Growth promotants offer efficiencies, eco-benefits over grass-fed
Apr 7, 2008 12:23 PM
By Kindra Gordon
Many cattlemen and feeders already like the greater gain efficiency and reduced costs that growth promotants offer in raising cattle. Now, recent research from the Hudson Institute for Global Food Issues also suggests that growth promotants used in feedyard cattle is not only much more efficient, it also reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared with a grass-based finishing system.
Alex Avery of the Hudson Institute reports that in a comparison of grass-finishing cattle-feeding systems to conventional grain finishing with the use of growth promotants the eco-benefits favored the conventional grain system. Avery says, “We can produce basically three times as much beef per given unit of land with grain finishing with the aid of growth promotants.” Grain-finished, implanted cattle produce around 40% less greenhouse gas, as well.
The primary reason for the benefit was because grain feeding implanted, and even non-implanted cattle, reduces the amount of time it takes to get the beef to market.
Specifically, in looking at the land-use equation from the amount of acre-days that are needed to produce one pound of beef, an organic grass-fed system required just over 5 acre-days of land to produce a pound of beef. Whereas, only about 2 acre-days (were required) for a pound of beef produced with grain finishing without the help of growth promotants and only 1 2/3 acre-days for a pound of beef produced with grain finishing with growth promotants.
Additionally, cattle finished on a grass-based system produced about twice as much enteric methane during the finishing phase compared with grain-fed animals with growth promotants. Avery attributes this gas production to the fact that grass is harder to digest than grain.
Avery also says the safety of beef produced with growth promotants has been proven time and again.
To view the full report, go to www.cgfi.org.Subscribe to American Cowman Update e-newsletter!
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