36 Like Us on Facebook: BetterFarmingON Better Farming | May 2024 Livestock WILL IMPLANTS PAY OFF? Implants in beef cattle offer reliable return on investment. By Emily Croft Implants in beef cattle offer producers benefits in the form of increased growth, increased profits, and improved efficiency – producing more pounds of beef with fewer animals. There are still many misconceptions surrounding implants, but they have been repeatedly proven to be safe and beneficial to beef farmers. With a variety of types, durations, and production stages for implants, each farm will have a program that works best for them. “There are so many options out there now,” says Dr. Van Mitchell, a veterinarian at Metzger Veterinary Services. Metzger has two locations in Ontario and one in Alberta. “There is a perfect option for every operation, but it’s a matter of putting it into practice.” Implants are slow-release pellets that contain either naturally occurring hormones, like estradiol, progesterone, or testosterone, or synthetic hormones, such as trenbolone acetate (TBA). These compounds will influence growth in different ways and can be applied at different rates and ages to achieve the desired results. What can farmers gain from using implants, and how should they choose a program that best complements their operation? Benefits Implants are one tool to improve the growth of beef cattle that are being raised to enter the food chain. The scale and type of benefits seen with these products vary based on the program used. Karin Schmid, beef production and extension lead at Alberta Beef Producers, says this technology has existed for over 50 years. “The benefits vary a little depending on the strategy used,” says Schmid. “The increase in gain can result in additional income somewhere in the range of $50 to over $100 per head, depending on the implant, feed ingredients and cost, and implant timing.” Mitchell explains that this profit isn’t just seen in an increase of hot carcass weight. “It’s an amazing return on investment, not only in hot carcass weight, but also at every step along the way,” says Mitchell. “When using these implants, I tell farmers that they are the one thing guaranteed to provide financial return in the beef market. There is no question that it is going to make them money. It’s going to increase feed efficiency, average daily gain (ADG), and pretty much as long as there is adequate nutrition, they will return a profit.” With some variation based on program differences, Mitchell estimates that generally, producers can expect to see a 15 to 25 per cent increase in ADG, seven to 12 per cent improvements in feed efficiency, and six to seven per cent greater dry matter intake. Schmid also points out that these efficiency improvements have environmental benefits, too. “The cool thing about this technology is that it also reduces the environmental footprint of cattle production,” Cattle should be restrained well during the implantation process. farmfoodcare.smugmug.com
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc0MDI3