The objective of this study was to investigate effects of maternal supplementation with an injectable trace mineral (Cu, Mn, Zn, and Se) on subsequent steer performance during the finishing phase. Seventy-six Angus cross steers (initial body weight 249 ± 41.5 kg) from dams administered either an injectable trace mineral (TM; Multimin 90) or sterilized physiological saline (CON) during prepartum stage were used. Individual feed intake during the finishing phase were recorded with GrowSafe feed bunks. Blood and liver biopsy samples were collected to evaluate trace mineral status. Steers were slaughtered at 413 ± 26 days of age and carcass data were obtained at a commercial abattoir. Growth performance or mineral status of the steers during the finishing phase was not affected (p ≥ 0.14) by maternal treatments. Carcass characteristics were not different (p ≥ 0.18), except steers from TM dams had greater (p = 0.05) percentage of carcasses graded as Choice or greater. In conclusion, maternal supplementation of an injectable trace mineral increased the percentage of carcasses graded as Choice or greater, other than that, maternal supplementation had limited influence on finishing phase growth performance, trace mineral status, or carcass characteristics of the subsequent steer progeny.

This study determined the effects of wheat stage, preservation treatment, and harvest time on the fermentation characteristics, methane production, and bacterial diversity. In this study, processing wheat into hay can reduce methane production. The MWS7 (wheat harvested at 7:00 in milk stage and preserved as silage) group had a significantly lower CO₂ compared with the DWS15 (wheat harvested at 15:00 in dough stage and preserved as silage) group. Neutral detergent fiber degradation in the hay treatment harvesting at 7:00 was significantly higher than that in other treatments. The butyrate proportion in the DWH7 (wheat harvested at 7:00 in dough stage and preserved as hay) group was higher than that in the MWS7 group. Results from high-throughput sequencing showed that there were differences in the relative abundance of some minor rumen microbiota among the treatments. The MWS7 group had greater microbial diversity and the MWH7 group (wheat harvested at 7:00 in milk stage and preserved as hay) had higher species richness. In addition, the MWH7 group had a lower Methanobrevibacter abundance and methane production. Overall, the MWH7 group may have advantages of rumen fermentation and reduce methane production.

The objective was to investigate the effects of feeding late gestational beef cows supplements differing in fatty acid profile on steer progeny finishing phase growth performance, carcass characteristics, and relative mRNA expression of myogenic and adipogenic genes. Seventy Angus-cross steers (initial body weight [BW] 273 ± 34 kg) born from dams supplemented with either 155 g DM/d EnerGII (CON, rich in palmitic and oleic acids) or 80 g DM/d Strata + 80 g DM/d Prequel (PUFA, rich in linoleic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid) for the last 77 ± 6 d prepartum were used. Longissimus muscle and subcutaneous adipose biopsies were collected to evaluate relative mRNA expression of genes related to myogenesis and adipogenesis. Steers were slaughtered at 423 ± 6 d of age. No treatment × time interaction or treatment effect (p ≥ 0.21) was detected for steer finishing phase BW, while steers from PUFA supplemented dams tended (p = 0.06) to have a greater gain to feed ratio (G:F). Neither carcass characteristics nor relative mRNA expression was different (p ≥ 0.11). In conclusion, late gestation PUFA supplementation tended to increase steer progeny finishing phase G:F, but had no effects on finishing phase BW, carcass characteristics, or relative mRNA expression during the finishing phase.