BIDDESTON beef producer Ken Baldwin says he is more convinced than ever of the effectiveness of including a controlled release nitrogen source in the ration uses to grow out his Angus steers.
Mr Baldwin, who bought 67 top quality 260kg steers on AuctionsPlus in mid-June, said the inclusion of the Alltech product Optisync in his feeder ration had enabled him to grow the steers at an optimum rate, despite below average seasonal conditions.
“These steers have had it tough as far as pasture condition go. Not that you can tell looking at them,” Mr Baldwin said.
“On this part of the inner downs it was a really tough autumn followed by a tough start to winter.
“We usually plant oats at about the last week in March. But this year we didn’t actually plant until the start of July after we finally received some decent rain.
“For the first three months, the controlled release nitrogen in the Optisync really allowed these steers to take full advantage of the dry pasture we had.
“For the past month they have been on oats and have really gone ahead. Now those oats are starting to go off and the steers are still powering ahead.”
Mr Baldwin estimated the steers had gained about 1.2kg/day, consuming about 2kg of pellets a day. The 67 steers were fed through three intake limiting self-feeders.
“In the past couple of years I’ve fed steers rations with Optisync and without Optisync,” Mr Baldwin said. “There is no doubting the steers fed Optisync perform significantly better.”
The steers currently running on Enterprise will be taken through to 640kg-plus weights and sold direct to works.
Alltech nutrition adviser Toby Doak said Optisync was a controlled release nitrogen source originally developed in the US. The design of the fat matrix releases nitrogen into the rumen over an up to 12 hour period.
“Nitrogen – which is often supplied by adding urea to a diet – is readily broken down into ammonia in the rumen,” Mr Doak said.
“It is this ammonia that is the food source of the bugs in the rumen which break down fibrous material like dry pasture that enables the animal to maximise the value of the feed source.
“However, the benefits of urea only last for about an hour. At that time the ammonia has either been used by the rumen bugs or it is expelled by the animal.
“Optisync works by progressively feeding the bugs over the 12 hour period. That means the rumen can effectively breakdown lower quality feed for a far longer period.”
