A 2 × 3 factorial finishing study evaluated kernel processing in three corn silage hybrids on finishing performance of yearling steers fed 40% silage. The three hybrids included a control corn silage (CON), a brown midrib (bm3), and a brown midrib with a softer endosperm (bm3-EXP). No interactions were observed between hybrids and kernel processing (P \u3e 0.45). Feeding both bm3 hybrids increased dry matter intake and average daily gain over CON (P \u3c 0.01). Cattle fed bm3-EXP and bm3 had lower feed to gain than CON (P = 0.04), with no differences between the two brown midrib hybrids. Feeding silage that has undergone kernel processing decreased dry matter intake with similar average daily gain, which decreased feed to gain by 2.6% at 40% inclusion compared to non-processed silage (P = 0.10). The improvement in silage is calculated to be 6.5% (2.6/40) when kernel processing was utilized as compared to not kernel processing the corn silage hybrids

Anderson, John N.

Bittner, Curtis J., Bittner

Boyd, Bradley M.

Erickson, Galen E.

Hilscher, F. Henry

Ovinge, Lauren A.

English

UNL | Libraries

University of Nebraska - Lincoln
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports Animal Science Department
2018
Effects of Kernel Processing at Harvest of Brown
Midrib Corn Silage on Finishing Performance of
Steers
Lauren A. Ovinge
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
F. Henry Hilscher
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, henry.hilscher@unl.edu
Curtis J. Bittner Bittner
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, curtis.bittner@unl.edu
Bradley M. Boyd
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, bboyd4@unl.edu
John N. Anderson
Mycogen Seeds
See next page for additional authors
Follow this and additional works at: https://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.
Ovinge, Lauren A.; Hilscher, F. Henry; Bittner, Curtis J. Bittner; Boyd, Bradley M.; Anderson, John N.; and Erickson, Galen E.,
"Effects of Kernel Processing at Harvest of Brown Midrib Corn Silage on Finishing Performance of Steers" (2018). Nebraska Beef
Cattle Reports. 966.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr/966
Authors
Lauren A. Ovinge, F. Henry Hilscher, Curtis J. Bittner Bittner, Bradley M. Boyd, John N. Anderson, and Galen
E. Erickson
This article is available at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr/966
2018 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report · 89 
©  The Board Regents of the University of  
Nebraska. All rights reserved.
hybrid F15579S2), and an experimental 
brown midrib hybrid (bm3- EXP; hybrid- 
F15578XT) that has a softer endosperm. 
Dry matter samples were taken from each 
truckload of corn silage and dried in a 60°C 
forced- air oven for 48 h to determine DM 
of the silage at harvest. Each corn silage 
hybrid was split into two within the field, 
one being chopped to 19- mm chop length 
with 2- mm kernel processing, and the other 
chopped at 19- mm chop length, with no 
kernel processing. Silages were stored in 
sealed AgBags® and opened after 21 d, silage 
was sampled for fermentation analysis and 
DM (forced air oven at 60°C). All feeds 
were sampled weekly for DM, and monthly 
composites were analyzed for nutrient 
composition.
Crossbred yearling steers (n=360; initial 
BW 882 ± 16.6 lb) were sorted into 2 BW 
blocks and assigned randomly to one of 36 
pens (10 steers/pen) 17 days after harvest 
of the silage. The light block included 3 
replications, and the heavy block included 
3 replications. All steers were limit- fed a 
common diet of 50% alfalfa hay and 50% 
SweetBran® at 2% of BW for 5 days prior 
to the initiation of the trial to minimize 
gut fill. Initial BW was measured on two 
consecutive days and averaged. Adapta-
tion diets included 30% MDGS, 25% and 
DRC, 5% supplement with silage increasing 
HCW compared to silage hybrids without 
a brown midrib trait (2018 Nebraska Beef 
Cattle Report pp.85–87). Some research in-
dicates utilizing kernel processing at harvest 
may improve corn silage starch digestibility, 
presumably by reducing kernel size and in-
creasing surface area for ruminal microbes. 
While starch digestibility is improved, a 
decrease in fiber digestibility has been ob-
served, negating the positive effects of the 
kernel processing, resulting in no change 
in DM digestibility. Kernel processing also 
adds an extra cost to silage production, 
increasing equipment requirements due to 
the processor. The objectives of this exper-
iment were to determine whether kernel 
processing is beneficial in finishing feedlot 
diets containing 40% of corn silage hybrids 
with brown midrib traits or brown midrib 
with a softer endosperm.
Procedure
Corn silage was harvested at the 
Eastern Nebraska Research and Education 
Center (ENREC) near Mead, Nebraska, 
between September 2 and 12, 2016. Corn 
silage harvest was initiated when the field 
was approximately ¾ milkline and 37% 
DM. The three hybrids (Mycogen® seeds) 
utilized were a control (CON; hybrid 
TMF2H708), a brown midrib hybrid (bm3; 
Effects of Kernel Processing at Harvest of Brown Midrib  
Corn Silage on Finishing Performance of Steers
Lauren A. Ovinge
F. Henry Hilscher
Curtis J. Bittner
Bradley M. Boyd
John N. Anderson
Galen E. Erickson
Summary with Implications
A 2 × 3 factorial finishing study evaluated 
kernel processing in three corn silage hybrids 
on finishing performance of yearling steers 
fed 40% silage. The three hybrids included a 
control corn silage (CON), a brown midrib 
(bm3), and a brown midrib with a softer 
endosperm (bm3- EXP). No interactions were 
observed between hybrids and kernel process-
ing (P > 0.45). Feeding both bm3 hybrids 
increased dry matter intake and average 
daily gain over CON (P < 0.01). Cattle fed 
bm3- EXP and bm3 had lower feed to gain 
than CON (P = 0.04), with no differences 
between the two brown midrib hybrids. 
Feeding silage that has undergone kernel 
processing decreased dry matter intake with 
similar average daily gain, which decreased 
feed to gain by 2.6% at 40% inclusion 
compared to non- processed silage (P = 0.10). 
The improvement in silage is calculated to 
be 6.5% (2.6/40) when kernel processing was 
utilized as compared to not kernel processing 
the corn silage hybrids.
Introduction
Corn silage is utilized in the beef and 
dairy industry as a roughage source, and 
increasing nutrient availability of the corn 
silage through new hybrids and process-
ing methods can improve feed quality for 
cattle. Brown midrib hybrids of silage have 
a lower lignin concentration resulting in 
improvement of fiber digestibility (2018 
Nebraska Beef Cattle Report, pp.49–51). 
Feeding brown midrib corn silage at 45% in 
finishing diets resulted in greater ADG and 
Table 1. Diet composition (DM Basis) for beef cattle fed three different corn silage hybrids1 that had 
been kernel processed (+KP) or not (- KP).
Item
CON bm3 bm3- EXP
- KP +KP - KP +KP - KP +KP
CON Corn Silage 40.0 40.0
bm3 Corn Silage 40.0 40.0
bm3- EXP Corn Silage 40.0 40.0
Modified distillers grains 30.0 30.0 30.0 30.0 30.0 30.0
Dry- rolled corn 25.0 25.0 25.0 25.0 25.0 25.0
Supplement2 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0
1 Treatments were control (CON; hybrid- TMF2H708), a bm3 hybrid (bm3; hybrid- F15579S2), and an experimental bm3 hybrid 
(bm3- EXP; hybrid- F15578XT) with a softer endosperm
2 Supplement formulated to be fed at 5% of diet DM, Supplement consisted of 2.98% fine ground corn, 1.50% limestone, 0.125% 
tallow, 0.30% salt, 0.05% trace mineral package, 0.015% Vitamin A- D- E package as a percentage of the final diet. It was also 
formulated for 30 g/ton Rumensin®(Elanco Animal Health, DM Basis) and 8.8 g/ton Tylan® (Elanco Animal Health, DM basis).
90 · 2018 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report
Component 200® (Elanco Animal Health) 
on d 1. Steers were fed for 104 days prior to 
harvest. Steers were shipped in the evening 
and harvested the following morning. The 
day of harvest, HCW were recorded, and 
carcass- adjusted final BW was calculated 
from a common 63% dressing percentage. 
The carcass adjusted final body weight was 
used to determine ADG and F:G. Carcass 
characteristics included marbling score, 12th 
rib fat thickness, and LM area, which were 
recorded after a 48- h chill.
Data were analyzed using the PROC 
MIXED procedures of SAS (SAS Institute, 
Inc., Cary, N.C.) as a randomized block 
design with pen as the experimental unit 
and block as a fixed effect. Liver scores were 
analyzed as a binomial distribution using 
PROC GLIMMIX procedures of SAS (SAS 
Institute, Inc., Cary, N.C.). The treatment 
design was a 2 × 3 factorial, and data was 
analyzed first as an interaction to determine 
whether simple effects of kernel processing 
within hybrid are compared, or whether 
main effects of each factor were analyzed. 
No significant interactions were observed 
(P > 0.45), so main effects of hybrid and 
kernel processing were evaluated.
Results
Corn silage analysis is shown in Table 
2. Fermentation analyses show the 6 silage 
samples had a pH below 4.2 and total acids 
were greater than 7.1%. Acid detergent fiber, 
the cellulose and lignin portion of the plant, 
was numerically lower for bm3 and bm3- 
EXP silages compared to the CON, shown 
in Table 2.
Corn Silage Hybrid
There were no interactions between 
corn hybrid and kernel processing for any 
of the growth performance parameters 
measured (P > 0.45). For the main effects 
of corn hybrid, final BW had a tendency 
to be greater for bm3- EXP hybrid com-
pared to CON silage, with the bm3 being 
intermediate (P = 0.07). Dry matter intake 
was similar between bm3 and bm3- EXP 
hybrids, and were greater than CON- 
fed steers (P < 0.01). Cattle fed bm3 and 
bm3- EXP had greater ADG compared to 
CON (P < 0.01). Due to increased gain, 
steers fed bm3- EXP had lower F:G at 7.22 
compared to CON at 7.60. Steers fed bm3 
corn silage hybrids (CON, bm3, bm3- EXP; 
Table 1). Corn silage was included at 40% 
in the final diets and modified distillers 
grains plus solubles included at 30%. All 
steers were fed Rumensin® (Elanco Animal 
Health) at 30 g/ton of DM and Tylan® 
(Elanco Animal Health) was included at 8.8 
g/ton of DM. Steers were implanted with 
from 0 to 40% inclusion in replacement 
of alfalfa hay in the diet, over a period of 
21 days and 4 steps. Treatment silage was 
included in diets at 21- d post- harvest at 
the initiation of the second adaptation 
period. Treatments were arranged as a 2×3 
factorial, that consisted of kernel process-
ing (kernel processed or not), and three 
Table 2. Nutrient and fermentation analysis of silage hybrids1
Item
CON bm3 bm3- EXP
- KP +KP - KP +KP - KP +KP
DM2 39.3 36.7 38.2 35.6 38.5 36.4
CP 8.10 8.09 9.28 8.76 9.07 8.31
NDF, % 43.4 44.3 45.6 44.9 46.2 47.3
ADF, % 33.5 33.1 32.2 30.3 32.7 30.4
Starch, % 33.1 34.1 30.2 32.1 29.8 31.4
pH 3.9 3.9 4.2 4.0 3.9 3.9
Lactic acid, % 6.37 5.28 2.51 5.46 5.52 5.48
Acetic acid, % 1.12 1.46 5.00 2.95 2.07 1.63
Propionic acid, % 0.02 0.01 0.21 0.23 0.08 0.00
Butyric acid, % 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Total Acids, % 7.51 6.76 7.71 8.64 7.67 7.12
1 Treatments were control (CON; hybrid- TMF2H708), a bm3 hybrid (bm3; hybrid- F15579S2), and an experimental bm3 hybrid 
(bm3- EXP; hybrid- F15578XT) with a softer endosperm, and not kernel processed (- KP) and kernel processed (+KP)
2DM was calculated using weekly samples and oven dried for 48 h at 60°C.
Note: Fermentation analysis was conducted only on d 21 silage samples. All other analyses (DM, CP, NDF, ADF, starch) are based 
on composites of weekly samples taken during the finishing trial, and analyzed at Dairyland Labs (St. Cloud, MN).
Table 3. Main effect of corn silage hybrid on cattle performance and carcass characteristics.
Item
Treatment1
SEM P- Value2Control bm3 bm3- EXP
Pens 12 12 12
Performance
Initial BW, lb 882 882 882 11.8 1.00
Final BW, lb3 1310a 1347ab 1354b 13.7 0.07
DMI, lb/day 31.3a 32.4b 32.8b 0.33 0.01
ADG, lb3 4.12a 4.47b 4.54b 0.058 0.01
Feed:Gain3 7.58a 7.24b 7.22b - 0.04
883 882 882 11.7 1.00
Carcass Characteristics
HCW, lb 826a 849ab 853b 8.7 0.07
LM Area, in2 12.5 12.5 12.5 0.09 0.99
Marbling Score4 476a 516b 511b 7.1 0.01
Backfat Thickness, in 0.54 0.58 0.56 0.015 0.20
Liver Abscesses, % 9.09 4.73 6.46 2.86 0.56
a,bMeans with different superscripts differ ( P < 0.05).
1 Treatments were control (CON; hybrid- TMF2H708), a bm3 hybrid (bm3; hybrid- F15579S2), and an experimental bm3 hybrid 
(bm3- EXP; hybrid- F15578XT) with a softer endosperm
2P- value for the main effect of corn silage hybrid
3Calculated from hot carcass weight, adjusted to a common 63% dressing percentage
4Marbling Score 400- Small00, 500 = Modest00
2018 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report · 91 
No differences were observed between steers 
fed processed silage versus not for HCW, 
marbling score or rib- eye area (P ≥ 0.78). 
Kernel processing of corn silage when fed at 
40% of the diet appeared to have a positive 
effect on F:G of finishing feedlot steers 
compared to non- kernel processed silages. 
Feeding kernel processed silage resulted in a 
2.6% improvement in efficiency when diets 
included 40% silage, suggesting the silage 
was improved by 6.5% (2.6/0.40) compared 
to not processing silage.
Conclusion
Feeding finishing cattle brown midrib 
corn silages improved ADG and F:G over 
the traditional silage when fed at 40% of the 
diet. Numerically, feeding bm3- EXP silage 
with a softer endosperm had the greatest 
ADG and lowest F:G, but was not statisti-
cally different from bm3. Using kernel pro-
cessing in corn silage did not interact with 
hybrid, but improved feed efficiency by 2.6% 
when fed at 40% of diet DM, suggesting a 
6.5% improvement in the silage as a feed.
Lauren A. Ovinge, graduate student
F. Henry Hilscher, research technician
Curtis J. Bittner, research technician
Bradley M. Boyd, research technician
John N. Anderson, Mycogen Seeds, 
Indianapolis Ind.
Galen E. Erickson, professor, Animal 
Science, University of Nebraska, Lincoln 
Neb.
The bm3- EXP with softer endosperm did 
not have any statistical benefit over bm3.
Kernel Processing
For the main effect of kernel processing, 
steers fed kernel processed silage had lower 
DMI (0.82 lb/day less) than steers fed silage 
that was not processed (P = 0.04; Table 3). 
With no difference in ADG (P = 0.93), this 
resulted in a tendency for lower F:G for 
steers feed kernel processed silage (P = 0.10). 
had similar F:G compared to bm3- EXP (P 
= 0.88), but lower (7.24) than CON (P = 
0.04). Likewise, HCW of bm3- EXP steers 
showed a tendency (P = 0.07) for them to 
weigh 44 lb more than CON steers, with 
bm3 steers being intermediate. There were 
no differences in carcass characteristics 
or liver scores (P ≥ 0.20), other than 
marbling scores which were greater for 
bm3 and bm3- EXP compared to CON fed 
steers. These results suggest the bm3 and 
bm3- EXP hybrids improved performance. 
Table 4. Main effect of kernel processing on growth performance and carcass characteristics
Item
Treatment1
SEM P- value2- KP +KP
Pens, n 18 18
Performance
Initial BW, lb 882 882 9.6 0.99
Final BW, lb3 1337 1338 11.2 0.96
DMI, lb/day 32.6 31.8 0.27 0.04
ADG, lb3 4.38 4.38 0.047 0.93
Feed:Gain3 7.45 7.24 - 0.10
Carcass Characteristics
HCW, lb 842 843 7.1 0.96
LM Area, in2 12.5 12.5 0.07 0.78
Marbling Score4 501 501 5.9 0.97
Backfat Thickness, in 0.56 0.56 0.012 0.70
Liver Abscesses, % 4.60 9.23 2.32 0.34
1Treatments were not kernel processed (- KP) or kernel processed (+KP)
2P- Value for the main effect of kernel processing
3Calculated from hot carcass weight, adjusted to a common 63% dressing percentage
4Marbling Score 400 = Small00, 500 = Modest00


Effects of Kernel Processing at Harvest of Brown Midrib Corn Silage on Finishing Performance of Steers

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska

University of Nebraska - LincolnDigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - LincolnNebraska Beef Cattle Reports Animal Science Department2018Effects of Kernel Processing at Harvest of BrownMidrib Corn Silage on Finishing Performance ofSteersLauren A. OvingeUniversity of Nebraska - LincolnF. Henry HilscherUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln, henry.hilscher@unl.eduCurtis J. Bittner BittnerUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln, curtis.bittner@unl.eduBradley M. BoydUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln, bboyd4@unl.eduJohn N. AndersonMycogen SeedsSee next page for additional authorsFollow this and additional works at: https://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.Ovinge, Lauren A.; Hilscher, F. Henry; Bittner, Curtis J. Bittner; Boyd, Bradley M.; Anderson, John N.; and Erickson, Galen E.,"Effects of Kernel Processing at Harvest of Brown Midrib Corn Silage on Finishing Performance of Steers" (2018). Nebraska BeefCattle Reports. 966.https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr/966AuthorsLauren A. Ovinge, F. Henry Hilscher, Curtis J. Bittner Bittner, Bradley M. Boyd, John N. Anderson, and GalenE. EricksonThis article is available at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/animalscinbcr/9662018 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report · 89 ©  The Board Regents of the University of  Nebraska. All rights reserved.hybrid F15579S2), and an experimental brown midrib hybrid (bm3- EXP; hybrid- F15578XT) that has a softer endosperm. Dry matter samples were taken from each truckload of corn silage and dried in a 60°C forced- air oven for 48 h to determine DM of the silage at harvest. Each corn silage hybrid was split into two within the field, one being chopped to 19- mm chop length with 2- mm kernel processing, and the other chopped at 19- mm chop length, with no kernel processing. Silages were stored in sealed AgBags® and opened after 21 d, silage was sampled for fermentation analysis and DM (forced air oven at 60°C). All feeds were sampled weekly for DM, and monthly composites were analyzed for nutrient composition.Crossbred yearling steers (n=360; initial BW 882 ± 16.6 lb) were sorted into 2 BW blocks and assigned randomly to one of 36 pens (10 steers/pen) 17 days after harvest of the silage. The light block included 3 replications, and the heavy block included 3 replications. All steers were limit- fed a common diet of 50% alfalfa hay and 50% SweetBran® at 2% of BW for 5 days prior to the initiation of the trial to minimize gut fill. Initial BW was measured on two consecutive days and averaged. Adapta-tion diets included 30% MDGS, 25% and DRC, 5% supplement with silage increasing HCW compared to silage hybrids without a brown midrib trait (2018 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report pp.85–87). Some research in-dicates utilizing kernel processing at harvest may improve corn silage starch digestibility, presumably by reducing kernel size and in-creasing surface area for ruminal microbes. While starch digestibility is improved, a decrease in fiber digestibility has been ob-served, negating the positive effects of the kernel processing, resulting in no change in DM digestibility. Kernel processing also adds an extra cost to silage production, increasing equipment requirements due to the processor. The objectives of this exper-iment were to determine whether kernel processing is beneficial in finishing feedlot diets containing 40% of corn silage hybrids with brown midrib traits or brown midrib with a softer endosperm.ProcedureCorn silage was harvested at the Eastern Nebraska Research and Education Center (ENREC) near Mead, Nebraska, between September 2 and 12, 2016. Corn silage harvest was initiated when the field was approximately ¾ milkline and 37% DM. The three hybrids (Mycogen® seeds) utilized were a control (CON; hybrid TMF2H708), a brown midrib hybrid (bm3; Effects of Kernel Processing at Harvest of Brown Midrib  Corn Silage on Finishing Performance of SteersLauren A. OvingeF. Henry HilscherCurtis J. BittnerBradley M. BoydJohn N. AndersonGalen E. EricksonSummary with ImplicationsA 2 × 3 factorial finishing study evaluated kernel processing in three corn silage hybrids on finishing performance of yearling steers fed 40% silage. The three hybrids included a control corn silage (CON), a brown midrib (bm3), and a brown midrib with a softer endosperm (bm3- EXP). No interactions were observed between hybrids and kernel process-ing (P > 0.45). Feeding both bm3 hybrids increased dry matter intake and average daily gain over CON (P < 0.01). Cattle fed bm3- EXP and bm3 had lower feed to gain than CON (P = 0.04), with no differences between the two brown midrib hybrids. Feeding silage that has undergone kernel processing decreased dry matter intake with similar average daily gain, which decreased feed to gain by 2.6% at 40% inclusion compared to non- processed silage (P = 0.10). The improvement in silage is calculated to be 6.5% (2.6/40) when kernel processing was utilized as compared to not kernel processing the corn silage hybrids.IntroductionCorn silage is utilized in the beef and dairy industry as a roughage source, and increasing nutrient availability of the corn silage through new hybrids and process-ing methods can improve feed quality for cattle. Brown midrib hybrids of silage have a lower lignin concentration resulting in improvement of fiber digestibility (2018 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report, pp.49–51). Feeding brown midrib corn silage at 45% in finishing diets resulted in greater ADG and Table 1. Diet composition (DM Basis) for beef cattle fed three different corn silage hybrids1 that had been kernel processed (+KP) or not (- KP).ItemCON bm3 bm3- EXP- KP +KP - KP +KP - KP +KPCON Corn Silage 40.0 40.0bm3 Corn Silage 40.0 40.0bm3- EXP Corn Silage 40.0 40.0Modified distillers grains 30.0 30.0 30.0 30.0 30.0 30.0Dry- rolled corn 25.0 25.0 25.0 25.0 25.0 25.0Supplement2 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.01 Treatments were control (CON; hybrid- TMF2H708), a bm3 hybrid (bm3; hybrid- F15579S2), and an experimental bm3 hybrid (bm3- EXP; hybrid- F15578XT) with a softer endosperm2 Supplement formulated to be fed at 5% of diet DM, Supplement consisted of 2.98% fine ground corn, 1.50% limestone, 0.125% tallow, 0.30% salt, 0.05% trace mineral package, 0.015% Vitamin A- D- E package as a percentage of the final diet. It was also formulated for 30 g/ton Rumensin®(Elanco Animal Health, DM Basis) and 8.8 g/ton Tylan® (Elanco Animal Health, DM basis).90 · 2018 Nebraska Beef Cattle ReportComponent 200® (Elanco Animal Health) on d 1. Steers were fed for 104 days prior to harvest. Steers were shipped in the evening and harvested the following morning. The day of harvest, HCW were recorded, and carcass- adjusted final BW was calculated from a common 63% dressing percentage. The carcass adjusted final body weight was used to determine ADG and F:G. Carcass characteristics included marbling score, 12th rib fat thickness, and LM area, which were recorded after a 48- h chill.Data were analyzed using the PROC MIXED procedures of SAS (SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, N.C.) as a randomized block design with pen as the experimental unit and block as a fixed effect. Liver scores were analyzed as a binomial distribution using PROC GLIMMIX procedures of SAS (SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, N.C.). The treatment design was a 2 × 3 factorial, and data was analyzed first as an interaction to determine whether simple effects of kernel processing within hybrid are compared, or whether main effects of each factor were analyzed. No significant interactions were observed (P > 0.45), so main effects of hybrid and kernel processing were evaluated.ResultsCorn silage analysis is shown in Table 2. Fermentation analyses show the 6 silage samples had a pH below 4.2 and total acids were greater than 7.1%. Acid detergent fiber, the cellulose and lignin portion of the plant, was numerically lower for bm3 and bm3- EXP silages compared to the CON, shown in Table 2.Corn Silage HybridThere were no interactions between corn hybrid and kernel processing for any of the growth performance parameters measured (P > 0.45). For the main effects of corn hybrid, final BW had a tendency to be greater for bm3- EXP hybrid com-pared to CON silage, with the bm3 being intermediate (P = 0.07). Dry matter intake was similar between bm3 and bm3- EXP hybrids, and were greater than CON- fed steers (P < 0.01). Cattle fed bm3 and bm3- EXP had greater ADG compared to CON (P < 0.01). Due to increased gain, steers fed bm3- EXP had lower F:G at 7.22 compared to CON at 7.60. Steers fed bm3 corn silage hybrids (CON, bm3, bm3- EXP; Table 1). Corn silage was included at 40% in the final diets and modified distillers grains plus solubles included at 30%. All steers were fed Rumensin® (Elanco Animal Health) at 30 g/ton of DM and Tylan® (Elanco Animal Health) was included at 8.8 g/ton of DM. Steers were implanted with from 0 to 40% inclusion in replacement of alfalfa hay in the diet, over a period of 21 days and 4 steps. Treatment silage was included in diets at 21- d post- harvest at the initiation of the second adaptation period. Treatments were arranged as a 2×3 factorial, that consisted of kernel process-ing (kernel processed or not), and three Table 2. Nutrient and fermentation analysis of silage hybrids1ItemCON bm3 bm3- EXP- KP +KP - KP +KP - KP +KPDM2 39.3 36.7 38.2 35.6 38.5 36.4CP 8.10 8.09 9.28 8.76 9.07 8.31NDF, % 43.4 44.3 45.6 44.9 46.2 47.3ADF, % 33.5 33.1 32.2 30.3 32.7 30.4Starch, % 33.1 34.1 30.2 32.1 29.8 31.4pH 3.9 3.9 4.2 4.0 3.9 3.9Lactic acid, % 6.37 5.28 2.51 5.46 5.52 5.48Acetic acid, % 1.12 1.46 5.00 2.95 2.07 1.63Propionic acid, % 0.02 0.01 0.21 0.23 0.08 0.00Butyric acid, % 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00Total Acids, % 7.51 6.76 7.71 8.64 7.67 7.121 Treatments were control (CON; hybrid- TMF2H708), a bm3 hybrid (bm3; hybrid- F15579S2), and an experimental bm3 hybrid (bm3- EXP; hybrid- F15578XT) with a softer endosperm, and not kernel processed (- KP) and kernel processed (+KP)2DM was calculated using weekly samples and oven dried for 48 h at 60°C.Note: Fermentation analysis was conducted only on d 21 silage samples. All other analyses (DM, CP, NDF, ADF, starch) are based on composites of weekly samples taken during the finishing trial, and analyzed at Dairyland Labs (St. Cloud, MN).Table 3. Main effect of corn silage hybrid on cattle performance and carcass characteristics.ItemTreatment1SEM P- Value2Control bm3 bm3- EXPPens 12 12 12PerformanceInitial BW, lb 882 882 882 11.8 1.00Final BW, lb3 1310a 1347ab 1354b 13.7 0.07DMI, lb/day 31.3a 32.4b 32.8b 0.33 0.01ADG, lb3 4.12a 4.47b 4.54b 0.058 0.01Feed:Gain3 7.58a 7.24b 7.22b - 0.04883 882 882 11.7 1.00Carcass CharacteristicsHCW, lb 826a 849ab 853b 8.7 0.07LM Area, in2 12.5 12.5 12.5 0.09 0.99Marbling Score4 476a 516b 511b 7.1 0.01Backfat Thickness, in 0.54 0.58 0.56 0.015 0.20Liver Abscesses, % 9.09 4.73 6.46 2.86 0.56a,bMeans with different superscripts differ ( P < 0.05).1 Treatments were control (CON; hybrid- TMF2H708), a bm3 hybrid (bm3; hybrid- F15579S2), and an experimental bm3 hybrid (bm3- EXP; hybrid- F15578XT) with a softer endosperm2P- value for the main effect of corn silage hybrid3Calculated from hot carcass weight, adjusted to a common 63% dressing percentage4Marbling Score 400- Small00, 500 = Modest002018 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report · 91 No differences were observed between steers fed processed silage versus not for HCW, marbling score or rib- eye area (P ≥ 0.78). Kernel processing of corn silage when fed at 40% of the diet appeared to have a positive effect on F:G of finishing feedlot steers compared to non- kernel processed silages. Feeding kernel processed silage resulted in a 2.6% improvement in efficiency when diets included 40% silage, suggesting the silage was improved by 6.5% (2.6/0.40) compared to not processing silage.ConclusionFeeding finishing cattle brown midrib corn silages improved ADG and F:G over the traditional silage when fed at 40% of the diet. Numerically, feeding bm3- EXP silage with a softer endosperm had the greatest ADG and lowest F:G, but was not statisti-cally different from bm3. Using kernel pro-cessing in corn silage did not interact with hybrid, but improved feed efficiency by 2.6% when fed at 40% of diet DM, suggesting a 6.5% improvement in the silage as a feed.Lauren A. Ovinge, graduate studentF. Henry Hilscher, research technicianCurtis J. Bittner, research technicianBradley M. Boyd, research technicianJohn N. Anderson, Mycogen Seeds, Indianapolis Ind.Galen E. Erickson, professor, Animal Science, University of Nebraska, Lincoln Neb.The bm3- EXP with softer endosperm did not have any statistical benefit over bm3.Kernel ProcessingFor the main effect of kernel processing, steers fed kernel processed silage had lower DMI (0.82 lb/day less) than steers fed silage that was not processed (P = 0.04; Table 3). With no difference in ADG (P = 0.93), this resulted in a tendency for lower F:G for steers feed kernel processed silage (P = 0.10). had similar F:G compared to bm3- EXP (P = 0.88), but lower (7.24) than CON (P = 0.04). Likewise, HCW of bm3- EXP steers showed a tendency (P = 0.07) for them to weigh 44 lb more than CON steers, with bm3 steers being intermediate. There were no differences in carcass characteristics or liver scores (P ≥ 0.20), other than marbling scores which were greater for bm3 and bm3- EXP compared to CON fed steers. These results suggest the bm3 and bm3- EXP hybrids improved performance. Table 4. Main effect of kernel processing on growth performance and carcass characteristicsItemTreatment1SEM P- value2- KP +KPPens, n 18 18PerformanceInitial BW, lb 882 882 9.6 0.99Final BW, lb3 1337 1338 11.2 0.96DMI, lb/day 32.6 31.8 0.27 0.04ADG, lb3 4.38 4.38 0.047 0.93Feed:Gain3 7.45 7.24 - 0.10Carcass CharacteristicsHCW, lb 842 843 7.1 0.96LM Area, in2 12.5 12.5 0.07 0.78Marbling Score4 501 501 5.9 0.97Backfat Thickness, in 0.56 0.56 0.012 0.70Liver Abscesses, % 4.60 9.23 2.32 0.341Treatments were not kernel processed (- KP) or kernel processed (+KP)2P- Value for the main effect of kernel processing3Calculated from hot carcass weight, adjusted to a common 63% dressing percentage4Marbling Score 400 = Small00, 500 = Modest00

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Effects of Kernel Processing at Harvest of Brown Midrib Corn Silage on Finishing Performance of Steers

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