After a difficult year, the majority of farmers across the country are assessing how to stretch valuable forage supplies. While there is still the potential for back end growth and later silage cuts, supplemented with some fast-growing forage crops, many farms will be considering a range of strategic management decisions such as housing finishing cattle early and reducing forage demand by feeding concentrates, by-products and cereals.
The latter generally results in an increase in diet starch content and in turn pressure on the rumen. If not managed carefully, this can lead to one of the biggest hidden costs in beef finishing: sub-acute ruminal acidosis (SARA).
Unlike acute acidosis, SARA can develop without obvious signs. Cattle may continue eating and appear healthy, but daily liveweight gains become inconsistent, feed conversion efficiency deteriorates and days to finish increase.
The engine behind beef performance
"The rumen is home to trillions of microbes that break down fibre and starch through fermentation, producing volatile fatty acids which supply much of the animal's energy," explains Kevin Doyle, technical manager, Phileo UK & Ireland.
听"These microbes are effectively the engine room of the animal. When the microbial population is functioning efficiently, cattle extract more energy from the diet and convert into growth more effectively.
听"Rapidly fermentable diets, however, can produce acids faster than they can be absorbed or buffered. Rumen pH falls and fibre-digesting microbes become less active, reducing how efficiently cattle use their feed."
The importance of fibre
Sufficient forage and fibre are essential for good rumen function. Fibre encourages chewing and saliva production, helping to buffer and maintain rumen pH.
This is particularly important when forage supplies are tight and higher-starch feeds are used to maintain energy intake.
Balancing all nutrients
Diet requirements vary with age, breed, growth potential and production stage, but the guidelines below provide useful starting points. Headline nutrient figures are only part of the picture: the source, quality and balance of protein, starch and fibre can significantly influence performance. Forage analysis and advice from your nutritionist can help ensure diets are properly balanced.
Common diet targets for growing and finishing cattle
Small changes, hidden costs
Importantly, SARA is not always the result of a major ration problem. Feed sorting, inconsistent mixing, changes in forages/ration formulation, irregular feed intakes or rapid dietary transitions can all destabilise the rumen. Even relatively small inconsistencies in the ration can reduce rumen efficiency over time.
Signs to watch for include
- 听 听 听 听inconsistent liveweight gain
- 听 听 听 听poorer feed conversion
- 听 听 听 听loose or bubbly dung
- 听 听 听 听reduced rumen fill or cudding activity.
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Management comes first
Consistency is key to protecting rumen function.
Diets should be introduced gradually over two to three weeks, giving rumen microbes time to adapt. Consistent ration formulation and feeding times, adequate feed space, sufficient effective fibre and avoiding slug feeding can all help maintain a stable rumen environment. Fresh, clean water is also essential.
Supporting the rumen microbiome
Alongside good management, targeted nutritional strategies can support beneficial rumen microbes when cereal inclusion is high.
helps maintain a stable rumen environment and supports the microbes responsible for digesting fibre and utilising lactic acid.
Research has shown benefits including up to 9% higher growth rates and improved carcass classification. A recent life cycle assessment also demonstrated a 5.5% improvement in feed efficiency, enabling more beef to be produced from the same amount of feed.
Experience on farm
Yorkshire beef producer James Stainthorpe finishes around 270 cattle each year using home-grown cereals, aiming for cattle to reach around 350kg deadweight at 14.5鈥�15 months.
He first introduced Actisaf庐 after experiencing acidosis when cattle transitioned onto new-season barley.
"Seven or eight years ago, we were struggling when the cattle transitioned on to new barley in their diet, and that's when acidosis became a problem," he says.
Actisaf庐 has since become an established part of the farm's finishing ration 鈥� hear the full story in the video below.
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Protecting profitability
With feed representing a major cost in beef finishing, extracting as much value as possible from every kilogram matters.
High-cereal diets offer an effective way to support finishing performance, but maintaining rumen stability is essential. Consistent feeding, gradual dietary transitions, sufficient effective fibre and nutritional support for the rumen microbiome can all help cattle make more efficient use of the ration in front of them.
