Stabiliser trials show best animals eat £22 a head less in 12 weeks

The latest figures released from ongoing net feed efficiency (NFE) trials by the Stabiliser Cattle Company show more efficient bulls and steers with low NFE figures save £21 a head and £22 a head, respectively, on feed costs over a 12-week period.

Work to date has seen 1,338 animals measured for NFE since 2011 by tracking dry matter intake, daily liveweight gain and carcass fat depth, across 17 different NFE trials conducted at SCC’s Wold Farm NFE unit in East Yorkshire.

Results so far have shown that:

• For the same performance, more-efficient, low-NFE bulls consume 14% less feed than less-efficient, high-NFE bulls, reducing feed costs by £21 a head over 12 weeks.
• Feed consumption for low-NFE steers is 12% less, saving £22 a head.
• This equates to a £90 cost saving per finishing space a year – potentially the difference between profit and loss.

Reducing maintenance requirements

An additional factor often overlooked is maintenance requirements of cows and calves in suckler herds, added researcher and SAC beef specialist Jimmy Hyslop, who analysed data from the trials. 

He said maintenance accounts for 70-90% of total feed inputs in the entire production system. Feed used for growth of the finished animal accounts for the last 10-30%.

“Consequently, both the economic and environmental significance of feed efficiency are often hugely understated,” explained Dr Hyslop.

“Being able to select for more feed-efficient cattle will have a huge effect on both the profitability and overall sustainability of beef production,” added David Alvis, managing director of SCC. “This is why SCC has invested considerable resource over the past six years to develop the industry’s first commercially validated estimated breeding values for net feed efficiency.”