How Many Pounds of Feed Per Beef Cattle
[Update] A new study has plant that Canada'due south beef manufacture has dramatically reduced its water footprint over the past several decades, and that trend is expected to continue. Acquire more at The Canadian Beefiness Water Footprint in Shrinking, published December 14, 2017
Nosotros recently received an email asking: " I've read that information technology takes sixteen lbs of establish material and 5000 gallons of water to make a pound of beef. How far from the truth is this? "
And then we calculated just how much feed and h2o beef cattle practise use before they're harvested.
Feed
In terms of plant material, because water content is college in some feeds than in others, feed apply is measured on a dry matter basis. Feed conversion (pounds of feed consumed per pound of live animal gain) varies with the blazon of feed an brute is fed, how it is processed, etc. Current feed to proceeds ratios in a feedlot animal are about 6lbs of feed per 1lb of live weight proceeds.
For example, if an animal enters the feedlot at 500lbs and finishes at 1400lbs live weight (which volition produce an 868lb carcass with 512lb of edible beef), that animal needs to gain 900lbs. At a 6:1 conversion, that'south 5400lbs of total feed used.
5400lbs feed ÷ 512lbs beefiness =
x.half dozen lbs feed per pound of edible beef .
In western Canada, much of the feed used for feedlot cattle is either barley that didn't make the grade for brewing, or sometimes wheat that didn't brand the grade for staff of life milling, or grain that spoiled in storage. For instance, you hear a lot well-nigh the runway shipping backlog leaving lots of grain on the farm. Given last year'due south bumper crop, a lot of that grain was stored on the ground and spoiled. Spoiled grain is no longer good for beer or staff of life, simply it's fine for cattle. Feeding information technology to cattle means that grain doesn't go to waste.
Back in the 1950'southward, feed conversion ratios were nigh 11:1, meaning that it took nearly twice as much feed to produce a pound of beef. Genetic choice and innovations continue to improve feed conversion in cattle.
H2o
Based on boilerplate daily consumption numbers available hither, a beef creature that reaches slaughter weight at 21 months would probably beverage about eighteen,600 liters (four,091 gallons) of water. That animate being produces around 512 lbs of edible beefiness.
4,091 gallons ÷ 512lb beef =
eight gallons of water per pound of edible beefiness .*
Many cattle go to slaughter at earlier ages, in which case that water employ number would be lower.
Cows utilise water, but they don't apply information technology up. Water cycles. Only a very small fraction of the h2o consumed is retained in the body. Near of the h2o that cattle drinkable continues to cycle in the environment.
*Note that water used during processing was not included, nor h2o used for irrigation to abound feed (some parts of the country use irrigation, some don't), because accurate data is currently unavailable. However, we do know that both irrigation systems and packing plants have become much more efficient in water utilize.
Progress
Information technology is safe to say that as an industry, we're doing a lot improve at using water than we used to. Dorsum in the 1950'due south, cattle were closer to 3 years of age at slaughter, would have drank closer to 50,000 liters (11,000 gallons), and produced a much smaller carcass (250 lb edible beefiness). It would have taken 44 gallons per pound of edible beefiness, instead of the 8 gallons per pound today. (That's still a far cry from 5,000 gallons per pound!)
Canada'south beef industry produces more beef now, using a lot less water and feed than nosotros used to. That's good for farm economics, and helps keep beef affordable for consumers. At the same fourth dimension, improvements in feed efficiency as well mean that we're producing less greenhouse gas and manure per pound of beef. That's adept for the environment.
[Update] A new study has found that Canada'south beef industry has dramatically reduced its water footprint over the past several decades, and that trend is expected to proceed. Learn more than at The Canadian Beef Water Footprint in Shrinking, published December 14, 2017
To learn more, visit:
Questioning the beef industry's water use
Optimizing Feedlot Feed Efficiency
Environmental Footprint of Beef Production
Click here to subscribe to the BCRC Blog and receive e-mail notifications when new content is posted.
The sharing or reprinting of this BCRC Blog article is welcome and encouraged. Delight provide acknowledgement to the Beefiness Cattle Research Council, list the website address, world wide web.BeefResearch.ca, and let us know you chose to share the article past emailing the states at info@beefresearch.ca.
We welcome your questions, comments and suggestions. Contact us directly or generate public discussion by posting your thoughts below.
Source: https://www.beefresearch.ca/blog/cattle-feed-water-use-2014/
0 Response to "How Many Pounds of Feed Per Beef Cattle"
Post a Comment