Saskatchewan cattle feeders are getting a first-hand look at the latest developments in supplementing cattle rations with oilseeds.
The Prairie Feed Resource Centre in Saskatoon recently organized feedlot tours that included the Pound-Maker Agventures feedlot in Lanigan, Sask. The centre is hoping to increase awareness of the benefits of integrating more edible oil crops in feedlot rations.
“Every year in Saskatchewan, we have oilseed commodities that are unfit for human consumption,” said Vern Racz, the centre’s executive director. “Last year we had a lot of green and sample canola due to frost and poor growing conditions. We are showing producers how they can use these off-grade oilseeds in the diet of their cattle in a way that is beneficial for both oilseed and livestock producers.”
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Racz said the centre’s edible oilseed project also shows how the Canadian beef industry is doing its part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“When sunflower, flax and canola seed are integrated as protein and energy replacements in barley-based rations, the oil they contain is fermented differently. You get a more efficient rumen fermentation for a unit of oil than you get for a unit of starch.”
To measure this, researchers use an apparatus fitted as a yoke around an animal’s neck that captures the gas that comes out of its nostrils. The contraption doesn’t bother the animals and provides an accurate read of emissions.
Research has shown that rations with higher oil content significantly reduce production of methane, a greenhouse gas produced in the rumen of cattle.
In order to ensure effectiveness, a certain amount of feed processing has to take place. Canola has to be ground with barley at a ratio of 1:3 to keep the hammer mill screens from getting plugged.
Racz said initial results are encouraging.
“We have also been looking at the effect of oilseeds on carcass composition and the fatty acid content of the meat. “We will follow up with the animals to study how they respond to the diet with the intention of stimulating developments in specialty meat products Ñ what is increasingly being referred to as designer meats.”
The use of edible oils in rations is becoming increasingly attractive, not only because they increase production efficiency, reduce greenhouse emissions and produce meat and milk with enhanced health benefits, but also because they eliminate negative side effects and digestive disorders associated with feeding more fermentable carbohydrates found in high grain rations.
“With oils, producers have the benefit of increasing energy density in the diet without increasing the risk of acidosis,” Racz said.
“All of these factors make for a very promising field of opportunities for agricultural producers. Stay tuned.”
