Grain Finishing Beef: Alternative Rations, Cattle Performance and Feeding Costs for Small Feeders

Introduction Even though many of the cattle finished in the United States are fed in large feedlots there are still many small finishing operations that lack the equipment and facilities of commercial feedlots and there are individuals that have an interest in fattening their own beef; 4-H projects or locker beef are prime examples. When finishing cattle, the nutritional requirements do not vary from large feeders to small feeders. However, a ration that is economically optimal for large feedlots may not be practical or economical for individuals who are only feeding one, two or maybe even a couple hundred head. In the U. S. corn is the staple feed for fattening cattle. However, barley plays a key role as a feed grain in the Great Lakes region, the Northern Plains, the Mountain States, and the Pacific Northwest. Many research trials and years of experience by cattle feeders have documented that cattle average daily gains (ADG) are increased and that the amount of feed required for a pound of gain is decreased when grain is processed before feeding. Steam flaked corn has been shown to increase ADG by 5-19% depending upon overall ration and size and age of the cattle being fed (Zinn et al. and Corona et al.) In a study by Toland, it was found that digestibility of barley increased from 53% for whole barley to 85% for rolled barley which resulted in increased ADG and improved feed efficiency. Obviously there is a cost to flake grain. A study in Nebraska found that for even relatively small feedlots, 5000 head capacity, there was an economic advantage if they had their own mill to steam flake corn rather than feeding it whole (Macken et al.). That economic advantage only increased for larger feedlots. Does that economic advantage still hold for an individual who may only be feeding a few head and who must pay to have someone else process the grain? Most feedlots feed a complete mixed ration. The ration may include flaked corn or rolled barley, silage, ground hay, distillers grains, soybean meal, mineral supplements and other feed ingredients based on availability and costs. All of these ingredients are weighed and mixed and then fed in a uniform ration. By contrast, many small feeders may feed long stem hay and either dump the grain over the top of the hay or feed it in separate bunks. Are there the same ADG and feed efficiency differences between whole corn and steam flaked corn or rolled barley in these simple rations as in complete feedlot rations?