Performance and carcass quality of forage-fed steers as an alternative to concentratebased beef production

Abstract

This paper studies the performance and carcass quality of Parda de Montaña cattle under different management systems to find alternatives to concentrate feed indoor beef production. Treatments were: i) Control, with 8 bulls (216±34.3 kg initial weight; 282±45.6 days) fed concentrate and straw ad libitum during winter housing period until reaching 500 kg; ii) G-supp, with 8 steers (204±31.2 kg initial weight; 271±47.5 days) fed a total mixed ration (TMR) (50% alfalfa hay, 10% straw, 40% corn) ad libitum during winter housing period (from mid-April steers rotationally grazed on a mountain meadow supplemented with 1.8 kg dry matter corn/d until reaching 500 kg); iii) TMR, with 8 steers (200±42.5 kg initial weight; 261±39.0 days) managed as G-supp steers until mid-July, when they were housed and fed TMR ad libitum until reaching 500 kg. Control bulls had 45% greater weight gain than TMR and G-supp steers during housing period (P<0.001). In the finishing period, TMR had 31% greater weight gain than steers finished on pasture (P<0.01). At slaughter, Controls were 97-127 days younger than others (P<0.001). Steers finished on TMR had worse conformed carcasses, greater fat and fewer edible meat proportions than G-supp and Control (P<0.01). Total cost of TMR and G-supp was greater than Control, with a similar income for G-supp and Control. TMR steers were paid less because of their worse carcass quality. Hence, finishing of steers on pasture with a supplement can be a feasible alternative to fattening bulls on concentrates, depending on the relative availability and price of feedstuff.