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Healthy cattle taste better. Sounds logical, but a study at Oklahoma State University (OSU) proves it. The study found that steaks from cattle that were healthy their entire life were more tender than steaks that came from cattle with post mortem lung lesions. The study looked at the impact of respiratory disease during a 150 day feedlot finishing period. Tenderness, daily gain and carcass traits were analyzed using 204 steers. In addition to producing tougher steaks, respiratory illness suppressed daily gains, reduced carcass weights, fat deposition and ribeye area, and increased the percentage of Standard carcasses. In fact, steers treated more than once had the highest percentage of Standard carcasses. This indicates that respiratory disease not only costs the producer, but also affects the quality of beef passed on to the consumer. Several researchers have suggested that feedlot health impacts performance and may affect carcass quality. Texas Ranch to Rail program summaries indicate that non treated steers had a five percent greater average daily gain throughout the finishing period and yielded 12 percent more Choice carcasses than those treated for health complications. However, considering cattle not treated for health problems as "healthy" may be misleading. In the OSU study, 37 percent of steers that were never diagnosed as being sick during the trail had lung lesions, and nine percent of those had active bronchial lymph nodes, indicating they were fighting disease. The study suggests that the cattle with lesions that were not treated were either not detected by feedlot personnel as sick cattle, or that the respiratory disease occurred prior to the finishing phase and resulted in permanent lung damage. So what does this indicate? Preventing illnesses in cattle results in more tender steaks and better feedyard conversions. Feedyard consultants recommend initiating a vaccination program at the ranch to greatly reduce the number of sick cattle entering preconditioning yards or feedlots. As the study illustrates, even calves that get sick at a young age and appear to be fully recovered can develop permanent lung damage that impacts their performance for the rest of their lives. Therefore, keeping cattle healthy not only results in a more satisfied consumer, but also leads to a more profitable cattleman. |
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