DENVER, Colo. – New feed regimes, improved health programs, better genetics and growth hormones add an extra $153 in value per beef animal.
A 2007 study showed growth implants added an extra $71, beta agonists contributed $15, ionophores $20 and dewormers $35, Daryl Tatum of Colorado State University said at the International Livestock Congress held in Denver Jan. 11.
However, the study also found that nearly 60 years of growth hormone use has increased hot carcass weights and adversely affected quality grades.
“There has been a list since the mid-’90s of concerns why these technologies, when applied indiscriminately or incorrectly, are related to carcass weight, meat quality, marbling, tenderness and perceived impacts on product safety and well being of animals,” Tatum said during a panel discussion on growth promotants.
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Glen Dolezal of Cargill Meat Solutions said Tatum might have a point.
“We prefer cattle produced with no growth promotants.”
However, he said the international packer realizes they are not likely to be abandoned in North America.
“We use growth promotants in our own feed yards,” he said.
About three-quarters of the carcasses in the company’s seven North American beef plants are destined for as many as 35 programs such as Sterling Silver and Certified Angus Beef. Most are based on high quality specifications.
Cargill plants produced two percent Prime, 64 percent Choice and 32 percent Select carcasses last June, which is the equivalent of Canada Prime, AAA and AA grades.
Dolezal said these products must be used in moderation under best management guidelines to maintain quality requirements. At the same time, Cargill could not produce enough beef to fill current demand without this technology.
“We would need more cattle and we would need more producers and to meet the growing demand in the future, we may need all three: more cattle, more producers and more technology to get there,” he said.
Hormones increase muscle and reduce fat, resulting in a trend toward heavier carcasses.
Carcasses at Cargill plants are 25 pounds heavier this month than they were this time last year.
Heavier weights are likely to continue and could be penalized with sizable discounts because many branded programs want Choice grade carcasses of 650 to 850 pounds but they are getting harder to find.
And big carcasses also produce bigger cuts. Customers may accept large tenderloins, but they do not want rib-eyes bigger than 16 sq. inches.
Dolezal said too often growth promoting technology is used on cattle that have already reached their ideal market weight.
As well, too many feed yards apply the same technology to all cattle when different treatments are needed for Holsteins compared to beef animals.
“We are concerned with feed yards managing cattle with multiple growth promotants and beta agonist strategies for different packers in the same yards,” he said. “What if you load the wrong pen or have a mix up? That makes us very nervous.”
A rapid residue test is also needed for these products because recalls are costly.
For example, Cargill’s plant in Dodge City, Kansas, processes 6,000 head per day. If a pen of 100 arrives at the plant and a residue problem is found, the animals could have been mixed in with other beef, resulting in a recall worth $16 million.
Tony Bryant, staff nutritionist at JBS-Five Rivers Feeders, the world’s largest cattle feeding operation at 900,000 head, supports the use of implants and feed additives in the form of beta agonists. The products can improve less efficient cattle and produce more red meat.
Bryant said his company realizes some cattle types do not need help to grow faster.
However, depending on the dosage used, these products increase feed efficiency by five to 15 percent and increase average daily gain by 10 to 30 percent.
“The value to feed yards is pretty big, especially in the current market, to use these technologies to increase profits,” he said.
Private research has found these products may require more shear force to cut through, but the overall impact is not enough to render the beef tough. The problem is alleviated if the product is aged for 21 days.
