AGRICULTURAL
Use of
GROWTH PROMOTANTS
in Feedlot Cattle
What are the advantages and risks involved?
The profitability of a feedlot is mainly determined by the productivity in cattle production.
This can be extrapolated to the whole feedlot industry which also faces perceptually
environmental implications by the public.
By Dr Kobus Swart
Animal Nutrition Specialist
T
he cost of buying a calf and the
feed needed to finish it are the
two largest variable expenses
facing a beef feedlot. These two
costs are also external prices imposed
on the feedlot which increases the risk
substantially. To survive under these cir-
cumstances careful and well-informed
decisions must be taken and where even a
‘mind-shift’ must be applied .
Growth Promotants are among the
many sophisticated tools metabolic
14
technology used by feedlots and other
producers worldwide to raise more beef,
more rapidly, using less feed, while main-
taining high standards of animal health,
carcass quality and food safety. The three
main products approved and used in
the feedlot industry are antimicrobials in
the form of ionophores, hormonal growth
implants and Beta adrenergic agonists.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF
METABOLIC TECHNOLOGY?
The best way of measuring the benefits of
growth promotants are the average daily
live mass gain over a period and the rate
of feed conversion to live mass (FCR).
SENWES SCENARIO | MIND-SHIFT 2019
Both the circumstances and the quality
of feed must be specified to be able to
compare these measurements accurately.
Ionophores, implants and beta-agonists
improve daily gain typically on average
with 3%, 16% and 16% respectively.
Feed efficiency is improved by the same
promotants by 4%, 10% and 14% respec-
tively.
The feedlot production costs would be
at least 10% higher if producers decide
not to or were unable to use ionophores,
implants of beta-agonists. It is calculated
that the benefits of the growth promotants
allow a feedlot or industry as a whole
to produce 10% more beef with 20%