Effects of cow-calf production system and postweaning management on calf performance

A 3-yr study evaluated the effects of cow-calf production system and postweaning management on finishing performance and carcass characteristics of calves. Treatments were arranged as a 2 x 2 factorial (1 replication from each of 2 locations each year): (1) cow-calf production system: dry-lot feeding (DL) or grazing corn residue (GRZ) and (2) postweaning management: finishing (FIN) or grow-finishing (GRW). From November to mid-April, DL pairs were fed a distillers and crop residue-based diet in pens and GRZ pairs were supplemented with distillers-based cubes while grazing corn residue. All calves were weaned in mid-April and received into the feedlot for postweaning management. In the FIN treatment, calves were directly adapted to a finishing diet following weaning. Calves in the GRW treatment were placed on a growing diet (30% Sweet Bran, 35% distillers grains, and 35% wheat straw) for 76 d before being adapted to the common finishing diet. Calves from GRZ had lighter BW entering the finishing phase than calves from DL (P < 0.01). However, there were no effects of cow-calf production system on final BW or HCW (P >= 0.15). Calves in the FIN treatment had greater ADG (P < 0.01) and improved G:F (P < 0.01). The GRW calves produced 35-kg-greater final BW (P < 0.01) and 23-kg-greater HCW (P < 0.01). Economics indicate that directly finishing calves resulted in similar net return (P = 0.16) because increased HCW offset the cost of 49 additional days in the feedlot for the GRW treatment.