Grass-fed beef sales are expected to increase globally by 40 billion U.S. dollars by the year 2025. Increased demand for grass-fed beef raises many producers' and consumers' concerns regarding feasibility, product quality, economic viability, and environmental impacts that have gone unanswered. Therefore, using a holistic approach, we investigated the performance, carcass quality, financial outcomes, environmental impacts, and fatty acid profile of four grass-fed and grain-fed beef systems in California. The treatments included: 1) steers stocked on pasture and feedyard finished for 128 days (CON); 2) steers grass-fed for 20 months (GF20); 3) steers grass-fed for 20 months with a 45-day grain finish (GR45); and 4) steers grass-fed for 25 months (GF25). Final body weight, dressing percentage, and carcass quality varied significantly across all treatments. Animal performance directly affected economic and environmental footprints with grass-fed systems resulting in higher carbon and breakeven than grain-fed treatments. Fatty-acid profiles differed significantly from all treatments with CON systems higher in monounsaturated fatty acids and saturated fatted acids. No difference in total polyunsaturated fatty acids were observed between treatments, but grass-fed treatments where higher in omega-3 fatty acids. The results from these studies indicate that varying grass-fed beef production systems in the western U.S. yield significant differences in both animal performance, carcass quality, fatty acid profile and result in varying environmental and economic impacts. However, before sustainability practices can be achieved they must first be adopted by producers. To gauge insight into rancher’s interest and motivations for joining a sustainability program we performed a multistate survey investigating best management practices related to the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program. The BQA program is one of the most successful rancher educational program and as such, a great case study to learn about why ranchers would chose to volunteer for an educational program. The survey indicated that that those that joined the BQA program were more likely to perform BQA best management practices, however BQA involvement did not affect a rancher’s willingness to join a sustainability program. Overall, this survey provided an overview for why a rancher would or would not join a BQA program and provided insight on current BQA practices.

Emerging precision livestock technologies can collect real-time data on individual animal feed intake and body weights in feedlot production systems. With this individual animal data, feedlot producers are transitioning towards managing and marketing animals individually to improve efficiency, carcass uniformity, and profitability. Accurate prediction of feedlot cattle growth and body composition is necessary for optimal management and marketing of feedlot cattle. Broadly, this paper will evaluate the application of Davis Growth Model (DGM) for predicting maintenance energy requirements, growth, and economic returns in feedlot systems. One hundred and twenty Angus-cross steers (initial body weight = 348 ± 25 kg) were allocated into two feeding groups: 1) 24 steers fed individually using Insentec, Roughage Intake Control (RIC) feed bunks, and 2) 96 steers fed using conventional concrete bunks (CON). Steers in the CON group were sorted by either body weight (i.e., light and heavy) or expected days on feed (i.e., short and long) determined using the DGM. There were two replicates of each sort treatment, for a total of eight pens with twelve steers in each pen. Four of the eight CON pens were equipped with bunk cameras that captured images at one-minute intervals. All groups were fed a high concentrate finishing ration for a minimum of 84 d before harvest.

Measurements for body weight (BW), hip height, back fat thickness (BF), and ribeye area (REA) were taken at 28 d intervals while on the finishing ration. Feeding behavior was collected on RIC steers using radio frequency identification data from the Insentec system. Conventional steers in pens with cameras were uniquely identified using colored adhesive patches and trained observers reviewed the images and recorded feeding behavior for individual animals. Feeding behavior traits considered were total daily eating duration (ED), bunk visit (BV) frequency, mean BV duration, meal frequency, mean meal duration, and total daily meal duration (MD). Repeated BW and composition measurements were used to create individual and pen-level growth curves for BW, empty body fat (EBF) percent, Yield Grade (YG), and Quality Grade (QG). The DGM was used to evaluate changes in maintenance energy requirements (alpha) and protein synthesis (K2) parameter estimates from the original values. Alpha was correlated with production parameters and feeding behavior measured using linear regression, and feeding behavior was compared between RIC and CON groups using regression analysis. Dry matter intake curves were developed on and individual and pen-basis for RIC and CON groups, respectively. Projections from the growth and DMI curves were used to generate marginal cost and revenue curves to estimate profitability and the optimal harvest day for individual RIC animals and CON pens. Effect of sorting by BW and days on feed (DOF) were evaluated using a t-test and an F-test to compare treatment means and variances, respectively.

Alpha and K2 have increased by 14.4 and 9.6% compared to the previous alpha and K2 estimates, suggesting increases in both apparent maintenance energy requirements and rates of protein synthesis. Steers with decreased maintenance energy requirements tended to be faster growing with increased rates of protein synthesis and greater EBF percent at harvest. Residual feed intake (RFI), DMI, SBW, and BF were able to explain 78% of the variation in alpha. Feeding behavior traits were not influential on alpha. Compared to the RIC cattle, CON steers had a smaller number of longer feeding bouts, increased ED, and decreased DMI. Cattle with low RFI tended to have increased BV frequency (P = 0.08), decreased mean BV duration (P = 0.02), and slower eating rates (P = 0.06). Results from the growth curves indicated BW, YG, and QG all increase with longer DOF, but marketing optimums vary based on grid prices and feed costs. Sorting by DOF improved carcass uniformity, decreased carcass discounts, and improved profitability. With individual animal growth trajectories, feedlot operators can make decisions regarding pen sorting, feed and health management, and marketing. By combining these models with DMI data, incremental cost of gain can be calculated, which can be used to pinpoint exact marketing optimums, and increase profitability by decreasing within pen variation, reducing overfeeding, and improving carcass uniformity.

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) of fecal samples has been used to predict the crude protein and digestible organic matter of forages consumed by grazing animals. However, for NIRS predictions to be accurate, the equation used must be based on samples from the target population. The Texas A&M Grazinglands Animal Nutrition Laboratory has developed a NIRS program based on forages in Texas, the Midwest and Canada's lower prairie provinces. California producers have been using these equations even though they had never been evaluated for California conditions. We conducted beef-cattle digestibility trials on two California rangeland summer forages to produce forage-fecal pairs for testing the existing NIRS ones and developing new equations as necessary. The predictions from the original equations were significantly different from the true values determined in the digestibility trials. The addition of data from this research has improved the predictive capability for both crude protein and digestible organic matter in California.

Selenium (Se) deficiency occurs commonly in California grazing cattle and has been associated with reduced immune function and, in some studies, reduced weight gain. Multiple methods of supplementing Se are available, but little research has compared the effects of these methods on whole blood Se levels and weight gain. In two trials, we evaluated four methods of Se supplementation — an intrarumenal bolus, two injectable preparations and a loose salt containing 120 ppm Se — over an 85- to 90-day period in Se-deficient yearling cattle in Tehama County. The bolus treatment raised whole blood Se levels to an adequate level (0.08 ppm) for the entire study period. Whole blood Se concentrations in injected cattle initially reached adequate levels but then declined to deficient levels. The loose salt treatment acted slowly, with average whole blood Se concentration reaching adequate levels at the end of the study period. None of the treatments significantly affected weight gain and Se blood concentration was not correlated with weight gain. In growing cattle, it appears that Se supplementation may be viewed not as a direct driver of weight gain, but rather as similar to vaccination, in that it can prevent health problems that might otherwise lead to reduced weight gain.