CASE STUDY: Effects of a direct-fed microbial on finishing beef cattle performance, carcass characteristics, and in vitro fermentation

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of BeefPro (C&E Agri Products, Baldwin, ND), a microencapsulated direct-fed microbial containing lactate-producing bacteria and digestive enzymes, on performance and carcass characteristics of feedlot cattle and on in vitro fermentation of high-concentrate substrates. In the performance study, 96 steers (average BW = 321 kg) were allotted randomly to 2 treatments: (1) control or (2) 200 mg/d per steer of BeefPro. Final BW did not differ between treatments (P = 0.19); however, steers fed BeefPro tended (P = 0.10) to have a greater carcass-adjusted final BW. Steers fed BeefPro tended (P < 0.07) to have a greater live-weight-basis ADG for the overall feeding period, and carcass-adjusted ADG was greater (P = 0.037) for cattle fed BeefPro. Dry matter intake was greater by steers fed BeefPro (P = 0.04), but G:F (P > 0.55) did not differ between treatments on a live-weight or carcass-adjusted basis. In the in vitro study, the same treatments as in the performance study were used in high-concentrate substrates to determine IVDMD and gas production kinetics. Neither gas production kinetics nor IVDMD was altered by BeefPro at 21.2 mg/kg of DM compared with control (P ≥ 0.10). Although in vitro data did not provide evidence of alterations in ruminal fermentation by including BeefPro in substrates, feedlot performance data suggest that BeefPro, when fed daily at a dose of 200 mg per steer, can have positive effects on DMI and ADG of finishing beef cattle.