Progress Report: Pasture Finishing of Beef Steers Using Contemporary Feedlot Protocols

Materials and Methods A comparison between feeding cattle in a feedlot environment, feeding the same ration in a pasture environment, or deferring the finishing phase of feeding until a later time was tested. Late summer-born steers of British and Continental influence were received the following spring at the farm. All cattle were treated for parasites using injectable ivermectin, implanted with Compudose growth promotant at arrival, and a Revalor implant 100 days prior to harvest. Cattle were assigned to treatment groups of seven head with four replications of each group and moved to the farm’s feedlot pens, or pastures. Cattle in the feedlot were divided into eight groups of seven and given a corn-based finishing ration that contained either molasses or condensed corn soluble (CCDS). Cattle on pasture were split into one of three groups of 28 head that received only pasture grasses in their ration, grass plus CCDS, or grass and the feedlot ration with the dry hay excluded. Cattle on pasture were maintained on the pasture until late summer when the grass was depleted and finished in the feedlot in pens of seven head. Cattle receiving the feedlot ration on pasture were continued in the pasture environment until finish. At the end of the time on feed, cattle were processed at Tyson Fresh Meats (Denison, IA) where carcass weight, ribeye area, back fat, KPH fat, quality grade, and yield grade were collected. Data will be evaluated fully at the completion of this trial. The first year’s results are reported.