GRAIN AND PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS FOR BEEF CATTLE ON PASTURE by Homer B. Sewell University of Missouri, Department of Animal Sciences

Feeding grain on pasture can increase gains and stretch pastures. It can also help put finish on cattle through the summer as pasture quality decreases.

eeding grain to cattle on pasture can be a Drought also reduces the quantity of forage pounds of supplement. No response was noted profitable way to grow and finish cattle on available in summer pastures. The primary goal from adding soybean meal to the corn for these Fmany Missouri farms. Some purposes for of feeding protein and energy supplements to heavyweight cattle. supplementing pasture with energy and protein cattle on pasture is to supplement but not replace are: pasture as a feed. Kansas studies showed an increase in average • To lower the feed cost of beef gains. daily gain per steer of 0.35 pounds from late • To increase the number of stocker cattle Feeding supplements to cattle on pasture is summer supplements of 1 to 2 pounds of feed grazed per acre. likely to be more profitable in July and August per animal for steer grazing range grasses. They • To lower the slaughter weight at which large- when grasses are lower in nutrient value and cat - noted that when the forage remains green all frame cattle have choice grade carcasses. tle respond more to supplemental feeding. A summer, there may be little response from late • To hasten the marketing date of grazed cattle Missouri study showed no response from feed - summer supplements. that are to be finished for slaughter. ing 3 pounds of corn or 3 pounds of a mixture of • To supplement pasture during drought or sea - corn and a high-protein feed for steers grazing a Protein Supplements sons of low production. fescue-ladino pasture that furnished excess for - Feeding 0.8 to 1.0 pounds daily per head of soy - age in May and June. bean meal, cottonseed meal or a similar 40 per - Greater Response in Summer cent protein supplement has been more Cool-season grasses mature in summer and be - However, some 800-pound cattle fed 4 pounds profitable for cattle on range grasses in late sum - come too low in energy and protein to meet the of corn or 3 pounds of corn and 1 pound of soy - mer than higher levels of a grain supplement in requirements of stocker cattle. Unless these pas - bean meal per head daily on these same pastures Oklahoma comparisons. These western range tures contain a considerable quantity of legume, from mid-June to early September gained 0.54 grasses decline greatly in protein in late summer. cattle don’t make acceptable rates of gain in late pounds more per head daily than those without Feeding protein increases the digestibility of summer. supplements. An extra pound of gain took 7.4 these mature grasses and increases their con - sumption when protein is deficient; feeding 3 Feeding corn at the rate of 1 percent of body Ten percent salt in the concentrate provided sim - pounds or more of an energy supplement usu - weight in the Wisconsin trials increased average ilar results to that obtained with fat. However, the ally decreases consumption of the forage. High daily gain by 0.42 pounds per head from May to fat addition proved more profitable than salt in protein supplements give the best response when September, but gave no increase in daily gain their trials. Adding 15 percent salt to the mixture the forage is low in protein but abundant in from October to November. Supple-mented reduced consumption to 0.5 pounds of grain per quantity. steers grazing grass-birdsfoot trefoil pastures 100 pounds body weight of the steers. A limited had 23 percent faster average daily gains in feed of grain with pasture saved about 50 percent Energy may be deficient on Missouri pastures in spring and summer. Corn feeding increased of the grain plus the protein supplement and late summer since fescue, orchard and brome daily gain on bluegrass pastures by 30 percent roughage needed for cattle finished in dry lot. grass pastures don't drop as low in protein as is and increased average daily gain on brome grass characteristic of the range grasses. Thus, energy by 28 percent. The lesser increase from corn Protein Level may be a greater need than protein to supplement feeding on the birdsfoot trefoil-grass pasture in - Work at MU and elsewhere does not show that these types of Missouri pastures in summer. dicates these cattle were better able to meet their protein supplementation is profitable for grain energy intake requirements than those grazing rations fed at 10 percent or more of body weight Grain Supplements for Stockers the grass pastures. to cattle on grass-legume pastures, grasses fer - Limiting grain supplements to 0.5 to 1.0 percent tilized with nitrogen or grasses in an early stage of body weight usually requires less grain for an Highly Digestible Fiber Feeds of growth. extra unit of gain than full-feeding grain to cat - Feeds such as soybean hulls and corn gluten tle on pasture. Feeding large amounts of energy feed have low starch but a large component of The grain ration will not need to supplement the with forage reduces the fiber digestibility of the highly digestible fiber. These high-fiber feeds forage for protein except when pasture growth forage. Also, cattle will substitute grain for grass reduce the fiber digestibility and feed intake of is of poor quality because of advanced maturity when large amounts of grain are fed with good roughages less when they are used as energy or drought. A level of 10 to 12 percent crude pro - quality forage. This results in little increase in supplements to roughage rations than do high- tein in mixed feed should be adequate under daily gain and large amounts of grain needed for starch grains such as corn, milo or wheat. Stud - most conditions. A mixture of 14 parts of corn or additional gain. ies at MU and other stations show that feeding 3 milo and one part of 40 percent protein supple - to 6 pounds of soybean hulls or corn gluten feed ment has approximately 11 percent crude pro - In Kansas trials, feeding 4 pounds of rolled milo per head daily to cattle on forage gives equal or tein (as fed). per head daily to steers grazing bermuda grass greater performance than using a similar amount pastures for 112 days gave higher subsequent of corn grain. Steps to Low-Choice Slaughter Cattle feedlot gains, fewer days in the feedlot and • Start with 550- to 700-pound steers or 500- to higher overall performance than feeding 0 or 2 Feeding Method 600-pound heifers. pounds milo. Supplements can be hand-fed daily. If fed at 0.5 • Use cattle that have been wintered to gain 1.25 percent of body weight or less, every other day to 2.0 pounds daily. Increase Stocking Rates is satisfactory. Salt mixes work well. Adding 10 • Allow about 0.5 to 1 acre of grass or grass- For the most efficient use of grain supplements percent salt to a grain supplement will hold con - legume pasture per head. with pasture, the stocking rate of the cattle must sumption to about 1 percent of body weight. • Follow veterinary recommendations on de- be balanced with the pasture. The stocking rate About 15 percent salt is needed to limit grain to worming before cattle go to pasture. should be increased when grain supplements are 0.5 percent of body weight on most pastures. If • Feed grain on pasture at the rate of 1 pound of fed, since the cattle will eat less pasture. In Uni - Rumensin is included, less salt is needed. It will grain per 100 pounds of body weight. versity of Oklahoma studies, it took 15 to 30 take 30 percent or more salt to limit a protein • This rate of consumption can be obtained by pounds of grain for each pound of gain increase supplement to 1 pound daily consumption. Use self-feeding a mixture of 90 percent corn or if grass was surplus, but only 8 to 10 pounds if plain salt instead of trace mineralized salt to pre - milo and 10 percent fat or 10 percent salt. grass and cattle were balanced. The carrying ca - vent overfeeding of some minerals. • Supply a mineral mixture consisting of equal pacity of the pasture increased by 25 to 30 per - parts dicalcium phosphate and trace-mineral - cent when grain was fed at 1 percent of body If cattle are hand-fed supplements, the time of ized salt. weight (5 to 7 pounds per head per day). day that the supplement is fed appears to affect • Provide plenty of shade and control external the amount of forage that the cattle will con - parasites with back rubbers, dust bags, sprays Raun, A.P. (1979) of Elanco Products Company sume. Cattle have intensive grazing peaks at or ear tags. reported a summary of eight trials that showed dawn and dusk, with most grazing occurring in • Market animals with 80 percent in low-choice stockers fed forage averaged 0.61 less forage dry daylight hours. Feeding supplements in the mid - grade. Steers should reach this grade at about matter intake for each pound of grain consumed dle of the day will be less disruptive on normal 1,050 to 1,250 pounds and heifers at 1,000 to daily. The stocking rate to fully use the pasture grazing activity and will cause cattle to eat more 1,100 pounds. increased 4.2 percent for each pound of grain fed forage than if supplements are fed early in the • A full feed of grain in dry lot for 30 to 60 days per head daily. Thus, if 4 pounds of corn is fed morning. may be needed to finish the cattle. per head daily, the stocking rate would need to • Change to a full feed of grain when pasture be increased by 1/6 or 16.8 percent to fully use Grain to Finish Cattle on Pasture becomes scant or low quality. the forage. Feeding 0.8 pounds to 1 pound of grain per 100 pounds of body weight gave the greatest profit Full Feeding Grain on Pasture In a four-year trial with grasses and grass- in finishing cattle on grass in a 7-year study at Five years of data at Purdue University showed legume pastures in Wisconsin, feeding corn at 1 North Carolina. A mixture of 10 percent animal cattle full-fed grain on brome-alfalfa pasture percent of body weight to steers increased the fat and 90 percent ground shelled corn or milo needed 100 pounds less grain for each 100 carrying capacity of pastures by 15 percent from produced this level of grain intake on fescue- pounds gain than cattle fed in dry lot. This is a May to September and 17 percent from October ladino, orchard grass-ladino and other pasture reduction of 1.8 bushels of corn for each 100 to November. combinations. pounds of gain. An acre of pasture carried four to five steers and Some trials have shown that delaying a full feed and lose their adaptation to grain. To avoid saved approximately one ton of grain. Stock pas - of grain until 50 to 60 days after the cattle are foundering: tures heavier when grain is fed to make full use put on pasture will decrease the amount of corn • Don't let feeder get empty. of pasture forage. Pastures often are not as pro - needed to finish cattle to low choice grade by 10 • Remove any moldy feed and tend feeder ductive as those in this study, so lower stocking to 12 bushels per head compared to full feeding often. rates and feed savings would result. grain from the time cattle start on pasture. • Consider feeding steers and heifers sepa - rately. When the pasture was green and growing, no Starting on Self-Feeder • Regulate the size of the field or add more self- supplemental protein was needed for cattle full- Cattle full-fed on pasture may be started on a feeders when a large number of cattle are fed grain. Whole corn was slightly superior to self-feeder at once if a mixture of 50 percent grazed on a large acreage. rolled corn for cattle fed grain on pasture in the roughage and 50 percent ground grain is pro - • Control stocking rates so that an excess of Purdue studies. Less trouble with founder and vided at first. The roughage can be cut to 30 per - palatable pasture does not accumulate while other rumen disorders was experienced with cent and then to 20 percent at 5- to 7-day cattle are being self-fed grain. whole corn. intervals. Offer straight ground grain or shelled corn by the end of the third week. Cottonseed Vitamin A Delayed Grain Feeding hulls, ground corn cobs, ground hay or other Good quality pasture should be high in carotene Another method of full-feeding grain on pasture roughages can be used. Provide one foot of and provide an abundance of pro-vitamin A for is to stock a pasture at its full carrying capacity trough space for every three animals. beef cattle. However, high-nitrate feeds and in the spring and delay grain feeding for 50 to unidentified factors can interfere with the use of 60 days. Then start a full feed of grain no later Foundering carotene by beef cattle. Vitamin A supplementa - than the first of July, when grass pastures usually Foundering is more likely to occur if cattle graze tion has increased performance in a few trials are declining in quality and quantity of forage. a long distance from the self-feeder or if the where cattle were full-fed grain on pasture. water supply is not close to the feeder. Also, The carrying capacity of the pasture can be foundering can occur in heifers that over-eat Provide 20,000 IU of vitamin A per head daily to maintained by supplementing the pasture with after having reduced their feed intake during a maintain body stores of vitamin A when pastures grain through the summer months. Whole long heat period. A ration lower in energy than are mature, especially if cattle are to be fed corn shelled corn can be used. Milo can be used in - shelled corn is better suited for feeding heifers silage or full-fed grain for an extended period stead of corn. Wheat can constitute up to 50 per - on grass. after the grazing season. cent of the grain. But the milo and wheat must always be rolled or ground for cattle. Cattle may founder if pastures become lush from G2072, reviewed October 1993 – Issued by University of fall rains and cattle prefer the pasture to the grain Missouri Cooperative Extension