The historical use of implants in ruminants dates to 1947 with the first implanting of Hereford heifers with diethylstilbestrol. Since that time, several different implants have been developed with varying degrees of commercial success. It is recognized that the use of anabolic implants in beef cattle offers the greatest return on investment outside of ensuring adequate nutrition. Although this may be true with respect to increased weight gain and improved feed efficiency, the influence of anabolic implants on carcass characteristics has not all been positive. Since the early use of diethylstilbestrol, packers have been concerned about the influences of implants on meat tenderness and carcass value as indicated by quality grade. This concern has been renewed and amplified with the increased use of anabolic implants and the introduction of combination implants. Estrogenic, trenbolone acetate, and combination implants used today have been shown to increase live performance, rate of empty body protein
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