NDF) disappearance, and rumination were measured. In Exp. 1, average daily gain (ADG) was affected by amount of supplement with steers on HI gaining 0.30 kg/d more (P \u3c 0.01) than LO. Hay DMI was reduced by increased amount of supplement (0.39 kg/d; P \u3c 0.01) and by decreased frequency of supplementation (0.54 kg/d; P \u3c 0.01). In Exp. 2, hay DMI was also reduced due to increased amount of supplement and decreased frequency of supplementation (P \u3c 0.01). Rumen pH was decreased on the day of supplement feeding for steers on ALT (P \u3c 0.01) and reduced for steers fed HI vs. LO. There was no difference in NDF digestibility between DY and ALT (P \u3e 0.05). For ALT steers, there was reduction (P \u3c 0.01) in in situ NDF disappearance for the HI compared to LO amount of supplementation on the day of supplementation. Infrequent supplementation of DDGS results in no difference in ADG but decreased hay DMI compared to daily supplementation. Urea had no effect on digestion or ADG, suggesting rumen degradable protein was not deficient when supplementing DDGS. There is little change in rumen fermentation parameters between frequency of supplement feeding, indicating that forage digestion is not impacted by supplementation frequency. Dried distillers grains can be supplemented infrequently without a reduction in animal performance

Effects of Dietary Energy Concentration and Feed Intake on Growth Performance of Newly Received Growing Cattle Fed Diets Based on Corn and Corn Co-Products

Objective:This study’s focus was to evaluate if feeding equal amounts of energy from a high-energy limit-fed diet has an effect on growth performance of growing beef cattle when compared to traditional high-roughagead libitumdiets. Study Description:A total of 392 crossbred heifers were fed one of four experimental diets for a 70-day receiving period. Treatments included a high-roughage diet formulated to provide 45 Mcal of net energy for gain (NEg) per 100 lb of dry matter (DM) and fed forad libitumintake (AL) or a high-energy diet formulated to provide 60 Mcal of NEgper 100 lb of DM and fed at 75% (LIM-75), 80% (LIM-80), or 85% (LIM-85) ofad libitumintake. Treatments were designed to equalize for energy intake between calves assigned to AL and LIM-75. The Bottom Line:Restricting feed intake while maintaining energy intake does not negatively influence growth performance of newly received growing beef cattle. In times of high forage cost or shortened growing periods producers could program gains based on their own financial and personal needs

Protein and Water Utilization in Beef Cattle Systems

Four experiments were conducted evaluating effects of protein supplementation in growing cattle diets, ensiling time on the rumen undegradable (RUP) content of corn silage, and the water footprint (WF) of beef production in Nebraska. Experiment 1 was a digestion study and treatments were urea included at 0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, or 1.5% of dietary dry matter (DM) in a silage diet. Experiment 2 examined the effects of ensiling on the RUP content of corn silage and its forage and grain components. In Exp. 3, cattle consumed a bromegrass-based diet containing 20% or 35% of DM as wet distillers grains with solubles (WDGS) and SoyPass replaced 0%, 30%, or 60% of the WDGS DM. In Exp. 4, the WF of beef production in Nebraska was evaluated using data collected from an experiment evaluating the effects of wintering cattle system on performance. In Exp. 1, intake and total tract digestibility of DM, organic matter, and fiber increased linearly as dietary urea increased (P \u3c 0.05). In Exp. 2, the RUP content of the corn grain component of corn silage decreased from 43.7% of CP at harvest to 10.0% of CP after 96 d ensiling (quadratic, P \u3c 0.01), and the RUP content of corn silage decreased from 32% to 17.1% of CP after 160 d. In Exp. 3, SoyPass substitution for WDGS tended to linearly decrease feed efficiency (P = 0.06) for the 35% protein supplement diet whereas feed efficiency was unaffected by SoyPass for the 20% protein supplement diet and was numerically greater when 60% of the WDGS was replaced. In Exp. 4, the WF of beef cattle production decreased by 30% for cows wintered on corn residue compared to native range and the total WF was 93% green water. Overall, results indicate supplementing RUP to cattle consuming forage-based diets and RDP to cattle consuming silage-based diets improves performance and digestion. Additionally, the WF of beef production in Nebraska is mostly green water and can be decreased by utilizing byproducts and residues

Effects of Supplemental SoyPass in Forage-Based Diets Containing Distillers Grains on Performance of Growing Steers

SoyPass was supplemented in two grass hay diets containing 20% or 35% wet distillers grains with solubles (WDGS) to analyze the effects on growing cattle performance. The SoyPass supplement replaced 0, 30, or 60% of dietary WDGS for a total of 6 treatments with a factorial design. Substituting SoyPass into the diet did not affect average daily gain (ADG) of calves; however, calves consuming the 35% WDGS diet gained 31% more than the 20% WDGS treatment calves. Dry matter intake (DMI) and feed to gain (F:G) increased linearly in the 35% WDGS diet with the inclusion of SoyPass. In the 20% WDGS diet, DMI and F:G were maximized when SoyPass replaced 30% of the WDGS and lowest when SoyPass replaced 60% of WDGS. Therefore, SoyPass can replace up to 60% of the WDGS in forage based diets containing 20% WDGS with no adverse effects on performance by appearing to supply needed lysine