Assessing Health, Efficiency and Profitability of Growing and Finishing Beef x Dairy Cattle on a New York Feedlot/Farm

Commodities

• Animals: bovine
• Animal Products: meat

Practices

• Animal Production: feed formulation, feed management, feed rations, genetics

This project intends to study the
efficiency and profitability of beef production from Beef x Dairy
Cattle. To better understand how the breed compares to native
beef cattle, we’ll study the health, growth, and effect of diets
as well as compare differences between steers and heifers. This
will be accomplished with the use of specialized feed software,
and animal health monitoring technology to measure feed intake
and rumination. We intend to learn what the most cost effective
and efficient way to feed Beef x Dairy Cattle and will measure
how they compare to native beef cattle in a typical feedlot
system. The results of this project will be compiled and
presented in a publication with the help of Cornell Cooperative
Extension (CCE). We will also host a farm tour, speak on a
producer panel, and be a guest on the CCE podcast.

The main objective of this
project is to compare the feed efficiency of beef x dairy cattle
(both steers and heifers) to native beef cattle. This project
will help us understand the rumination / health indicators of
beef x dairy cattle and how they compare to native beef cattle
through the finishing phase. By gathering this information we can
tailor diets to more efficiently feed and finish beef x dairy
Cattle while maintaining the health of the cattle. We also intend
to compare the costs for raising each type of cattle to finish,
so the profitability of each can be understood.