What does cattle feeding and seaweed have in common? In the near future, the answer may be "a lot!" as feedyards, branded beef programs and packers learn more about a revolutionary product grown off the coast of Nova Scotia.

Tasco(TM), which is basically seaweed meal, is a renewable natural resource that may have a big impact on the cattle feeding industry. Ten years of research have discovered that when Tasco is fed in the feedyard at specific times during the feeding period, there is an increase in marbling, a prolonged shelf-life at the grocery store and a dramatic decrease in the presence of E. coli.

Effects on Marbling & Immune Response
When fed for 14 days near the beginning of the feeding period, extensive research conducted at Texas Tech University showed an increased percentage of carcasses that graded Choice and Prime, and reduced percentages that graded Select or Standard.

"We saw the biggest difference in marbling in cattle that were less likely to marble, like cattle with a Brahman background," says Dr. Vivien Allen of Texas Tech University. "There was not a big difference in the Angus-type cattle," she said. "But they should marble well anyway. We saw a big shift in carcasses that would typically grade high select now grading low choice when fed Tasco."

The studies were conducted at Texas Tech's experimental feedyard and at commercial feedyards including Caprock Industries and C-Bar feedyard. Tasco is mixed into the ration and costs around $5/head to feed for 14 days.

In addition to an increase in marbling, cattle also showed an increase in immune response, according to Dr. Allen. Additional research in Missouri backed up that claim. In a study of poor quality, stressed cattle, those fed Tasco showed a dramatic difference in the number of repulls and chronics. In fact, only 1.9 percent of the Tasco-fed cattle were repulled, compared to 20 percent in the control group. No chronics developed of those fed Tasco, while two percent of the control group were classified as chronics.

Feedyards currently feeding Tasco near the beginning of the feeding period are "definitely seeing an immune response," says Dan Colling of Acadian Agritech, the company that markets Tasco. "Some alliances are seriously considering requiring Tasco to be fed to their cattle."

Effects on Shelf Life & E. coli
While the marbling and immune response effects are seen when Tasco is feed at the beginning of the feeding period, the increase in shelf life and the decrease in E. coli are documented when Tasco is fed at the end of the feeding period.

Research showed that cattle fed Tasco during the final 14 days of feeding showed an increased color stability in the meat. This increased the shelf-life of the meat by at least one day, thus increasing the meat's value.

Perhaps the most dynamic response of feeding Tasco is the dramatic decrease in the presence of E. coli. Cattle fed Tasco during the final two weeks showed reduced pathogenic E. coli in the feces and on the hides of cattle at harvest by an average of 80 to 90 percent. No negative effects of Tasco have been detected during repeated testing, so its use to improve safety appears promising.

How does it Work?
So how does seaweed have these effects on cattle? The seaweed has been shown to produce an increase in the antioxidant activities in both plants and animals. In fact, initial Tasco research was to see if the product could increase the stress tolerance of turf grasses used on golf courses. Positive results were found, which led to research using Tasco on tall fescue pastures. Eventually, cattle were grazed on these pastures. The benefits to cattle that consumed the Tasco-treated grass were evident, so researchers began to test the effects of feeding Tasco directly to cattle . "Going from golf courses to E. coli is quite a leap," says Allen. It took 10 years to get to this point, Allen says, and it took a huge collaboration of researchers from several universities.

The Industry's Magic Bullet?
"Right now there is not widespread adoption," says Colling, "but feeding Tasco is definitely increasing in popularity." The majority of feedyards feeding the product are adding it at the beginning of the feeding period to benefit from the increased marbling and immune response, Colling says.

"Packers are also very interested in the E. coli benefits," Colling says. However, some believe packers will have to pay a premium for cattle fed Tasco at the end of the feeding period before the product makes its way into the majority of all finishing rations.