Kickstart your beef feeding season

The prospects for beef prices over the coming months remain good. Demand for cattle is extremely strong at present, and there is every likelihood of this remaining the case through Christmas and beyond. As a consequence, the challenge facing beef finishers is converting all of this potential into profitable reality.

Managing cattle during the arrival period is critically important. This is when newly purchased animals are getting used to their new surroundings while at the same time being mixed with stock from other farms. Cattle coming home from marts or off grass that are being housed in sheds for finishing are subject to several stress factors, such as weaning, mixing with new groups, new surroundings and changes in their diet.

The core objective during this two- to three-week arrival period is to minimise stress levels. Stress predisposes cattle to respiratory diseases. If this problem manifests itself, it can lead to significantly reduced performance and enhanced mortality levels.

Ideally, newly purchased stock should be placed in straw-bedded pens that are separate from the other cattle on the farm. Each animal should be given plenty of room, and this includes the provision of sufficient space to allow all stock to feed at the same time. An adequate water supply is crucial, and it is important that all drinkers are checked before newly purchased animals arrive. A 450-kilogram store animal will drink 50 litres of water per day.

Animals should be housed in pens that are well-ventilated and draught-free. This ensures that respiratory problems do not arise. Good ventilation will also keep ammonia at minimal levels, which will prevent feed intake levels from being impacted.

Having an animal health plan in place is a fundamental requirement for all groups of finishing animals. Covering all aspects of vaccination and dosing policy, this plan should be agreed upon with a veterinarian prior to the animals’ arrival.

From a nutritional perspective, the key to the arrival period is ensuring that rumen function is maximised. A transition diet containing high levels of fibre and high-quality ingredients that are extremely palatable is recommended. The inclusion of the yeast source Yea-Sacc® will also help boost rumen function.

Yea-Sacc has been proven, courtesy of several independent university trials, to increase daily liveweight gain more efficiently, with 10 percent more beef secured at the end of the finishing period. Animals that come under stress excrete significantly higher levels of minerals in their urine than would normally be the case. Given these circumstances, a bespoke, high-quality mineral package should be included in the diets fed to newly arrived store and weanling cattle.

Getting cattle off to the best possible start and creating the opportunity where they can perform to their maximum potential is key in terms of achieving better profits on beef farms. If this key arrival period is not managed correctly, animals will not reach their full potential, resulting in a longer finishing period and higher feed costs.

Alltech, a leading producer and processor of yeast and organic trace minerals, discovers and delivers solutions for the sustainable nutrition of plants, animals and people.