I have had several conversations where folks assume that grain-finished cattle have little to no access to grass. That is not the complete truth and many are surprised to learn just how short the period is that those cattle remain in the feedlot. The majority of the animal’s life is on pasture. Recently I have started a new series of posts, directly answering questions I receive from readers. On the Ask A Farmer tab, there is a contact form where you can submit your questions. A few weeks ago, I shared a little about feeding corn to cattle. Turns out, corn and other cereal grains are a great source of energy in cattle diets. Yesterday I started a series focused on the concerns surrounding cattle feedlots and CAFOs. Today we’ll address a few concerns about the cattle and what they eat.
I have had several conversations where folks assume that grain-finished cattle have little to no access to grass. That is not the complete truth and many are surprised to learn just how short the period is that those cattle remain in the feedlot. The majority of the animal’s life is on pasture. Recently I have started a new series of posts, directly answering questions I receive from readers. On the Ask A Farmer tab, there is a contact form where you can submit your questions. A few weeks ago, I shared a little about feeding corn to cattle. Turns out, corn and other cereal grains are a great source of energy in cattle diets. Yesterday I started a series focused on the concerns surrounding cattle feedlots and CAFOs. Today we’ll address a few concerns about the cattle and what they eat. Cattle in feedlot eating corn Freshly received cattle at the feedlot eating wheat hay How long are cattle kept in feedlots? We wean most beef cattle around 7 months of age, followed by time in the backgrounding or stockering phase of cattle production. During this phase, the primary focus is the growth of bone and muscle tissue, development of the immune system function, and efficient gains on a diet of primarily forages.
How long are cattle kept in feedlots?
Most all beef cattle are born and raised on pastures where their diet consists primarily of grasses, legumes, and other forages. These feeds are high in fiber and lower in the digestibility of nutrients. The stomach of cattle is made of different compartments and is able to digest these fibrous materials.
When cattle on pasture need more energy than can be obtained from forages, the farmers may feed them supplemental feeds that come from a number of sources, including concentrates that will be explained below.
