Comparison of conventional and Alltech beef PN finishing programs: performance and
Comparison of conventional and Alltech beef PN finishing programs: performance and
Kelsey J. Phelps
K . A. Miller
Andrea K . Sexten
Cadra L. Van Bibber-Krueger
Part of the Other Animal Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Phelps, Kelsey J.; Miller, K. A.; Van Bibber-Krueger, Cadra L.; Sexten, Andrea K.; Jennings, J.; Depenbusch, Brandon E.; Gonzalez, John M.; and Drouillard, James S. (2014) "Comparison of conventional and Alltech beef PN finishing programs: performance and," Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports: Vol. 0: Iss. 1. https://doi.org/10.4148/2378-5977.1453
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Comparison of conventional and Alltech beef PN finishing programs:
performance and
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Authors
Kelsey J. Phelps, K. A. Miller, Cadra L. Van Bibber-Krueger, Andrea K. Sexten, J. Jennings, Brandon E.
Depenbusch, John M. Gonzalez, and James S. Drouillard
Thi s Research Report article is available in Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports: https://newprairiepress.org/
kaesrr/vol0/iss1/50
Comparison of Conventional and Alltech Beef
PN Finishing Programs: Performance and
Carcass Characteristics
Introduction
By the year 2050, the global population will be 9 billion people, resulting in an
unprecedented global demand for food. American beef producers currently employ a multitude
of production programs that use feed additives such as Rumensin or Tylan (Elanco
Animal Health, Greenfield, IN) and exogenous growth promotants (EGP) to maximize
production efficiency. When Rumensin and Tylan are fed in combination, average daily
gain and feed efficiency can be improved by 3% and 4%, respectively. When utilizing
growth promotants, producers employ implant programs and feed beta-adrenergic
agonists, such as Optaflexx (Elanco Animal Health), to enhance feed efficiency,
average daily gain, hot carcass weight, and yield grades of carcasses. The PN Beef Program
(Alltech, Nicholasville, KY) consists of two products that are designed to replace
components of the conventional feedlot diet. The PN Beef Receiver is intended to be
fed during the step-up period of feeding at a rate of 0.5 oz/animal daily, and PN Beef
Finisher is intended to be fed during the remainder of the finishing period at a rate of
0.7 oz/animal daily. Because both products are new feed alternatives, the objective of
this study was to compare the feedlot and carcass performance of the PN Beef Program
in relation to a conventional feedlot diet when both diets are combined with or without
exogenous growth promotants.
Experimental Procedures
Crossbred yearling steers (n = 512; 848 ± 17 lb initial body weight) were blocked by
body weight and assigned to 64 pens with 8 steers assigned to each pen. The study was
conducted as a randomized complete block experiment with a 2 × 2 factorial treatment
arrangement. Factors in the study design consisted of a dietary feeding program and
EGP regimen. For the dietary program factor, steers were separated into a
conventional finishing program treatment or Alltech PN Beef Program treatment (Table 1).
The components of the Alltech PN Beef Program diet were premixed into a ground
corn carrier and subsequently blended into the total mixed ration. Both supplements
contained a proprietary blend of organic trace elements, ascorbic acid, fermentation
products, fermentation extracts, and selenium yeast. The PN Receiver portion of the
diet was included in the total mixed ration for the first 21 days at a rate of 0.5 oz/animal
daily. The PN Finisher was included in the total mixed ration at a rate of 0.7 oz/animal
daily for the final 154 days of the feeding period. Each diet was fed with or without
exogenous growth promotants. Steers receiving EGPs were administered a Component
E-S (Elanco Animal Health,) implant on day 1 of the study, reimplanted with
Component TE-IS (Elanco Animal Health) on day 94, and fed Optaflexx at a rate of 400 mg/
animal daily the final 28 day before harvest.
1 Alltech, Nicholasville, KY. 2 Innovative Livestock Services, Great Bend, KS.
On day 175 of the experiment, animals were harvested at a commercial abattoir, where
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