07/09/1996

Black Belt Substation Research Putting Better Beef on the Plate

MARION JUNCTION, Ala.- What could be better than a thick, juicy steak? How about a thicker, juicer, more tender steak that costs less and produces more income for the cattle producer. That's the ultimate goal of several research projects underway at the Black Belt Substation here.

The 1,116-acre Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station facility has long been a key link between Auburn University and livestock producers in the Black Belt area. Current research on expected progeny differences, ultrasound testing, and forage production are the latest in innovative research projects conducted at the Substation since it began operation in 1927.

"From the consumers' standpoint EPD's (expected progeny differences) can help insure a higher quality of beef in the grocery store. While most people want USDA Choice beef, in a typical cattle herd some cows produce all choice and others produce all standard grades. One result of using carcass EPD's will be to produce a higher percentage of cattle that produce choice grades," noted Jimmy Holliman, superintendent of the Substation.

Holliman explained that most every breed has a set of comparisons, called EPD's, that predict differences between the progeny of cattle of the same breed. For example, if a Simmental bull "A" has a +20-lb. weaning weight EPD, and Simmental bull "B" has a +10-lb. weaning weight EPD, the producer could expect a 10-lb. advantage at weaning from the calves sired by bull "A."

Every major breed has numerous EPD's for traits such as milk production, calving ease, and weight at various stages of growth. However, there is very little standardization between different breeds. One of the goals of research underway at the Black Belt Substation is to standardize EPD's across breeds. Standardizing EPD's would allow cattlemen to determine what bull, regardless of breed, would be best for his breeding program. This would make it easier for cattlemen to produce a more desirable quality of beef that the consumer buys in the grocery store. If the consumer demands beef to meet certain criteria, cattle producers can achieve these specifications through the use of EPD's.

Though EPD's have been used for several years by purebred operations and some of the larger commercial herd owners, Holliman noted that part-time cattle producers may benefit just as much from the new technology. "If someone has a few head of cattle and not much time to work with them, they might benefit from looking at birth weight EPD's, so their heifers will have fewer calving problems. Or, if they need more milk production, they can look at EPD's of daughters sired by high milk EPD bulls," the Auburn researcher concluded.

Auburn researchers working at the Black Belt Substation also are using ultrasound technology to help predict cattle that will benefit from value based marketing. In the past, buyers bought the entire pen of cattle and got the good, the bad, and the in-between. Using ultrasound and computer programs, buyers and producers can predict more accurately the value of what they are buying or selling. In addition, ultrasound technology provides producers with a way to collect data on live animals which is beneficial in producing the type of cattle desired by the consumer. The real winner in the use of this technology are those of us who enjoy a good steak.

Cattle producers in the Black Belt have long sought an alternative to johnsongrass as a summer perennial grass for cattle. The latest forages to be tested at the Black Belt Substation are Eastern gammagrass and switchgrass.

Switchgrass grows best on poorer soils in the Black Belt and comes on early--by mid April--and usually outgrows johnsongrass. It can be used as hay and cattle seem to like it as forage.

Eastern gammagrass, like switchgrass, is native to Alabama. It is unusual in that it seems to perform best when planted in 36-inch rows, like corn. It is high in energy and protein and in preliminary grazing plots appear to withstand low moisture conditions.

With corn prices topping $5.00 per bushel last year, cattle producers in all grain-deficit states, such as Alabama, have scurried to find alternatives. While some relief may come in new forages, more is likely to come from better management practices based on well-researched technology, like EPD's and ultrasound. While the Black Belt Substation is home to some of the latest high-tech animal research, there remain a number of traditional grazing and forage production studies to provide ongoing information for Alabama cattle producers.

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News from:

Office of Ag Communications & Marketing

Auburn University College of Agriculture
Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station
3 Comer Hall, Auburn University
Auburn, AL 36849
334-844-4877 (PHONE) 334-844-5892 (FAX)

Contact Jamie Creamer, 334-844-2783 or jcreamer@auburn.edu
by Roy Roberson

07/09/96