SHORTHORN COMPOSITE POSTS 3.39kg/day GAIN A focus on feed conversion efficiency has paid off for Australian National Field Day feedback trial entrant Jon Wright when one of his steers posted a whopping average daily gain of 3.39kg. The Shorthorn-Angus cross composite, known as a Blue-E, recorded the average daily gain on a barley based ration over 110 days at the Gundamain feedlot, Eugowra. The feat was the highest recorded in the ANFD grass and grainfed trial since its inception in 1994, according to trial chairman Alan Watts. The steer was one of a team of four entered in the trial by Mr Wright, of Coota Park Blue-E, at Woodstock, near Cowra. The Blue-E steer averaged 0.67kg/day over the 80-day grassfed component, compared to the trial average of 0.26kg/day. It went on to gain 3.39kg/day on grain compared to the trial average of 2.57kg/day on grain. The Blue-E team took out the weight gain on grass and grain, and was fifth overall on the hoof and hook. The trial drew 34 teams (136 head) of British bred and Euro purebreds and their crosses. Mr Wright said the 20 month-old steer had an exit weight of 766kg, a red meat yield of 70 per cent, 99sqcm eye muscle area, 15mm at the rib and 20mm of rump fat. He said the composite had been selected for feed conversion or net feed intake since development in 1996. Gundamain feedlot managing director Andrew Herbert said just one to two per cent of feedlot cattle achieved average daily gains above 3kg. Mr Herbert said a combination of genetics and best practice nutrition, bunk and pen management, and low stress stock handling was helping cattle achieve higher weight gains than a decade ago. “We have been hosting the ANFD trial for the past seven years – we have never had a steer go less than 2kg/day and last year they averaged 2.3-2.8kg/day,’’ he said. “At the end of the day we are here to make as much money as we can out of the cattle, and those higher weight gain cattle are more profitable.’’ -Kim Woods
Posted on: Sun, 21 Jul 2013 22:40:43 +0000
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