SOUTHEAST AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH CENTER BEEF CATTLE RESEARCH PROGRAM Lyle Lomas SEARC Head & Animal Scientist

COLLABORATORS Joe Moyer, Forage Agronomist, SEARC Jaymelynn Farney, Southeast Area Beef Systems Specialist

SEARC BEEF CATTLE RESEARCH STOCKER CATTLE INTRODUCED FORAGE SPECIES GRAZING PERFORMANCE SUBSEQUENT FINISHING PERFORMANCE INDIVIDUAL CARCASS DATA

INTRODUCED FORAGES Tall fescue Bermudagrass Smooth bromegrass Crabgrass Legumes Ladino clover Red clover Lespedeza

SEARC BEEF CATTLE RESEARCH FOCUS AREAS EVALUATION OF VARIOUS FORAGES AND/OR FORAGE SYSTEMS SUPPLEMENTATION OF GRAZING STOCKER CATTLE

EFFECT OF VARIOUS FORAGE SYSTEMS ON GRAZING AND SUBSEQUENT FINISHING PERFORMANCE

FORAGE SYSTEMS Tall fescue with non-toxic endophyte (MaxQ) Midland 99 bermudagrass + wheat double-crop system Red River crabgrass + wheat double-crop system

EFFECT OF FORAGE SYSTEM ON GRAZING PERFORMANCE MaxQ WhBerm WhCrab No. of days 195 150 150 Initial wt, lb 638 638 638 End wt, lb 946 938 953 Gain, lb 308 300 315 Daily gain, lb 1.58a 2.00b 2.10b Gain/acre, lb 308 300 315

EFFECT OF FORAGE SYSTEM ON FINISHING PERFORMANCE MaxQ WhBerm WhCrab No. of days 98 100 100 End wt, lb 1367 1355 1392 Daily gain, lb 4.30 4.13 4.36 Feed:gain 6.65 6.60 6.43 OA gain, lb 729 717 755 OA daily gain, lb 2.51a 2.78b 2.92b

Summary Total grazing gain was similar between the various forage systems. Cattle grazing wheat + bermudagrass and wheat + crabgrass had a greater grazing ADG and overall ADG with those that grazed tall fescue with the non-toxic endophyte. Forage system had no effect on finishing performance or carcass traits.

WHY SUPPLEMENT GRAZING CATTLE? Forage supplies are limited. Forage is deficient in one or more nutrients. Delivery of feed additives for animal health, parasite control, etc. To increase body weight gain. Value of supplementation is expected to exceed the cost. Improve carcass quality?

EFFECTS OF CULTIVAR AND DISTILLERS GRAINS SUPPLEMENTATION ON GRAZING AND SUBSEQUENT FINISHING PERFORMANCE OF STOCKER STEERS GRAZING TALL FESCUE PASTURE

TALL FESCUE CULTIVARS Non-toxic endophyte Kentucky 31 MaxQ HM4 Endophyte-free Toxic endophyte (70%)

SUPPLEMENTATION TREATMENTS No supplement 1.25 acres/steer 30-46 lb of N fertilizer/a in fall DDG at 0.75% BW/hd/day 1 acre/steer No fall N applied

DDG AS N SOURCE DDG contains 4% N Approximately 90% of N consumed is excreted in urine and feces Steers consumed an average of 5.9 lb of DDG/hd/day during 196 day grazing phase Each steer returned 0.21 lb N/day to pasture (42 lb N/acre)

EFFECT OF DDG ON GRAZING PERFORMANCE (196 days) DDG (%BW/HD/DAY) 0 0.75 Final wt, lb 846a 979b Gain, lb 288a 420b Daily gain, lb 1.46a 2.17b Gain/acre, lb 230a 420b DDG/hd/day, lb 0 5.9 DDG/lb of extra gain - 6.1

EFFECT OF DDG ON FINISHING PERFORMANCE DDG (%BW/HD/DAY) 0 0.75 No. of days 112 105 Daily gain, lb 4.63a 4.28b Feed:gain 5.80 6.24 Hot carcass wt, lb 833a 877b Yield grade 2.7 2.9 % USDA Choice 95 99

SUMMARY Steers supplemented with DDG while grazing had greater (P<0.05) grazing gain than those that received no supplement. Pastures with supplemented steers produced greater (P<0.05) gain/acre than those with unsupplemented steers. Steers supplemented with DDG during the grazing phase had lower (P<0.05) finishing gains and higher (P<0.05) carcass weights than those that received no supplement.

EFFECT OF FESCUE CULTIVAR ON GRAZING PERFORMANCE (196 days) HE31 LE31 HM4 MAXQ Initial wt, lb 559 559 558 559 End wt, lb 825a 934b 942b 947b Gain, lb 266a 375b 384b 389b Daily gain, lb 1.33a 1.92b 1.97b 1.99b Gain/acre, lb 248a 344b 351b 356b

EFFECT OF FESCUE CULTIVAR ON FINISHING PERFORMANCE (108 days) HE31 LE31 HM4 MAXQ Initial wt, lb 825a 934b 942b 947b End wt, lb 1324 1408 1412 1438 Daily gain, lb 4.59 4.36 4.33 4.52 Feed:gain 5.67a 6.16b 6.15b 6.10b Hot carcass wt, lb 809a 863b 866b 882b Yield grade 2.7 2.8 2.8 2.8 % USDA Choice 97 94 98 98

SUMMARY Steers that grazed LE31, HM4, or MaxQ had greater (P<0.05) grazing gains than those that grazed HE31. LE31, HM4, or MaxQ produced more (P<0.05) gain/acre than HE31.

Steers that grazed LE31, HM4, or MaxQ had higher feed:gain and heavier carcass weight than those that grazed HE31. In 2011, 2012, and 2013, high endophyte pastures grazed by steers supplemented with DDG had less (P<0.05) available forage DM than high endophyte pastures grazed by unsupplemented steers.

EFFECT OF SUPPLEMENTATION DURING THE GRAZING PHASE ON QUALITY GRADE

EFFECT OF GRAIN SORGUM SUPPLEMENTATION ON GRAZING PERFORMANCE (207 days) Grain Sorghum Level (lb DM/hd/d) 0 1.8 3.6 Initial wt, lb 517 521 517 End wt, lb 849a 891b 917b Gain, lb 333a 370b 400b Daily gain, lb 1.63a 1.80b 1.94b Gain/acre, lb 267a 297b 321b

EFFECT OF GRAIN SORGUM SUPPLEMENTATION ON FINISHING PERFORMANCE (112 days) Grain Sorghum Level (lb DM/hd/d) 0 1.8 3.6 Initial wt, lb 849a 891b 917b End wt, lb 1250a 1301b 1304b Daily gain, lb 3.56 3.67 3.45 Hot carcass wt, lb 742a 773b 775b Marbling score 527a 537ab 554b % USDA Choice 78 78 87

SUMMARY Grain sorghum supplementation resulted in greater (P<0.05) grazing gain and greater (P<0.05) gain/acre. Cattle supplemented during the grazing phase maintained their weight advantage through the finishing phase, were heavier (P<0.05) at slaughter, and yielded heavier (P<0.05) carcasses than those that received no supplement.

Supplementation with 3.6 lb/day of grain sorghum during the grazing phase resulted in greater (P<0.05) marbling score than feeding no grazing supplement.

QUESTIONS

EFFECT OF INTERSEEDING LEGUMES INTO ENDOPHYTE-INFECTED TALL FESCUE PASTURES ON FORAGE PRODUCTION AND STEER PERFORMANCE

Why Interseed Legumes? Improve nutritive quality of pasture Increase gains of grazing livestock Reduce N fertilizer rates Increase profitability Reduce adverse effects of endophyte on animal performance “Repair” pastures with thin stands

Objective 1.To evaluate grazing and subsequent finishing performance of steers that grazed high-endophyte tall fescue pastures interseeded with lespedeza, red clover, or ladino clover. 2. To evaluate the effect of grazing on legume persistence.

Procedure 6 year grazing study Legumes planted each of first 3 years No legumes planted during final 3 years Pastures grazed from late March or early April to early Oct. or early Nov. Stocking rate of one steer (570 lb) per acre No supplemental protein or energy Measured legume cover, available forage, grazing and subsequent finishing performance

Legumes ‘Marion’ or ‘Korean’ lespedeza, 15 lb/a, $45 ‘Kenland’ red clover, 13 lb/a, $24 ‘Regal’ ladino clover, 4.7 lb/a, $15.50

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Legume Coverage (%) Lesp Red Ladino Year 4 0.2a 0.5a 9.4b

Grazing Daily Gain Lesp Red Ladino Year 1 1.18 1.06 1.17 Year 3 1.37a 1.46a 1.87b ---------------------------------------------------------------- Year 4 0.92a 1.03a 1.23b Year 5 0.97 1.01 0.99 Year 6 1.01 1.12 1.06

Cattle Performance Year 3 Lesp Red Ladino Grazing gain 301a 321a 411b Grazing ADG 1.37a 1.46a 1.87b Finishing gain 505 475 478 Finishing ADG 3.28 3.08 3.10 Total gain 806a 796a 889b Carcass wt. 781a 789a 858b

Cattle Performance Year 4 Lesp Red Ladino Grazing gain 207a 230a 276b Grazing ADG 0.92a 1.03a 1.23b Finishing gain 517ab 537a 492b Finishing ADG 3.37 3.48 3.19 Total gain 724 767 768 Carcass wt. 790 814 817

Conclusions Grazing gains were highly correlated with legume coverage. Legume treatment during the grazing phase had little effect on finishing performance or carcass traits.

To provide sufficient legume to improve performance of cattle grazing high endophyte tall fescue, lespedeza and red clover should be interseeded every year, and ladino clover should be interseeded at least every 2 years.

SUPPLEMENT CONVERSION Amount of supplement required for each additional lb of gain over that of unsupplemented control steers

KANSAS Eleven dry mill ethanol plants Capacity to produce 440 million gallons of ethanol annually Requires 157 million bushels of corn and grain sorghum annually (30% of total production) Yields approximately 1.5 million tons of dried distillers grains annually

DDG NUTRIENT COMPOSITION 3X nutrient value of corn 29.5% crude protein (72.8% UIP) 10.3% crude fat 0.83% phosphorus Complements nutrient composition of mature forages to meet requirements of grazing cattle Highly palatable

DDG FEEDING CONSIDERATIONS High in phosphorus (0.83%) Potential nutrient management problem in confined feeding – (3-4 X requirement) Asset for grazing cattle Ca:P ratio High in sulfur (0.40%) = max. tolerable level From grain and sulfuric acid Can be toxic when DDG fed at high levels Mycotoxins - aflatoxin

SMOOTH BROMEGRASS 2005-2007 Steer calves grazed from April 6 to October 3 (180 days) Continuous stocking rate of 0.8 steer per acre or 1.25 acres per steer (473 lb) Supplemented with 0, 0.5, or 1.0% body weight DDG/head/day (as-fed) – group fed meal in bunks

Three replicates (pastures) of each treatment. Steer gains and available forage were measured and the amount of DDG fed was adjusted every 28 days. No feed additives or implants were used during the grazing phase.

FINISHING PHASE Steers were implanted with Synovex-S. Steers were fed a finishing diet of 80% ground grain sorghum, 15% corn silage, and 5% supplement (DM basis) for 124 days. Steers were slaughtered and carcass data were collected.

SMOOTH BROMEGRASS 2005-2007 (180 days) DDG( %BW/hd/day) 0 0.5 1.0 Final wt, lb 738a 844b 871c Gain, lb 266a 371b 398c Daily gain, lb 1.48a 2.06b 2.21c Gain/acre, lb 213a 297b 318c Total DDG intake, lb 0 607 1211 Daily DDG intake, lb 0 3.4 6.7 DDG conversion ---- 5.9 10.0

FINISHING PEFORMANCE (124 days) DDG( %BW/hd/day) 0 0.5 1.0 Daily gain, lb 3.85a 3.67a,b 3.51b Feed:gain 6.73a 7.22b 7.63b Hot carcass wt, lb 727a 783b 795b Yield grade 2.7a 3.0b 3.1b Percent Choice 69 69 72 Marbling score SM26 SM40 SM54

SUPPLEMENTATION STRATEGY 2008-2010 Steer calves grazed smooth bromegrass pasture from April 6 to November 6 (214 days). Continuous stocking rate of 0.8 steer per acre or 1.25 acres per steer (initial wt. = 455 lb) Supplementation treatments were : No supplement 0.5% of body weight DDG/head/day (0.5C) No supplement for first 56 days, then 0.5% DDG/head/day for the final 168 days of the grazing phase (0.5D)

Steers were group fed DDG in meal form in bunks daily. Three replicates (pastures) of each treatment. Steer gains and available forage were measured every 28 days and the amount of DDG fed was adjusted. No feed additives or implants were used during the grazing phase.

FINISHING PHASE Steers were implanted with Synovex-S. Steers were fed a finishing diet of 80% whole-shelled corn, 15% corn silage, and 5% supplement (DM basis) for 108 days. Steers were slaughtered and carcass data were collected.

SUPPLEMENTATION STRATEGY Smooth Bromegrass (214 days) DDG( %BW/hd/day) 0 0.5C 0.5D Final wt., lb 785a 893b 887b Gain, lb 330a 438b 432b Daily gain, lb 1.55a 2.05b 2.02b Gain/acre, lb 264a 350b 346b Total DDG intake, lb 0 727 586 Daily DDG intake, lb 0 3.4 3.7 DDG conversion ---- 6.9 5.9

FINISHING PEFORMANCE (108 days) DDG( %BW/hd/day) 0 0.5C 0.5D Daily gain, lb 4.35a 4.00b 4.07b Feed:gain 5.67a 6.44b 6.24b Hot carcass wt, lb 741a 791b 797b Yield grade 2.9 2.8 2.9 Percent Choice 97 94 100 Marbling score MT23 MT28 MT40

NATIVE GRASS 2005 Epp et al. 2007, Manhattan, KS Big bluestem and Indian grass were dominant species, little bluestem and side oats grama were subdominant species. Yearling steers (573 lb) grazed from May 1 to August 3 (95 days) Pastures were double stocked (250 lb/acre for 90 days)

First 45 days (May 1-June 14) No supplement was fed. Oxytetracycline was offered in a mineral mix that was fed free-choice to control foot rot and pinkeye.

Last 50 days (June 15 – Aug. 1) Steers were supplemented with 0, 0.25, 0.5, or 0.75% body weight grain sorghum DDG/head/day (DM basis) – pellets fed in bunks Level of supplement was adjusted every 14 days based on a projected gain of 2.0 lb/head/day. DDG from grain sorghum 34.6% crude protein 8.8% crude fat

SUMMARY Supplementation of grazing stocker cattle with DDG increased grazing gain and gain/acre. Grazing gains of grazing stocker cattle increased as level of DDG supplementation increased. Supplement conversion was more efficient at lower levels of DDG supplementation and/or when forage was not meeting nutrient requirements of grazing cattle.

Cattle supplemented with DDG while grazing had lower finishing gain and higher feed:gain than those not supplemented. DDG supplementation of grazing stocker cattle will likely be more profitable if cattle are sold at end of grazing phase and ownership is not retained to slaughter.

DDG supplementation of grazing stocker will be the most profitable when the price of cattle is high and the price of corn is low.