2019 Calf-fed Holstein Demonstration Results

Project summary

The PA Beef Producers Working Group, a collaboration of the PA Beef Council, Penn State Extension, Center for Beef Excellence, and the Pennsylvania Cattlemen's Association, with support from the PA Department of Agriculture, has completed the fourth year of the calf-fed Holsteins reared for beef demonstration, led by Penn State Extension. Just as it was done in previous years, the PA Beef Producers Working Group partnered with PA Department of Agriculture and JBS to provide the calf-fed Holstein demonstration and offered tours of the demonstration in conjunction with Ag Progress Days.

Sourcing

All Holsteins (77 head) were co-mingled from several dairies and auctions. These calves were housed together with a calf grower for the first approximately 10 months of life. Thus, calves moved through multiple facilities, prior to being placed on trial at the PDA Livestock Evaluation Center (LEC) in May, 2019. Calves weighed 995 ± 157 lbs. upon arrival and averaged 12 months old. Prior to feedlot entry, steers were already started on grain and consuming approximately 10 lbs. of grain per head per day. At the start of the trial, steers were stratified by body weight and randomly assigned to 2 groups. Group one was fed a diet consisting of dry rolled corn (DRC). Group two was fed a diet consisting of whole kernel, dry shelled corn (WSC). In addition to the corn treatments, steers within treatment were split into 2 implant treatment groups. Group A was implanted with Revalor XS (200mg of trenbolone acetate and 40mg of estradiol; Merck Animal Health, Madison, NJ) on day 1 and received no additional implant. Group B was implanted with Revalor IS (80mg of trenbolone acetate and 16mg estradiol; Merck Animal Health) on day 1 and again on day 56. Steers were fed a 62 Mcal ration (containing hay, corn, dried distillers grains, and minerals) for 112 days.

Growth Performance

Throughout their time on feed, cattle consumed an average of 25.5 lbs of feed (DM basis) per day, regardless of whether DRC or WSC was fed and regardless of implant strategy. Similarly, implant and corn type, DRC or WSC had no effect on average daily gain over the course of the trial and steers averaged 3.9 lbs. per day over the 112 days on feed (Table 1). Due to the lack of difference in intake and average daily gain, steers fed WSC and DRC had similar feed-to-gain conversions, regardless of implant strategy. These steers put on 1 lb. of gain for every 6.5 lbs. of dry matter they consumed.

Carcass Characteristics

Implants, particularly stronger implants, like Revalor XS, can have a reputation for reducing carcass quality and impacting economics as a result. In the current calf-fed Holstein trial, there were no differences relative to implant strategy on carcass ribeye area, dressing percentage, back fat thickness, or yield grade. In addition, there was no difference between implant strategies in the price returned to the carcass.

What was interesting in this study, is that corn grain processing method did impact carcass characteristics. Steers that were fed WSC had greater ribeye area and less back fat than those steers that were fed DRC. The combination of these 2 traits ultimately results in lower yield grade for Holsteins steers fed WSC when compared to those fed DRC. On the USDA Yield and Quality grade grid used in the United States, a lower yield grade is typically more beneficial economically. However, despite the significant differences between steers fed WSC and DRC, carcass prices were similar.

Discussion of Success

Processing feed can be a tremendous input cost. These results suggest that Holstein steers, fed limited amounts of hay, may be fed WSC, with no need to process that grain, and achieve similar growth performance results to steers fed more processed feeds, without inhibiting desirable carcass attributes.

Another tremendous input cost on beef cattle operations is time. Revalor XS is labeled for 200 days payout in beef breeds. While Revalor IS is labeled for a 100-day payout, our research in 2018 suggested that implants of similar potency may be spent within 56 days in Holsteins, warranting earlier reimplanting. Therefore, steers were reimplanted within 56 days, despite the predicted payout window in beef breeds. In this case, reimplanting offered no advantage over the 200-day implant. In addition, the 200-day implant did not negatively impact carcass prices. Therefore, these data suggest that the longer acting implant may be used one time to reduce labor costs of reimplanting. 

As usual, and as in previous years, excellent management played a role in the performance of these calves. The staff at the LEC ensured that calves always had fresh feed in front of them. In addition to feed and management, is should be noted that the facility affords ample space to individual animals with large indoor pens as well as mounded, outdoor lots. This more than adequate spacing may have masked any issues with riding that can sometimes be observed in Holsteins when more potent implants are used.

Again, this year, calf-fed Holstein steers fed in the PDA LEC system performed phenomenally well, regardless of either dietary or implant treatment. As with 2018, the volatility of the calf-fed Holstein market cannot be ignored. Prior to establishing calf-fed Holsteins in the feedlot, or any part of the production chain, producers are urged to pencil all costs in their own system to determine the profit margins expected. In the end, even excellent performance cannot outrun a tight market.