Growth and carcass characteristics of Wagyu-sired steers at heavy market weights following slow or rapid growth to weaning
L. M. Cafe A B , H. Hearnshaw A C , D. W. Hennessy A D and P. L. Greenwood B EA NSW Department of Primary Industries, Agricultural Research and Advisory Station, Grafton, NSW 2460, Australia.
B NSW Department of Primary Industries, Beef Industry Centre of Excellence, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia.
C Current address: PO Box 433, Grafton, NSW 2460, Australia.
D Current address: 187 Fitzroy Street, Grafton, NSW 2460, Australia.
E Corresponding author: paul.greenwood@dpi.nsw.gov.au
Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 46(7) 951-955 https://doi.org/10.1071/EA05372
Submitted: 23 December 2005 Accepted: 13 April 2006 Published: 8 June 2006
Abstract
Two groups of Wagyu × Hereford steers grown slowly (slow preweaning group, n = 14, mean average daily gain = 631 g/day) or rapidly (rapid preweaning group, n = 15, mean average daily gain = 979 g/day) from birth to weaning were backgrounded on improved, temperate pasture to equivalent group liveweights (543 v. 548 kg, s.e. = 8.8 kg), then finished in a feedlot for 120 days. At weaning, the slow preweaning group was 79 kg lighter than the rapid preweaning group. They required an additional 43 days of backgrounding to reach the same feedlot entry weight as the rapid preweaning group. The slow preweaning group grew more rapidly during backgrounding (630 v. 549 g/day, s.e. = 13.7 g/day) but tended to grow more slowly during feedlotting (1798 v. 1982 g/day, s.e. = 74.9 g/day) than their rapid preweaning counterparts, with overall growth rates from weaning to feedlot exit not differing between the 2 groups (rapid 763 g/day v. slow 772 g/day, s.e. = 17.5 g/day). At slaughter, following the feedlot phase, carcass weights of the 2 groups did not differ significantly (rapid 430 kg v. slow 417 kg, s.e. = 7.2 kg). There was a tendency for the steers grown slowly to weaning to have a higher dressing percentage (57.6 v. 56.6%, s.e. = 0.33%), but there were no significant differences in carcass compositional characteristics between the 2 groups. The slow preweaning steers did have a greater eye muscle area than the rapid preweaning steers (106.6 v. 98.9 cm2, s.e. = 1.87) when carcass weight was used as a covariate. These findings demonstrate that cattle grown slowly to weaning have similar composition at slaughter as those grown rapidly during the same period when backgrounded on pasture to the same feedlot entry weight. Furthermore, marbling was not adversely affected by slow growth to weaning.
Additional keywords: backgrounding, beef, cattle, feedlot, marbling, meat.
Acknowledgments
The financial and in-kind support of NSW Department of Primary Industries, and the University of New England to enable the conduct of this research is gratefully acknowledged. We also wish to acknowledge the considerable efforts of the following research, technical and farm staff: Lewis Molloy, Keith Newby, Bill Lee, Eric Donoghue, Max Johnson, Albert Martin and Karl Schultz, NSW Department of Primary Industries Agricultural Research and Advisory Station, Grafton; Phil Dawes, Peter Kamphorst and Peter Newman, NSW Department of Primary Industries Centre for Perennial Grazing Systems, Glen Innes; Stuart McClelland, Joe Brunner, Bill Johns, Steve Sinclair, NSW Department of Primary Industries Beef Industry Centre of Excellence, Armidale; and Andrew Slack-Smith, Department of Meat Science, University of New England. The excellent cooperation of the management and staff of John Dee Abattoir, Warwick, and associated Yarranbrook Feedlot, Inglewood, in particular Warren Stiff, Geoff Grant and John Calvert, is also gratefully acknowledged.
Ayres JF,
Dicker RW,
McPhee MJ,
Turner AD,
Murison RD, Kamphorst PG
(2001) Postweaning growth of cattle in northern New South Wales. 1. Grazing value of temperate perennial pasture grazed by cattle. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 41, 959–969.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Berge P
(1991) Long-term effects of feeding during calfhood on subsequent performance of beef cattle (a review). Livestock Production Science 28, 179–201.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Cafe LM,
Hennessy DW,
Hearnshaw H,
Morris SG, Greenwood PL
(2006) Influences of nutrition during pregnancy and lactation on birth weights and growth to weaning of calves sired by Piedmontese or Wagyu bulls. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 46, 245–255.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Dicker RW,
Ayres JF,
McPhee MJ,
Robinson DL,
Turner AD,
Wolcott ML,
Kamphorst PG,
Harden S, Oddy VH
(2001) Postweaning growth of cattle in northern New South Wales. 2. Growth pathways of steers. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 41, 971–979.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Drouillard JS, Kuhl GL
(1999) Effects of previous grazing nutrition and management on feedlot performance of cattle. Journal of Animal Science 77(Suppl. 2), 136–146.
| PubMed |
Greenwood PL,
Cafe LM,
Hearnshaw H,
Hennessy DW, Morris SG
(2006) Long-term consequences of birth weight and growth to weaning on carcass, yield and beef quality characteristics of Piedmontese- and Wagyu-sired cattle. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 46, 257–269.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Hennessy DW,
Morris SG, Allingham PG
(2001) Improving the preweaning nutrition of calves by supplementation of the cow and/or the calf while grazing low quality pastures 2. Calf growth, carcass yield and eating quality. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 41, 715–724.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Tudor GD,
Utting DW, O’Rourke PK
(1980) The effect of pre- and post-natal nutrition on the growth of beef cattle. III. The effect of severe restriction in early postnatal life on the development of the body components and chemical composition. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 31, 191–204.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
