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Wardens Farm Angus Females in Research Project
The Question to Address
Wardens Farm heifer in Pinpointer Feed Intake System.
Do heifers evaluated for feed efficiency from weaning to yearling have similar rankings in feed utilization for growth, milking ability, and rebreeding during the nursing stage with their first calves?
Cooperating in this study is the Iowa Beef Center at Iowa State University, the ISU Department of Animal Science and the American Angus Association®. Because feed costs represent about 60% of the total cost to maintain a beef cow herd in the U.S. it is imperative that we learn how feed efficiency measured in various stages of development relate to producing cows. Fortunately Wardens Farm currently evaluates heifer calves for feed intake and efficiency thus allowing a close examination of their efficiency later in life.
Wardens Farm heifers on Pinpointer system in 2006.
Each year for 3 years Wardens Farm will send calved out first-calf heifers to the ISU Beef Nutrition Farm where they will be drylotted and fed their daily rations using the feed intake monitoring system (FIMS) developed in conjunction with the Iowa Beef Center. All heifers will be evaluated for feed intake, gain and resulting feed conversions and residual feed intake. Additionally, all heifers will be evaluated for milk production level using the weigh-suckle-weigh technique.
Measures of Outcome
Wardens Farm female on FIMS at Iowa State University, 2008.
The outcome of this project would be to assess whether heifers evaluated as efficient in the growth and development stages would continue to be efficient as first-calf heifers during lactation. Wardens’ heifers born in 2006 which were previously feed efficiency tested had a range in residual feed intake of 1.78 to -2.68 and a range in BIF adjusted feed to gain conversion of 6.62 to 20.90 lbs of dry matter per pound of gain. Outputs measured as first-calf heifers will be pounds of calf weaned, degree of maintenance (body condition score and weight gain), and milk production. These observations will be associated with total feed intake during this trial and efficiencies compared to those achieved during the growth and development phase.
As summary reports are prepared and published they will be linked to this Wardens Farm web site page. STAY TUNED.
Feed Intake Monitoring System, ISU Beef Nutrition Farm, Ames, IA
Focus on Females
Our position at the forefront of the push to measure feed efficiency has lead to our involvement in a number of research projects over the years. Most recently, we have been working with researchers at Iowa State University to determine if highly efficient growing heifers retain that efficiency advantage when they become mature brood cows. Read a brief overview of the project then check back to see what we find.
Warden’s Farm Noted in Beef Magazine Feature on “Doability”
The pioneering evaluation of feed efficiency at Warden's Farm continues to draw more notice as interest in the genetics of efficiency grows. The June 2007 issue of Beef magazine includes an article on the nuts and bolts of measuring economically-important traits such as feed efficiency, entitled “Measuring Doability”.