Four hundred sixty steer calves were fed CaO treated (5% of DM) or untreated wheat straw and corn stover with wet distillers grains plus solubles (WDGS) during a 69-day growing study. An interaction between crop residue and alkaline treatment was observed for ending BW and ADG. The relative response in ADG and ending BW due to alkaline treatment was greater for wheat straw compared to corn stover. Steers fed wheat straw diets had greater DMI and improved F:G compared to corn stover diets. Alkaline treatment increased DMI and improved F:G, although the F:G response was small. Growing calves on untreated residue diets may be more economical

Burken, Dirk B.

Erickson, Galen E.

Griffin, William A.

Klopfenstein, Terry J.

Macken, Casey N.

Nuttelman, Brandon L.

Schneider, Cody J., Schneider

Shreck, Adam L.

English

UNL | Libraries

University of Nebraska - Lincoln
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports Animal Science Department
2014
Alkaline Treated Wheat Straw or Corn Stover Fed
to Growing Calves
Adam L. Shreck
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Brandon L. Nuttelman
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Cody J. Schneider Schneider
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Dirk B. Burken
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Casey N. Macken
Performance Plus Liquids, Inc.
See next page for additional authors
Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr
Part of the Large or Food Animal and Equine Medicine Commons, Meat Science Commons, and
the Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Epidemiology, and Public Health Commons
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Animal Science Department at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has
been accepted for inclusion in Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln.
Shreck, Adam L.; Nuttelman, Brandon L.; Schneider, Cody J. Schneider; Burken, Dirk B.; Macken, Casey N.; Griffin, William A.;
Erickson, Galen E.; and Klopfenstein, Terry J., "Alkaline Treated Wheat Straw or Corn Stover Fed to Growing Calves" (2014).
Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports. 781.
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr/781
Authors
Adam L. Shreck, Brandon L. Nuttelman, Cody J. Schneider Schneider, Dirk B. Burken, Casey N. Macken,
William A. Griffin, Galen E. Erickson, and Terry J. Klopfenstein
This article is available at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr/781
© The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska.  All rights reserved. 2014 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report  — Page 67 
Alkaline Treated Wheat Straw or Corn Stover Fed 
to Growing Calves
Procedure
This experiment utilized 460 
steers (initial BW: 729 ± 44 lb). 
Steers were received during the 
fall of 2011 and grazed corn stalks 
from late November until start 
of the experiment (Feb. 23, 2012). 
Corn stover was treated using CaO 
(standard quicklime; Mississippi 
Lime Company, Kansas City, Mo) 
and carried out using a patented 
process with successive tub grinders 
(Performance Plus Liquids, Inc., 
Palmer, Neb). Wheat straw was treated 
with CaO every two weeks similar 
to as described in previous reports 
(2012 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report, pp. 
106-107; pp. 108-109). In both corn 
stover and wheat straw treatments, 
the mixture was calculated to be 
50% DM with calcium oxide added 
at 5% of the total DM. Treated corn 
stover and treated wheat straw DM 
averaged 57.6 and 49.6%, respectively. 
Treated corn stover and wheat straw 
were stored anaerobically in silage 
bags throughout the trial. The 
authors recognize that methodology 
to apply alkaline treatment is a 
critical factor to be considered. 
Correspondingly, since two types 
of processes were used to treat corn 
stover and wheat straw, this could 
potentially influence the response 
to treatment and results. Steers were 
limit-fed a mix of 47.5% alfalfa hay, 
47.5% wet corn gluten feed, and 5.0% 
supplement at 2% of BW for five days 
prior to trial initiation and five days 
following to equalize gut fill. Steers 
were weighed two consecutive days 
following five days of limit-feeding 
at initiation and at the end of the 
trial. This trial was designed as 2 x 
2 factorial with factors consisting 
of alkaline treatment (CaO+ H
2
O 
vs. none) and residue (corn stover 
vs. wheat straw). There were three 
initial weight blocks, six replications 
per treatment, and 19 steers per pen. 
Diets (Table 1) were offered ad libitum 
to steers once daily. Treated diets 
contained sufficient Ca (3.35% from 
CaO treatment) and supplement was 
included at 1.0%. Untreated diets 
had supplement inclusion of 3.0% 
and limestone was added (1.58% 
of diet DM) to maintain a Ca:P of 
1.2:1. Monensin was included in 
both supplements and formulated to 
supply 200 mg/steer daily. Monthly 
composite samples were assayed for 
Table 1.  Dry matter and nutrient composition of diets fed to growing steers.
Ingredient, % of DM
Corn Stover Wheat Straw
Treated Untreated Treated Untreated
Treated stover/straw
 Untreated stover/straw
 WDGS
 Supplement
 Fine ground corn
 Limestone
 Tallow
 Trace mineral
 Vitamin A-D-E
 Rumensin1
69.0
—
30.0
0.8228
—
0.1000
0.0500
0.0150
0.0122
—
67.0
30.0
1.2388
1.5840
0.1000
0.0500
0.0150
0.0122
69.0
—
30.0
0.8228
—
0.1000
0.0500
0.0150
0.0122
—
67.0
30.0
1.2388
1.5840
0.1000
0.0500
0.0150
0.0122
Crop Residue
 DM, %
 IVDMD, %2
57.6
39.6
86.8
38.6
49.6
43.1
86.7
36.1
1Formulated to provide 200 mg per steer/daily.
2in vitro DM disappearance of crop residue, 48 hour incubation time.
Adam L. Shreck 
Brandon L. Nuttelman
 Cody J. Schnieder
 Dirk B. Burken
 Casey N. Macken
 William A. Griffin
 Galen E. Erickson
 Terry J. Klopfenstein1
Summary
Four hundred sixty steer calves were fed 
CaO treated (5% of DM) or untreated 
wheat straw and corn stover with wet 
distillers grains plus solubles (WDGS) 
during a 69-day growing study. An 
interaction between crop residue and 
alkaline treatment was observed for 
ending BW and ADG. The relative 
response in ADG and ending BW due to 
alkaline treatment was greater for wheat 
straw compared to corn stover. Steers fed 
wheat straw diets had greater DMI and 
improved F:G compared to corn stover 
diets. Alkaline treatment increased DMI 
and improved F:G, although the F:G 
response was small. Growing calves on 
untreated residue diets may be more 
economical. 
Introduction
 Utilizing crop residues for 
growing calves has the potential to be 
economical when fed with distillers 
grains. Previous research with wheat 
straw (2009 Nebraska Beef Cattle 
Report, pp. 35-36) and corn stover 
(2009 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report, 
pp. 30-32) found increased ADG and 
improved F:G when inclusion levels 
of WDGS increased in growing calf 
diets . Another option to increase 
ADG and improve F:G may be grow-
ing cattle on alkaline treated residue. 
The objective of this trial was to 
evaluate treated wheat straw or corn 
stover in growing calf diets.
(Continued on next page)
Page 68 — 2014 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report  © The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska.  All rights reserved.
in vitro DM disappearance (IVDMD). 
Inoculum for IVDMD was obtained 
by collecting a mixture of rumen 
fluid (strained through four layers 
of cheesecloth) from two steers 
consuming a 30% concentrate-70% 
roughage diet. Inoculum was mixed 
with McDougall’s buffer at a 1:1 
ratio along with 1 gram of urea/L 
of rumen fluid. A 0.5 gram sample 
was added to a 200 mL test tube and 
50 mL of inoculum was added. Test 
tubes were placed in a water bath at 
39°C for 48 hours. Fermentation was 
ended by adding 6 mL of 20% HCl 
per test tube. Residue was filtered, 
dried at 100°C, and weighed to 
determine IVDMD. A partial budget 
analysis was constructed to estimate 
profitability of steers fed diets in 
this study. Assumptions included: 
untreated ground wheat straw or corn 
stover cost at $100/DM ton, alkaline 
treatment cost of $50/DM ton, 
WDGS priced 95% of corn ($6.50/
bu), initial purchase price of $1.50/lb 
and $0.042 slide. Data were analyzed 
using the MIXED procedure of SAS 
(SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, N.C.) with 
block as a fixed effect. Main effects 
of chemical treatment and residue, as 
well the interaction were tested. If an 
interaction was significant (P ≤ 0.05), 
simple effect means were separated 
with a t-test using the pDiff option.
Table 2.  Effect of crop residue and alkaline treatment on growing steer performance. 
Item
Corn stover Wheat straw
SEM CaO1 Residue2 CaO x ResidueTreated Untreated Treated Untreated
Initial BW, lb
Ending BW, lb
DMI, lb/day
ADG, lb
F:G
$/head3
729
844b
16.7
1.67b
10.00
-15.01
729
834c
15.7
1.52c
10.32
0.00
728
868a
18.7
2.02a
9.25
-6.80
727
841b
16.4
1.63bc
10.06
0.00
0.64
2.60
0.43
0.04
—
—
0.59
<0.01
<0.01
<0.01
0.06
—
0.43
<0.01
<0.01
<0.01
0.07
—
0.19
<0.01
0.15
<0.01
0.18
—
1Main effect of CaO + water or none.
2Main effect of residue type (corn stover or wheat straw).
3Average profit/head relative to untreated crop residue.
abcWithin a row, means lacking common superscripts differ, when interaction P < 0.05.
Results
An interaction (P < 0.01) between 
crop residue and alkaline treatment 
(Table 2) was observed for ending BW 
and ADG; therefore, simple effects 
are presented. The magnitude of re-
sponse on ADG and ending BW due 
to alkaline treatment was greater in 
wheat straw diets compared to corn 
stover diets. Steers fed treated corn 
stover had increases of 1.9% for ADG 
and 3.2% for ending BW compared 
to untreated corn stover. However, 
steers fed treated wheat straw diets 
had increases of 23.9% for ADG and 
9.8% for ending BW compared to 
untreated wheat straw. The observed 
ADG and ending BW differences 
of steers fed treated and untreated 
crop residues are also supported by 
IVDMD of treated and untreated corn 
stover (39.6% vs. 38.6%) and wheat 
straw (43.1 vs. 36.1%). No interaction 
was observed for F:G (P = 0.18) or 
DMI (P = 0.15) between crop residue 
and alkaline treatment. Steers fed 
treated wheat straw diets had greater 
DMI (P < 0.01) and tended (P = 0.07) 
to have improved F:G compared to 
corn stover diets. Alkaline treatment 
tended (P = 0.06) to improve F:G and 
increased DMI (P < 0.01) compared 
to untreated. Given the economic 
assumptions applied to this study, 
feeding steers treated corn stover and 
wheat straw diets resulted in lower net 
return ($/head) compared untreated 
residue diets. This estimated lost in 
profitability is related to the increase 
in diet cost from alkaline treatment, 
increased DMI of steers fed alkaline 
treated diets compared to untreated, 
and the small improvement in BW 
gain of steers fed alkaline treated 
diets compared to untreated. The 
results of this study indicate that 
response to CaO treatment on grow-
ing calf performance is dependent on 
crop residue source. Calcium oxide 
treated crop residues fed with distill-
ers grains did improve growing calf 
ADG and F:G. However, the response 
to alkaline treatment in growing calf 
diets is much lower than observed in 
finishing cattle work when used as 
a corn replacement. Given the small 
improvement in performance identi-
fied in this study, growing calves with 
untreated crop residues maybe just as 
economical. 
  1Adam L. Shreck, graduate student; 
Brandon L. Nuttelman, former research 
technician; Cody J. Schneider, former research 
technician, Dirk B. Burken, research technician, 
University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) 
Department of Animal Science, Lincoln, 
Neb.; Casey N. Macken, William A. Griffin, 
Performance Plus Liquids, Inc., Palmer, Neb; 
Galen E. Erickson, Terry J. Klopfenstein, 
professors, UNL Department of Animal Science, 
Lincoln, Neb.


Alkaline Treated Wheat Straw or Corn Stover Fed
to Growing Calves

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska

University of Nebraska - LincolnDigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - LincolnNebraska Beef Cattle Reports Animal Science Department2014Alkaline Treated Wheat Straw or Corn Stover Fedto Growing CalvesAdam L. ShreckUniversity of Nebraska–LincolnBrandon L. NuttelmanUniversity of Nebraska–LincolnCody J. Schneider SchneiderUniversity of Nebraska–LincolnDirk B. BurkenUniversity of Nebraska–LincolnCasey N. MackenPerformance Plus Liquids, Inc.See next page for additional authorsFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcrPart of the Large or Food Animal and Equine Medicine Commons, Meat Science Commons, andthe Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Epidemiology, and Public Health CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Animal Science Department at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln.Shreck, Adam L.; Nuttelman, Brandon L.; Schneider, Cody J. Schneider; Burken, Dirk B.; Macken, Casey N.; Griffin, William A.;Erickson, Galen E.; and Klopfenstein, Terry J., "Alkaline Treated Wheat Straw or Corn Stover Fed to Growing Calves" (2014).Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports. 781.http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr/781AuthorsAdam L. Shreck, Brandon L. Nuttelman, Cody J. Schneider Schneider, Dirk B. Burken, Casey N. Macken,William A. Griffin, Galen E. Erickson, and Terry J. KlopfensteinThis article is available at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr/781© The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska.  All rights reserved. 2014 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report  — Page 67 Alkaline Treated Wheat Straw or Corn Stover Fed to Growing CalvesProcedureThis experiment utilized 460 steers (initial BW: 729 ± 44 lb). Steers were received during the fall of 2011 and grazed corn stalks from late November until start of the experiment (Feb. 23, 2012). Corn stover was treated using CaO (standard quicklime; Mississippi Lime Company, Kansas City, Mo) and carried out using a patented process with successive tub grinders (Performance Plus Liquids, Inc., Palmer, Neb). Wheat straw was treated with CaO every two weeks similar to as described in previous reports (2012 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report, pp. 106-107; pp. 108-109). In both corn stover and wheat straw treatments, the mixture was calculated to be 50% DM with calcium oxide added at 5% of the total DM. Treated corn stover and treated wheat straw DM averaged 57.6 and 49.6%, respectively. Treated corn stover and wheat straw were stored anaerobically in silage bags throughout the trial. The authors recognize that methodology to apply alkaline treatment is a critical factor to be considered. Correspondingly, since two types of processes were used to treat corn stover and wheat straw, this could potentially influence the response to treatment and results. Steers were limit-fed a mix of 47.5% alfalfa hay, 47.5% wet corn gluten feed, and 5.0% supplement at 2% of BW for five days prior to trial initiation and five days following to equalize gut fill. Steers were weighed two consecutive days following five days of limit-feeding at initiation and at the end of the trial. This trial was designed as 2 x 2 factorial with factors consisting of alkaline treatment (CaO+ H2O vs. none) and residue (corn stover vs. wheat straw). There were three initial weight blocks, six replications per treatment, and 19 steers per pen. Diets (Table 1) were offered ad libitum to steers once daily. Treated diets contained sufficient Ca (3.35% from CaO treatment) and supplement was included at 1.0%. Untreated diets had supplement inclusion of 3.0% and limestone was added (1.58% of diet DM) to maintain a Ca:P of 1.2:1. Monensin was included in both supplements and formulated to supply 200 mg/steer daily. Monthly composite samples were assayed for Table 1.  Dry matter and nutrient composition of diets fed to growing steers.Ingredient, % of DMCorn Stover Wheat StrawTreated Untreated Treated UntreatedTreated stover/straw Untreated stover/straw WDGS Supplement Fine ground corn Limestone Tallow Trace mineral Vitamin A-D-E Rumensin169.0—30.00.8228—0.10000.05000.01500.0122—67.030.01.23881.58400.10000.05000.01500.012269.0—30.00.8228—0.10000.05000.01500.0122—67.030.01.23881.58400.10000.05000.01500.0122Crop Residue DM, % IVDMD, %257.639.686.838.649.643.186.736.11Formulated to provide 200 mg per steer/daily.2in vitro DM disappearance of crop residue, 48 hour incubation time.Adam L. Shreck Brandon L. Nuttelman Cody J. Schnieder Dirk B. Burken Casey N. Macken William A. Griffin Galen E. Erickson Terry J. Klopfenstein1SummaryFour hundred sixty steer calves were fed CaO treated (5% of DM) or untreated wheat straw and corn stover with wet distillers grains plus solubles (WDGS) during a 69-day growing study. An interaction between crop residue and alkaline treatment was observed for ending BW and ADG. The relative response in ADG and ending BW due to alkaline treatment was greater for wheat straw compared to corn stover. Steers fed wheat straw diets had greater DMI and improved F:G compared to corn stover diets. Alkaline treatment increased DMI and improved F:G, although the F:G response was small. Growing calves on untreated residue diets may be more economical. Introduction Utilizing crop residues for growing calves has the potential to be economical when fed with distillers grains. Previous research with wheat straw (2009 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report, pp. 35-36) and corn stover (2009 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report, pp. 30-32) found increased ADG and improved F:G when inclusion levels of WDGS increased in growing calf diets . Another option to increase ADG and improve F:G may be grow-ing cattle on alkaline treated residue. The objective of this trial was to evaluate treated wheat straw or corn stover in growing calf diets.(Continued on next page)Page 68 — 2014 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report  © The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska.  All rights reserved.in vitro DM disappearance (IVDMD). Inoculum for IVDMD was obtained by collecting a mixture of rumen fluid (strained through four layers of cheesecloth) from two steers consuming a 30% concentrate-70% roughage diet. Inoculum was mixed with McDougall’s buffer at a 1:1 ratio along with 1 gram of urea/L of rumen fluid. A 0.5 gram sample was added to a 200 mL test tube and 50 mL of inoculum was added. Test tubes were placed in a water bath at 39°C for 48 hours. Fermentation was ended by adding 6 mL of 20% HCl per test tube. Residue was filtered, dried at 100°C, and weighed to determine IVDMD. A partial budget analysis was constructed to estimate profitability of steers fed diets in this study. Assumptions included: untreated ground wheat straw or corn stover cost at $100/DM ton, alkaline treatment cost of $50/DM ton, WDGS priced 95% of corn ($6.50/bu), initial purchase price of $1.50/lb and $0.042 slide. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS (SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, N.C.) with block as a fixed effect. Main effects of chemical treatment and residue, as well the interaction were tested. If an interaction was significant (P ≤ 0.05), simple effect means were separated with a t-test using the pDiff option.Table 2.  Effect of crop residue and alkaline treatment on growing steer performance. ItemCorn stover Wheat strawSEM CaO1 Residue2 CaO x ResidueTreated Untreated Treated UntreatedInitial BW, lbEnding BW, lbDMI, lb/dayADG, lbF:G$/head3729844b16.71.67b10.00-15.01729834c15.71.52c10.320.00728868a18.72.02a9.25-6.80727841b16.41.63bc10.060.000.642.600.430.04——0.59<0.01<0.01<0.010.06—0.43<0.01<0.01<0.010.07—0.19<0.010.15<0.010.18—1Main effect of CaO + water or none.2Main effect of residue type (corn stover or wheat straw).3Average profit/head relative to untreated crop residue.abcWithin a row, means lacking common superscripts differ, when interaction P < 0.05.ResultsAn interaction (P < 0.01) between crop residue and alkaline treatment (Table 2) was observed for ending BW and ADG; therefore, simple effects are presented. The magnitude of re-sponse on ADG and ending BW due to alkaline treatment was greater in wheat straw diets compared to corn stover diets. Steers fed treated corn stover had increases of 1.9% for ADG and 3.2% for ending BW compared to untreated corn stover. However, steers fed treated wheat straw diets had increases of 23.9% for ADG and 9.8% for ending BW compared to untreated wheat straw. The observed ADG and ending BW differences of steers fed treated and untreated crop residues are also supported by IVDMD of treated and untreated corn stover (39.6% vs. 38.6%) and wheat straw (43.1 vs. 36.1%). No interaction was observed for F:G (P = 0.18) or DMI (P = 0.15) between crop residue and alkaline treatment. Steers fed treated wheat straw diets had greater DMI (P < 0.01) and tended (P = 0.07) to have improved F:G compared to corn stover diets. Alkaline treatment tended (P = 0.06) to improve F:G and increased DMI (P < 0.01) compared to untreated. Given the economic assumptions applied to this study, feeding steers treated corn stover and wheat straw diets resulted in lower net return ($/head) compared untreated residue diets. This estimated lost in profitability is related to the increase in diet cost from alkaline treatment, increased DMI of steers fed alkaline treated diets compared to untreated, and the small improvement in BW gain of steers fed alkaline treated diets compared to untreated. The results of this study indicate that response to CaO treatment on grow-ing calf performance is dependent on crop residue source. Calcium oxide treated crop residues fed with distill-ers grains did improve growing calf ADG and F:G. However, the response to alkaline treatment in growing calf diets is much lower than observed in finishing cattle work when used as a corn replacement. Given the small improvement in performance identi-fied in this study, growing calves with untreated crop residues maybe just as economical.   1Adam L. Shreck, graduate student; Brandon L. Nuttelman, former research technician; Cody J. Schneider, former research technician, Dirk B. Burken, research technician, University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) Department of Animal Science, Lincoln, Neb.; Casey N. Macken, William A. Griffin, Performance Plus Liquids, Inc., Palmer, Neb; Galen E. Erickson, Terry J. Klopfenstein, professors, UNL Department of Animal Science, Lincoln, Neb.

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Alkaline Treated Wheat Straw or Corn Stover Fed to Growing Calves

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