Driving Beef Performance and Feed Efficiency This Winter

As cattle move towards housing this winter, attention turns to achieving cost effective performance from winter feeding programs. With beef margins under pressure and grain markets beginning to strengthen, feed efficiency will be more important than ever.

Driving performance is not simply about increasing concentrate feeding rates. The objective should be to maximise the efficiency within the farm gate, ensuring cattle convert feed into liveweight gain. Understanding costs, accurately assessing forage quality and formulating diets around animal requirements will therefore be central to maintaining profitability this winter.

Starting with Forage

Silage remains the foundation of most winter beef diets. Analysing forage for dry matter, energy, protein and fibre allows concentrate supplementation to be accurately matched to both forage quality and target animal performance.

Where forage quality is poorer, additional concentrate may be required. However, simply feeding more does not guarantee greater performance. Regular weighing and monitoring of daily liveweight gain (DLWG) allows producers to determine whether additional feed is generating an economic response.

At Fane Valley Feeds, improving this relationship between feed input and animal output forms the foundation of our MAXIMUS beef feed range.

Maximising performance and profitability

MAXIMUS incorporates unique performance technology designed to support rumen efficiency, optimise feed conversion and increase daily liveweight gain.

Trials conducted under practical farm conditions have demonstrated consistent results, with cattle receiving MAXIMUS achieving an additional 140–210 grams of liveweight gain per head per day, with improvements in DLWG of up to 20% compared with conventional rations.

Importantly, this improved performance has also translated into carcass value. On one recent farm trial, cattle receiving MAXIMUS achieved a 1.8 % improvement in kill out percentage, contributing to an additional net margin of £34 per head.

Across our wider trial work, MAXIMUS has delivered approximately a 6:1 return on investment, demonstrating the value of extracting more performance and value from every kilogram of feed consumed.

Improved feed conversion can also help cattle reach target weights sooner, potentially reducing days to finish and the overall feed required per kilogram of beef produced.

This winter, the message is simple: know your forage, balance diets correctly, set performance targets and monitor results. As feed costs increase achieving more from every kilogram consumed will be key to protecting margins.

MAXIMUS complements these fundamentals by helping producers deliver greater performance, profitability and feed efficiency from their winter feeding program.

For advice on getting more from your winter beef feeding program or to learn more about the MAXIMUS beef feed range, contact your local Fane Valley Feeds Advisor or call  028 8224 3221