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ARS Home » Plains Area » Clay Center, Nebraska » U.S. Meat Animal Research Center » Nutrition, Growth and Physiology » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #311504
Title: Mineral retention of growing and finishing beef cattle across different production systems

Author
item WATSON, A - University Of Nebraska
item Hales Paxton, Kristin
item HERSOM, M - University Of Florida
item HORN, G - Oklahoma State University
item WAGNER, J - Oklahoma State University
item KREHBIEL, C - Oklahoma State University
item MCCURDY, M - Oklahoma State University
item ERICKSON, G - University Of Nebraska

Submitted to: Professional Animal Scientist
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/29/2018
Publication Date: 6/1/2018
Publication URL: https://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/6369077
Citation: Watson, A.K., Hales, K.E., Hersom, M.J., Horn, G.W., Wagner, J.J., Krehbiel, C.R., McCurdy, M.P., Erickson, G.E. 2018. Mineral retention of growing and finishing beef cattle across different production systems. Professional Animal Scientist. 34:250-260. https://doi.org/10.15232/pas.2017-01672.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15232/pas.2017-01672

Interpretive Summary: A better understanding of mineral requirements for beef cattle is critical for animal health and performance. It also plays a role in calculating nutrient excretion values to properly apply manure fertilizer to crop fields. Mineral nutrition is important to avoid the expense of supplementing unnecessary minerals, and to properly account for the mineral content of manure. Calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and sulfur retention were measured in beef cattle fed at three levels of gain. Mineral retention was measured during the finishing period. Body composition was measured after the steers were slaughtered. There were no differences in cattle gaining at different levels for phosphorus or calcium retention. Calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, and sulfur retention during the growing period was not different from retention during the finishing period for each of the different gain treatments. Expressing mineral retention on a protein gain basis minimized effects due to animal weight or rate of gain, allowing for better comparison of mineral retention across a large variety of animals and diets.

Technical Abstract: Calcium, P, Mg, K, and S retention in carcass, offal, and viscera were measured in 2 beef cattle experiments. Experiment 1 used 30 steers (245 kg of BW; SE = 4 kg) wintered at 3 levels of gain: grazing wheat pasture at a (1) high or (2) low rate of gain or (3) grazing dormant native range, and all were finished on a common diet (71% corn, 9% cottonseed hulls, 5.35% soybean meal). Experiment 2 used 46 steers (240 kg of BW; SE = 4 kg) fed 3 growing diets with similar rate of gain: (1) sorghum silage, (2) program-fed high-concentrate diet, or (3) wheat-pasture grazing, or placed directly into the feedlot. In Exp. 1, retention of Mg, K, and S (g/100 g of protein gain) during the finishing period was greater for treatments wintered at a low rate of gain during the growing period (P = 0.02). There were no treatment differences for P or Ca retention during the finishing period (P = 0.39). In Exp. 2, no differences were noted due to treatment (P = 0.25) or feeding period (P = 0.37) for Ca, P, Mg, K, and S retention (g/100 g of protein gain). Concentrations of Cu, Fe, Mn, and Na were greater in offal than carcass tissues in both experiments (P < 0.01). In both experiments, expressing mineral retention on a protein gain basis minimized effects due to BW or rate of gain, allowing for a better comparison of mineral retention across a variety of animals and diets.