Meeting post weaning market specifications for the live cattle export trade to South East Asia MLA Project Number NAP 3.111 Final Report prepared for MLA by: P.E.R. Ridley & T. Schatz Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines GPO Box 3000 DARWIN NT 0801 Meat & Livestock Australia Limited Locked Bag 991 North Sydney NSW 2059 ISBN 9781 741 912 227 September 2006 Meeting market specifications for the live cattle export trade to SE Asia Table of Contents Abstract .........................................................................................................................................................3 Note on Authorship ....................................................................................................................................3 Acronyms.......................................................................................................................................................4 Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................................5 Introduction....................................................................................................................................................8 1.0 Principles of Maturity Type Growth (MTG) curves and selling by description. .....................................10 1.1 Development of MTG Curves ............................................................................................................10 1.2 Testing Provisional MTG Curves.......................................................................................................18 1.3 Utilisation of MTG Curves..................................................................................................................20 1.3.1 The Role of MTG Curves ............................................................................................................24 1.3.2 Value Based Description System................................................................................................25 1.3.3 Feeder Cattle Specifications .......................................................................................................26 2.0 Experimental Work ................................................................................................................................29 2.1 Growing Feeder Cattle on Improved Pasture....................................................................................29 2.1.1 Research site description............................................................................................................30 2.1.2 The effects of 25% Charolais genes and alternative supplementation regimes on growth, post weaning efficiency and value adding potential at turnoff in cull weaner heifers. .................................32 2.1.3 The effects of supplementation, castration and genotype on growth, post weaning efficiency and value adding potential in a feeder cattle production system.........................................................38 2.1.4 The effect of castration and short scrotum treatments on pre- and post weaning growth in commercial Brahman cattle..................................................................................................................53 2.1.5 The effects of genotype, stocking rate and sex on post weaning efficiency and value adding potential at turnoff in first round weaners grazing buffel pasture in the Douglas Daly region. ............56 2.2 Growing Feeder Cattle on Native Pasture.........................................................................................61 2.2.1 Research Site Description...........................................................................................................63 2.2.2 The effects of weaning weight range, sex, genotype and grazing management system on growth, post weaning efficiency and value adding potential in weaners at the end of their first post weaning Wet Season. ..........................................................................................................................67 2.2.2.1 Summary ..............................................................................................................................67 2.2.2.2 Objective 1............................................................................................................................70 2.2.2.3 Objective 2............................................................................................................................76 1 Meeting market specifications for the live cattle export trade to SE Asia 2.2.2.4 Objective 3............................................................................................................................82 2.3 Measuring mature size (feedlot experiment) .....................................................................................88 2.3.1 The effects of genotype, sex and age on liveweight and carcase weight at target (P8) fat depth. .............................................................................................................................................................88 2.3.2 The effect of 12 months age difference at slaughter on liveweight and carcase weight of Brahman steers and heifers at target fatness......................................................................................93 2.4 Effect of late maturity on breeding herd efficiency in an extensively managed breeder herd in the semi-arid tropics – The Kidman Springs genotype experiment...............................................................99 3.0 Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................................103 4.0 Publications/Extension ........................................................................................................................104 5.0 References. .........................................................................................................................................105 6.0 Appendix..............................................................................................................................................106 Appendix 1 – Interaction plots and raw data for Section 2.1.5..............................................................106 Appendix 2 – Land units on Mt Sanford demonstration site..................................................................109 Appendix 3 – A presentation to an Industry group in Philippines 2001.................................................111 Appendix 4 – Monthly Rainfall at Kidman Springs and Mt Sanford Homestead ...................................121 Appendix 5 – Condition scores for breeders at Kidman Springs 1996-2001........................................123 2 Meeting market specifications for the live cattle export trade to SE Asia Abstract This project, which was carried out by the NT Department of Business Industry and Resource Development between 1998 and 2003, investigated ways that NT feeder cattle could meet future SE Asian market specifications and thus avoid over-fatness at slaughter. Two strategies were proposed, crossbreeding with later maturing breeds and the marketing of bulls. Weight, age and fatness relationships were investigated in an experimental feedlot in Katherine for three breeds (Brahman, Droughtmaster and 1/4 Charolais) and for bulls, steers and heifers. From this work, maturity type growth curves were drawn as a basis for future trading by specification. The results showed that in comparison to Brahman steers, when slaughtered at the same fatness, 1/4 Charolais steers had a 10% weight advantage, Brahman bulls a 15% advantage and 1/4 Charolais bulls a 28% advantage. Since late maturing breeders have a large liveweight, their survival and productivity is a potential problem in the extensively managed production systems of the semi-arid tropics. A trial was therefore conducted at Victoria River Research Station (Kidman Springs) in the Victoria River District to compare the breeder herd efficiency of 1/2 Charolais breeders against Brahman and Droughtmaster. The conclusion was that the breeding herd efficiency (31.7 kg per 100 kg of cow mated) of the 1/2 Charolais breeders was comparable to the other breeds, but their loss of condition was a concern. However a proportion as high as 50% Charolais genes would never arise under the criss-cross breeding system proposed, and it is suggested that a lower proportion of late maturing genes would be able to combine feedlot advantages with hardy and productive breeders. The recommendation to consider the marketing of bulls instead of steers poses obvious management difficulties. A trial in the Victoria River District therefore demonstrated the use of short scrotum bulls (artificial cryptorchid) as a possible strategy. An earlier project had proposed that a two stage production system with most post weaning production taking place on improved pasture in the Douglas Daly district would lead to a substantial increase in the number of NT steers available for export. Post weaning systems were therefore investigated on both improved pasture at Douglas Daly Research Farm and on native pasture on Mt Sanford Station in the Victoria River District. Note on Authorship When this work was started, the responsible NT Government Department was called the Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries (DPIF). In 2002, DPIF became part of a larger department and was renamed the Department of Business