News Update

News Update
March 26, 2008

Researchers Hope to Measure RFI of Cattle on Pasture

Texas AgriLife Research scientists hope to develop a means to select cattle that gain the same weight — or more — on less feed than cattle of the same breed-type and history.

At the heart of the subject is the beef-animal measurement technique called “residual feed intake,” or “RFI” in research shorthand. What makes the study different is it is designed to develop a means of measuring RFI of cattle on pastures, David Forbes, AgriLife Research animal nutritionist, said.

“We will test cattle on pasture so that we can use this technique to clarify and validate the residual feed intake data we’re obtaining from feedlots,” Forbes said.

RFI is not to be confused with feed conversion, a measurement used by animal scientists and agricultural producers for decades to improve net efficiency in poultry and swine operations, Forbes said.

Feed conversion is a relatively simple calculation that measures how much feed an animal consumes to gain a pound, Forbes said. It’s simple mathematics: weight of the feed consumed daily divided by the weight gained daily.

The math behind RFI, however, is more complicated. RFI compares the difference between an animal’s actual feed intake and its predicted feed intake. Predicted feed intake is the amount of feed the animal is expected to consume based on its weight, growth rate and the performance of its contemporaries. For example, steers that weigh more and gain faster would be expected to consume more than steers that weigh less and gain more slowly.

“Residual feed intake is better than feed conversion as it (residual feed intake) is independent of growth and body weight,” Forbes said. “Residual feed intake measures the variation in feed intake that remains after the requirements for maintenance and growth are accounted for, and is calculated as the difference between an animal’s actual feed intake and the feed an animal is expected to consume based on its body weight and average daily gain.”

For either measurement, keeping track of an animal’s feed intake in a confined feeding operation is relatively simple. Computerized equipment tracks an animal’s intake by various measures, usually involving feeding stations that are keyed to an electronic device either hung around the neck or clipped to the ear.

All such measures used to date have been done in some kind of confined feeding operation or another, Forbes said.

But unlike chickens and swine, beef cattle spend more time in pastures than in confinement. As valuable a research tool as RFI is for feedlots and researchers, questions remained: Can RFI of cattle on pasture be measured? And if it can be measured, how would pasture RFI match up with RFI data collected in feedlots?

Forbes and his research partners are trying to find answers to both questions. If the data compare, then the easier-to-acquire feedlot data can be used to select animals that perform better in the pasture, fellow researchers note.

The project is an example of research only an agency such as AgriLife Research is equipped to do, Forbes said.

“A private individual, if he knew half his animals were more efficient, he’d get rid of the others pretty quickly,” Forbes said. “But as scientists, we’re interested in the less efficient animals too, because we want to understand the biology.”

Through understanding the biological processes behind residual feed intake, it may one day be possible to identify less efficient animals via a simple test, Forbes said.

“But that’s a long way off,” he said. “Right now, we are just trying to solve basic measurement problems.”

The researchers are near to having solved the first problem, that of developing the methodology of measuring residual feed intake of animals on pastures.

Twice a day, the animals are fed a corn gluten supplement containing alkane, a waxy substance similar to paraffin. Forages also contain alkanes. Using an instrument called a gas chromatograph, fecal samples from the test animals can be analyzed for amounts of the different alkanes.

“Using the ratio of those two different alkanes, we can determine how much (grass) the animals have eaten,” Forbes said.

Forbes is confident that the methodology he and his research team have chosen will work, he said. There are details yet to be resolved, however, before the actual test can proceed.

“What we don’t know yet is how many fecal samples we need to get to adequately describe intake over these long periods. We’ll dose these animals for periods up to 70 days, which is an incredible undertaking in itself,” Forbes said.

— Adapted from a release supplied by Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

CUP Lab Offers Carcass Ultrasound Technician Training, Certification

The National Centralized Ultrasound Processing (CUP) Lab has announced the Summer 2008 field technician training and certification dates.

The Beginner Ultrasound Training Course will be offered at Iowa State University (ISU) in Ames, Iowa, June 2-4. The course will cover the proper collection and interpretation of ultrasound images for both feedlot and breeding cattle. Participants need no prior experience or equipment, but they must preregister by downloading a registration form at www.cuplab.com.

An Advanced Training Course will follow June 5-7 in Ames, with an opportunity to take the certification exam June 9. Certification will be administered by the Ultrasound Guidelines Council (UGC) and co-hosted by ISU and The National CUP Lab. UGC Certification will also be offered June 10-13.

Trainees are encouraged to register early, as classes fill quickly. For more information on Ultrasound Training or UGC Certification, please call The National CUP Lab & Technology Center.

W.D. Farr Scholarship Ready for Applicants

Applications are being accepted for the W.D. Farr Scholarship program, presented by the National Cattlemen’s Foundation (NCF). Two $12,000 graduate scholarships will be awarded to outstanding students pursuing graduate degrees in animal science, environmental science or agriculture. All applications must be postmarked by April 30.

The NCF continues to honor the successful career of the late W.D. Farr of Greeley, Colo., through the scholarships bearing his name.

The scholarship application and criteria can be found online at www.nationalcattlemensfoundation.org/scholarship.aspx, or by calling 303-694-0305. The scholarship winners will be introduced at the 2008 Cattle Industry Summer Conference, to take place July 15-19 in Denver, Colo.

To date, contributions to the scholarship fund have been made in Farr’s honor from individuals, companies and foundations totaling more than $200,000. Fundraising efforts remain focused on increasing the fund for additional scholarships to help young people pursue careers in agriculture.

Put Your Beef Ideas on Video and Win

Where is your favorite place to enjoy delicious, nutritious beef? How do you create your favorite burger or grill your favorite steak? Whether you enjoy beef at home, a friend’s house or your favorite restaurant, the 2008 Beef Ambassadors want to enjoy it with you, so they’re launching a “More BEEF in More Places” video contest to bring out the best tips for beef lovers worldwide.

The National Beef Ambassador Program, funded in part with beef checkoff dollars, encourages today’s youth to get involved and stay involved in their industry by sending them to the front line to promote beef and educate consumers about the beef industry. During the last couple of years, the Ambassadors have taken their message to the web, building and responding to beef messages and sharing accurate information where they find misinformation. This contest combines technology and sheer beef enjoyment to bring those messages home.

The grand prize winner of the contest will take home an iPod® Touch, and five other finalists will each win a “More BEEF in More Places” T-shirt. Videos submitted should show you and your friends enjoying “More BEEF in More Places,” so get innovative and fun — and let your creativity run wild. Or focus on the simple things in life, maybe enjoying a meatloaf dinner around the table with your family.

Videos submitted may be used, reproduced, edited, displayed, transmitted, modified or published in conjunction with beef promotions, as they become the property of the contest sponsor.

Here’s how to enter:

Make a 30- to 60-second video showing you and your friends enjoying “More BEEF In More Places.” Make your video as fun and interesting as possible. Let your creativity run wild.
Upload your video to YouTube, www.youtube.com/signup?next=/my_videos_upload. If you aren’t on YouTube yet, go to www.youtube.com/signup to sign up for an account; it’s free and easy. When you’re giving your video tags, be sure to include “BEEF in More Places.”
Once it’s uploaded, e-mail a link from your video to raisingthesteaks@gmail.com along with your full name and address.

By uploading the video and sending the National Beef Ambassador Program the link to enter, you are providing acknowledgement that entrants have read and agree to the terms and conditions and the terms of submission, which are available for viewing at www.raisingthesteaks.com, where you will also find additional information and contest rules.

The deadline for entries is April 30, and winners will be announced by May 9.

NIAA ID·INFO Workshop to Include Presentations by USDA Under Secretary Knight

Bruce Knight, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) undersecretary of marketing and regulatory services, is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the National Institute for Animal Agriculture’s (NIAA) ID•INFO Workshop on Thursday, April 3, in Indianapolis, Ind.

In addition to delivering the keynote address, Knight is expected to review country-of-origin labeling (often referred to as COL or COOL) regulations and will share his thoughts regarding its implementation.

The one-day ID·INFO Workshop will be a full day focused on the state of the NAIS program and market drivers for continued adoption.

Registration for Thursday’s one-day ID•INFO Workshop is $150 per person or $425 per person for the entire meeting, April 1-3, which includes the ID•INFO Workshop. Individuals may register at the NIAA website, www.animalagriculture.org, or by calling NIAA at 270-782-9798.

— compiled by Crystal Albers, associate editor, Angus Productions Inc.