For Rod Morison, finding a genetic pathway that leads to more feed efficient steers is just one way to make a profit feeding cattle.
Ten years worth of data into residual feed intake shows this is a moderately heritable trait that could be infused into the Canadian beef herd.
“This is a good starting point. What we need to do is get the purebred industry on board,” said Morison, who feeds cattle north of Calgary.
“There are so many other aspects that determine whether the cattle will make money …. The industry has to change. We have to get together with the cow-calf guys and the packers and work together.”
Read Also
Government, industry seek canola tariff resolution
Governments and industry continue to discuss how best to deal with Chinese tariffs on Canadian agricultural products, particularly canola.
A recent research project involving Alberta Agriculture, Olds College, the University of Alberta and the Beefbooster cattle organization selected offspring of bulls known to be feed efficient after being on test at the college. Researchers wanted to correlate the bulls’ ability to convert less feed into more pounds of beef to their offspring.
The steers and heifers were finished at Morison’s lot for 120 days using the Grow Safe program and a standard feedlot ration. Morison runs a test feedlot and has worked with Grow Safe for four years.
Grow Safe measures the exact amount of feed individual animals eat every time they approach the feed bunk by linking information from the electronic identification ear tag to sensors in the feed area.
Preliminary data from Alberta Agriculture showed the finished animals saved $8.50 to $17 per head in feed over the feeding period with no adverse affects on growth or carcass quality.
Researchers then traced the cattle to Lakeside Packers, where detailed grading was done. About 85 percent of the strip loins were recovered and tested for meat quality and taste.
Researchers also want to know if breeding for these specific traits might affect heifer fertility.
Alberta Agriculture researcher John Basarab said feed efficiency does not seem to create productivity issues.
“We are validating how it translates from the sire to the offspring within one generation of using a bull and getting its progeny,” he said.
“We see we get more efficient animals. We don’t get any adverse affects on carcass and meat quality. To date we have seen nothing of any significance on reproductive traits.”
The project worked with Beefbooster partly because the association has long-term records evaluating this trait and has developed a line of hybrid terminal sires and maternal lines that produce cattle that eat less for the same amount of production.
This is not a breed specific trait. Researchers want to find as many breeding bulls and replacement heifers as possible from many breeds, measure them for this trait and eventually build it into the western Canadian herd.
“There is a lot of room to move because genetically the efficiency of feed utilization has not undergone much, if any, genetic selection,” Basarab said.
University of Alberta researchers have identified a genetic marker panel related to residual feed intake. There are six to 10 markers. The marker panels are not accounting for the variation that is also found.
No one can select the more efficient animals by sight, but several biochemical and physical mechanisms appear to be involved.
These animals seem to digest their food better. As well, they produce less heat from digestion and lose less heat from maintenance requirements.
Their stomach complex, which includes the liver and kidney, appears to weigh less. All of those tissues are highly metabolically active and take a lot of energy to maintain.
“If you have lower intake, you need less machinery to process that feed,” Basarab said.
As well, these cattle seem to produce less methane and manure so efficiency is improved and the carbon footprint is reduced.
