LIBRARY, A 8: M COLLE GE. F l TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION A. B. CONNER, DIRECTOR College Station, Texas BULLETIN NO. 604 SEPTEP/IBER 1941 fie-n-u-P-u-s-i a UTILIZATION OF HOME GROWN FEEDS IN FATTEN IN G STEERS IN THE TRANS-PECOS REGION J. H. JONES, J. M. JONES, AND J. J. BAYLES Division of Range Animal Husbandry in cooperation with Bureau of Animal Industry U. S. Department of Agriculture LIBRARY agricultural 8» Mechanical College 0f T5135 College Station, Texas AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL COLLEGE OF TEXAS T. O. WALTON, President B-2—941—121\I—Ll80 [Blank Page in Original Bulletin] In a series of eight steer fattening trials conducted} at Substation N0. 9, Balmorhea, from 1932 to 1939, more than 400 good to choice quality Hereford yearling steers were used in studying feeding problems common to the area. The studies involved methods of utilizing hegari fodder and alfalfa hay crops, supplemented with limited amounts of concentrated feeds. It was possible to produce desirable market finish on heavy fleshy yearling steers in feeding periods of approximately 200 days with rations containing only 25 to 30 per cent of concentrate feeds and 70 to 75 per cent of roughage feeds. This is almost twice as long a feeding period as is usually required for fattening with rations high in grain, but the longer feeding period permits the utilization of large amounts of roughage feeds which may reduce feed costs. Cottonseed, fed in limited amount, proved to be a good and usable feed in fattening yearling steers, particularly when the rations were some- what in total concentrates. Alfalfa hay was less valuable than ground well headed hegafi fodder used in fattening rations either limited orhigh in concentrates. The utilization of rations high in ground well headed hegari fodder enabled». the marketing of 1 5Q to 2 tons of hegari per steer at satisfactory prices. Introduction Feeding Problems Review of Literature Purposes of These Experiments CONTENTS Information Regarding Eight Years of Work Weights and Division into Groups Feeds Used Grinding Feeding Feed Prices Chemical Composition of Feeds Used Mineral Content of Stock Water Equipment Cattle Used Experimental Results Results Results Results Results Results‘ Results Results Results Summary Literature Cited 1931-32 1932-33 1933-34 1934-35 1935-36 1936-37 1937-38 1938-39 7 ¢—Q‘Q@_-L_l‘l_ PAGE 10 11 11 11 12 19 12 14 15 15 16 19 20 22 26 29 32 35 39 42 47 51 UTILIZATION OF HOME GROWN FEEDS IN FATTENING STEERS IN THE TRANS-PECOS REGION J. H. Jones, J. M. Jones, and J. J. Bayles* . Division of Range Animal Husbandry, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, cooperated with the Bureau of Animal Husbandry, U. S. Department of Agriculture, in this study from 1931 to 1935 The farming section served by the Balmorh-ea Station consists of an irrigated valley of approximately 11,000 acres surrounded by range lands J used for cattle and, to some extent, for sheep production. It is typical iof the farming communities in the Trans-Pecos Region where the growing ,of crops is almost entirely dependent upon irrigation. Most of the allu- lvial lands along the Rio Grande and Pecos rivers are irrigated and other important areas are farmed by irrigation from springs. The principal cash crops are cotton and alfalfa; because of climatic conditions only a limited variety of other crops are grown. In drouth years, alfalfa and other forage roughages may be sold advantageously for the maintenance of range cattle. As early as 1932, cotton, the most important cash crop, was becoming less profitable, and since 1932, because of restrictions un- der the AAA program, cotton has yielded acreage to various feed crops. Substation No. 9 is located on the Old Spanish Road approximately ,. four miles east of Balmorhea. The elevation is 3200 feet above sea level. The Station consists of 200 acres of land, of which 80 acres have an irri- vgation water right and 120 acres are in dry range. Additional crop jacreage is leased for the production of feeds. Most of the farm work is performed with tractor power and equipment and two or three laborers pare employed. The Hereford breed predominates to the practical exclusion of other Qibeef breeds on the range lands. (1) Cattle are comparatively free of dis- eases" and parasites and, except for limited rainfall, the area is well Qadapted to livestock production. The winters are short and mild and as a. rule the cold weather of winter is characterized by a steady cool tem- perature with much sunshine and. moderate amounts of wind. The long ummers are characterized by clear hot days, but the temperatures, ‘especially at night, are modified by the high elevation of the region. The roduction of high grade feeder calves and yearlings is sponsored by the ighland Hereford Breeders‘ Association, the annual Highland Hereford how and sale of feeder cattle at Marfa, T-exas, being one of the most portant livestock shows and sales in the range area. ‘A ‘Animal Husbandman, Division of Range Animal Husbandry; Chief, Division W Range Animal Husbandry; and Superintendent, Station No. 9, Balmorhea, " spectively. 6 BULLETIN NO. 604, TEXASI AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION Hegari has been grown as the principal feed crop at the Station since 1 the start of the Station’s cattle feeding investigations. Only small acre- f’ ages of the grain sorghums are grown for grain because of rather low 1 yields and extensive damage by birds at harvest. Small acreages of oats p. and barley are planted for winter grazing and harvest. The sweet sor-g ghums such as red top are grown for hay and silage. Atlas sorgo; promises to be well adapted as a silage crop. Sudan grass has a limited’ use as a hay and temporary pasture crop. Cottonseed are sometimes? available as a feed at an advantageous price because the area is within the pink boll worm quarantine zone and there is no local cottonseed oil mill. Feeding Problems The lack of a steady market, particularly for low grades of alfalfa hay, and decreasing returns from cotton were operating in 1932 to suggest e program of livestock farming. Since that time the conditions have not changed materially and increased tonnages of sorghums have been pro- duced. The scarcity of locally grown grains and the cost of transportin purchased grains, $5.00 to $8.00 per ton, from the South Plains farming area has been a handicap to fattening and has created a special problem‘ in cattle feeding, forcing the utilization of large amounts of roughage feeds. .g When the Station began fee-ding steers in 1931-32 as a farm enterprise“ and as a means of aiding farmers in the locality to create a market for their roughages, it was not known whether livestock feeding could be- fitted into the farm program in the area. It was apparent, however, that a program of feed utilization could not be complete without cattle. The , Station was cognizant of the fact that types of livestock production are governed by the feed supply, that crops and markets determine the live- stock that can be most advantageously fitted for market, and that the _, judgment shown in purchasing a class of cattle suitable for the available ‘T’ feeds, the labor situation and the time of marketing all contribute to the success or failure of the enterprise. Since the Station operated its feeding enterprise under a program of self-maintenance, practical con- siderations were necessarily observed. The nature of the available feeds ofiered two main problems; first, th selection of a class and grade of cattle which would make the most ec0-‘ nomical use of rations high in roughage, and second, the combinatio of the available feeds into efficient rations. It was assumed without th _ benefit of experimental work at the Station that yearling steers of higif feeder grade would be the most profitable class of feeders to utilize rough age feeds in fattening. In instances the steers were purchased and plac immediately on feed in dry lot; in other instances they were give as much preliminary grazing as was available on the farm. UTILIZATION OF HOME GROWN FEEDS IN FATTENING STEERS 7 Review of Literature Many feeding trials variously entitled have been conducted by other experiment stations with reference to the feeding of rations limited in concentrates, and much of this work has been reviewed. Bohstedt (2), while at the Ohio Station, reported that in fattening calves, yearlings, and two-year-olds, a full corn allowance in the case of all age classes caused the cattle to gain more quickly and get into better market condition; and that because of the d-emand of the market for good covering of flesh, heavy corn feeding proved more profitable in every instance. In another trial, a ration of alfalfa hay and corn silage did not produce gains large nor economical enough to make a profitable ration, and oil meal in the ration made for better gains and appearance, and proved an economical addition. Corn full fed during the last part of the feeding period resulted in the best gains, most compensating market price, and most profit. Gerlaugh (3), also at Ohio, reported a 266-day trial with yearling steers in which the lot full fed corn gain-ed 2.04 pounds daily; the lot fed ‘ii as much corn gained 1.88 pounds; and the lot fed 1A; as much corn gained 1.65 pounds. Cost of gain, finish and market valuation all favored the larger amounts of corn. At the Nebraska Station (4), in a short test in which three lots of light calves were fed for 114 days on 3, 6, and 9 pounds of ground shelled corn with alfalfa and silage, the average daily gain for all groups see-med to be in proportion to the grain fed, the heaviest fed calves gaining 2.26 pounds daily. At the Iowa Station, Evvard (5) stated that: “In years of relatively cheap corn when the dry matter in the corn silage costs practically as much as in the corn grain, the limitation of the corn grain for cattle such as those used (two-year-old steers) is doubtful, particularly since the heavy grained cattle sell for more per cwt.” Kennedy (6), also of the Iowa Station, reported that in a 189-day feeding period it did not appear to be possible to finish cattle on light or medium grain rations so as to sell for as high a price as similar cattle fed on heavy grain rations, but that gains on fattening cattle could be made at smaller cost with light or medium grain rations than with heavy grain rations. » Pew (7), also of the Iowa Station, made the following statement: “In comparing limited feeding and full feeding two-year-old steers for a period of 120 to 160 days, the difference in daily and total gains is small but somewhat in favor of the heavy grain feeding. Whether or not limited or full feeding should be followed is dependent largely on the final selling value. When there is but very little spread between the well and the light corn fed cattle, the limited corn fed cattle will pay out the best.” 8 BULLETIN NO. 604, TEXAS! AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT’ STATION Gramlich (8), of the Nebraska Station, aft-er posing the question, “Can beef be made without corn?”, reported as the result of a 130-day test that “The feeding of a heavy silage ration did not produce as much finish as the feeding of corn in conjunction with cottonseed cake and alfalfa, but did result in considerable fleshing and a market price which left a margin of profit.” Allison (9) of the Missouri Station stated that: “If the most extensive use is to be made of corn silage in fattening cattle, it is desirable to feed some high protein concentrate in the ration." As the result of another test (10) with two-year-old ste-ers fed for 133 days, he stated that: “The average daily gain in live weight made by the cattle in the lots which received no corn other than that contain-ed in the silage, while not as large as when shelled corn was fed, were satisfactory for fatten- ing cattle.” Trowbridge (11), of the Missouri Station, in reporting a 100-day feed- ing trial with two-y-ear-old steers that averaged 1028 pounds initial weight, made the following statements which are of interest: “When corn silage and legume hay are relatively cheap, as compared with corn, extensive use, with or without a small quantity of linseed oil meal, is shown to be advisable, especially during the early part of a feeding period. Slightly better results were obtained where cattle were started on corn silage, legume hay and linseed meal, with a full feed of corn added during the last 40 days of a 100-day feeding period, than where cattle were fed corn silage, legume hay, linseed meal and a half ration of corn throughout the 100-day feeding period. Neither of the lots so fed made much more gain than a lot fed similarly but without corn. Full fed steers gained about 25 per cent more than those which did not receive corn.” The Minnesota Station (12 and 13) reported trials in fattening steer calves" in which corn and cob meal was full fed, 85% full fed, 70% full fed, and in another lot 60% full fed for 56 days, 70% and 85% full fed in two ensuing 56-day periods and full fed in the final 42 days. The 85 per cent full fed lot made greater gain and as much finish as the full fed lot. Results from limiting the amount of concentrates to 60 per cent for the first 56 days and then making increases to 100 per cent full fed were better than for 70 per cent full fed; but neither produced as good results as 85 per cent full feeding or 100 per cent full feeding. In an- other trial, 78 per cent full feed of shelled corn returned more profit than a 91 per cent full feed and both returned greater profit than a 100 per cent full feed of corn and cob meal. In. two trials a full feed of corn and cob meal surpassed a full feed of shelled corn in profit. The general conclusions were stated as follows: “(1) Baby beeves can be fattened most profitably by limiting the allowance of concentrates somewhat be- low a full feed. 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