Livestock news: Missing early growth potential undermines beef profitability

This is the warning from KW nutritionist Charlotte Ward, who says these cattle are also harder to finish to market requirements, reducing income and further eroding margins.

She says: “Time to slaughter, quality of finish and total feed cost are three critical factors which have a major impact on beef margins and overall unit profitability.

“Maximising early liveweight gain, when feed is converted into growth most efficiently, is one of the most cost-effective ways to improve all three factors.

“But remember, the aim is for lean [muscle] growth and LWG, so it is also important to minimise fat deposition during that early growth phase.”

Ms Ward explains fast rates of lean tissue growth can only be achieved when the animal’s requirement for metabolisable protein (MP) is consistently met.

That MP supply comes from a combination of rumen microbial protein and rumen-bypass protein, so the key to driving early lean growth is to ensure a good supply of both by feeding higher quality protein during the first five months.

“Increasing ration rumen-bypass protein levels not only increases overall MP levels, but also acts as an insurance to maintain MP supply whenever rumen fermentation is compromised,” Ms Ward says.

“This often happens following the stress of weaning, changes in social hierarchy or excess heat in summer, for example, so the improved MP supply is critical until animals are fully weaned, growing well and settled into new groups.”

Ms Ward explains the traditional approach to grower ration formulation is to focus on low-cost protein sources to top up crude protein (CP) levels to the typical 15-17 per cent target.