C2-Lancast«r Fanning, Saturday, May 27, 1995
RESEARCH
ROUNDUP
Hay And Corn
Supplements For
Wintering Beef Cows
Two trials recently have shown
the value of using com as an ener
gy source of beef pows during the
winter. We often see the circum
stance where feed eneigy in com
may be priced more cheaply than
the energy in hay. Since the cow
presumably does not care where
the energy comes from as long as
she gets it, the corn diets may be
cheaper.
Ohio workers (Leorch, et al,
1995) reported comparisons of calf
productivity and cow condition
scores for cows limit-fed com with
hay with cows that had ad libidum
access to hay. Cows on com diets
were fed about 10 pounds of com
daily, 2.6 pounds of a protein sup
plement, and about 3 pounds of
hay. Cows on hay only consumed
32 pounds of hay daily.
Their results indicated cows on
com gained more weight, but there
was no difference in body condi
tion score of cows or calf weaning
weight for the two treatments.
Feed costs per day were signific
antly lower for cows on com with
prices assigned at $2.00 per bushel
for com and $BO per ton for hay
($.77 vs. $1.50 per day for corn
fed and hay-fed, respectively.)
An Dlinois study (Tjardes et al,
1995) compared whole and
cracked com with hay diets in a
similar study. Their results showed
whole com would be just as effec
tive as cracked com for cows.
There were also no differences in
cow body condition scores, calf
weaning weights, or subsequent
rebreeding rates among the three
treatments.
Early Weaning
An Ohio study (Johnson et al,
1995) has shown an advantage in
calf gain for early-weaned beef;
steers. Early weaning is a useful
management tool when the price of
grain is relatively low, there is a
restriction on forage availability
for cows nursing calves, or there is
a lack of milk production from
cows for any reason.
Certain price and weather sce
narios would encourage the use of
early weaning. For example, a loc
ally dry fall that would inhibit
grass growth coupled with low
grain prices would encourage
weaning calves early, feeding
them grain with or withoutpasture,
and using alternative forage sour
ces to maintain weight on cows.
The Ohio researchers found
steers weaned early (100 days of
age) and placed on feed gained fas
ter and were fatter than calves that
remained with their dams until
normal weaning time. Heifers that
were early weaned and fed a diet
which would project 1.75 pounds
per gain daily while on pasture
until normal weaning dates actual
ly gained 1.62 pounds daily, indi
cating adequate gains would
require more grain than
anticipated.
Our work at Penn State last year
with early weaned calves showed
that these calves have a relatively
high energy and protein require
ment if they are to grow at a rate
similar to calves that remain with
the cow. Our results showed that
early weaned calves on high qual
ity grass-legume pastures would
gain about 1 pound daily less than
calves on similar pastures with
their dams.
The availability of good pasture
and a feed delivery system for ear
ly weaned calves can be cost
effective when grain is priced low
er and hay or grass for cows is at a
premium.
Protein Source
For Holstein Steers
We have been studying ways to
make Holsteins more economical
to feed for a number of years. A
current project is investigating the
role of pasture as a source of feed
for growing Holstein steers and the
subsequent effect on feedlot per
formance and carcass quality. Part
of that work is comparing steers
that have access to rumen bypass
protein while on pasture.
The work done here by Brian
House (1991) showed there was an
advantage in carcass grade for
steers fed bypass protein during
the growing phase. Preliminary
results in the current pasture study
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have shown this may again be true.
A study in Illinois (Hussein et
al., 1995) compared soybean meal
and soybean meal+urea as protein
sources, and compared 4 levels of
rumen-protected methionine and
lysine (amino acids that are usually
limited in grain diets.) Their
results indicated there was no dif
ference in feedlot performance or
carcass quality among the different
protein and amino acid sources.
This implies that diets may for
mulated to use urea to provide part
of the protein requirement, and this
will usually be cheaper than when
soybean meal provides all of the
protein. Secondly, this also implies
the advantage we have seen with
rumen-bypass proteins in the
growing phase on carcass quality
may not be due to higher availabil
ity of certain amino acids. The rea
son for the advantage is not yet
known.
Cattlemen’s
Field Day
The Pennsylvania Cattlemen’s
Association summer field day will
be held at the Maytown Picnic
Grounds in Lancaster County on
Saturday, June 17.
Everyone is invited to attend.
The program will include tours
of three local feedlots that are
using some unique management
and cost-saving practices. There
will also be activities for children
and tours of local attractions for
those not interested in seeing the
feedlots.
It will be a fun day for the whole
family, so make plans now to
attend. For more information, con
tact Joan Potter at the PCA office,
(814) 692-4208.
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