Cattle feeders will have a full plate of production innovations and issues in the coming years, according to Dr. Mike Galyean, Thornton professor of animal sciences at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. Speaking at the 2002 Annual Convention of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association, Galyean laid out some of the things cattle feeders need to consider as they look at the future of their industry.

One of the issues cattlemen have dealt with recently is large mature weights and heavy carcass weights. "If you start looking at the data and doing some calculations, carcass weights are big now and they're probably going to get bigger unless we do something at the cow-calf level to modify cow size. We're going to have to deal with large weights and lots of tonnage for a long time."

Given that reality, Galyean told cattle feeders their challenge is to figure out how to work within that situation. Fortunately, he said, there are some production options that will help cattle feeders do an even better job of enhancing their efficiency.

While growth promotants have long helped cattlemen's efficiency efforts, beta agonists are on the horizon that could be an option. "These compounds decrease lipid synthesis and increase protein synthesis by muscle tissue," Galyean said. "They're already approved for use in swine and research is underway in beef."

Antibiotics are another production tool that will continue to be under the public microscope. "They're clearly on the radar screen and FDA has made public statements that they're going to assess the risk of these drugs." That means cattlemen may need to look at probiotics, enzymes and nutraceuticals, or nutrients that are used in a pharmacological context, in their animal health programs. "The research is still in the early stages and there are a lot of unknowns at the present, but these products may be important in animal health and food safety," he said.

Pre-harvest food safety is another area that will impact cattlemen in the future. Here as well, research is ongoing and many questions remain to be answered. But probiotics, specific nutrients or feed ingredients and vaccinations may play a future role.

"Another really interesting part of the efficiency equation, particularly as it relates to quality, is early weaning," he told cattle feeders. "With our present grain price structure, early weaning will probably have some real advantages."

Galyean defines early weaning as weaning calves around 100 days of age. "The improvements in quality grade are pretty remarkable at times, even in good-grading cattle. And surprisingly, the health status on early-weaned cattle seems to be better than calves that are traditionally weaned, which appears to be a function of the calves still being under the influence of maternal immunity." In addition, he says some research shows improved efficiency at the cow-calf level, with increased cow body condition and increase rebreeding rates.

With the trend toward value-based marketing, early weaning may be an option for some cattlemen. ""Whether we could do early weaning on the scale that would have an impact on the industry, I don't know," Galyean said. "But it's an option that a lot of people may never have thought of." ©