Feeding Management Strategies to Mitigate Methane and Improve Production Efficiency in Feedlot Cattle

Abstract

Mitigation of greenhouse gases and decreasing nutrient excretion have become increasingly important goals for the beef cattle industry. Because feed intake is a major driver of enteric CH4 production and nutrient excretion, feeding management systems could be important mitigation tools. Programmed feeding uses net energy equations to determine the feed required to yield a specific rate of gain, whereas restricted feeding typically involves decreasing intake relative to the expected or observed ad libitum intake. In the context of growing/finishing systems typical of those in the United States and Western Canada, experimental results with programmed and restricted feeding have often shown decreased overall feed intake and increased gain efficiency relative to ad libitum feeding, but too much restriction can negatively affect harvest weight and associated carcass quality. Slick feed bunk management is a time-based restriction that limits day-to-day variation in feed deliveries, but the effects on intake and performance are not well defined. Simulations to estimate enteric CH4 emission and nitrogen excretion indicated that programmed feeding of a high-grain diet could appreciably decrease CH4 emissions and nitrogen excretion compared with traditional growing programs based on high-forage diets. For feedlot finishing, programming gain for a portion of the feeding period will decrease CH4 emission and N excretion only if cattle perform better than expected during the programmed phase or if compensatory growth occurs when cattle are transitioned to ad libitum feeding. Optimal approaches to implement programmed or restricted feeding that will yield increased efficiency should be the subject of future research in this area.

Impact of presence of zeolite in diets for lambs supplemented with zilpaterol hydrochloride: Growth performance and dietary energetics

“…The ADG and dietary energy efficiency improvements with ZH supplementation are mainly due to the fact that ZH acts as repartitioning agent, increasing protein instead of fat deposition in muscle tissues, changing the rate and composition of gain during the finishing phase of fattening (Rivera-Alegría et al, 2022). The energy cost for fat accretion is nearly two times greater than that for muscle accretion; therefore, the change composition of gain is a tool to increase the energy use efficiency during the finishing phase (Galyean and Hales, 2023). Using the same alternative approach mentioned above for ZEO, lambs received ZH supplementation decrease its net energy of maintenance requirement by 16%.…”

An updated meta-analysis of the anti-methanogenic effects of monensin in beef cattle

“…The difference in CH4 reduction between classes can be attributed to decreased availability of ruminal CH4 precursors when diets are limit-fed ( Ellis et al., 2008 ), which restricts the anti-methanogenic potential and activity of monensin ( Beauchemin et al., 2008 ). Hence, the effectiveness of monensin in mitigating CH4 production was impacted by feed offer regimen, which is relevant as both nutritional managements are used by research studies and commercial beef production systems ( Galyean and Hales, 2023 ).…”

A systematic review on the prospects of X- and Y-sexed semen in ruminant livestock: implications for conservation, a South African perspective

“…The Y-chromosome-bearing sperm cell is smaller in size, has less DNA, high motility, and less density ( 16 ). This is the type of sperm cell required mostly in feedlot setup where males are targeted for their higher growth rate and body size ( 17 ). Therefore, this systematic review is aimed to evaluate the prospects of X- and Y-sexed semen in ruminant livestock and provide some solutions that can be used to address poor sex-sorted semen and its fertility.…”