Meeting the Protein Needs of Growing and Finishing Cattle

The cost of nearly all feed commodities has sharply risen since one year ago. Those feed ingredients normally used as natural protein sources, however , have risen in cost much more dramatically than the roughages or the cereal grains used for animal feed. This substantial rise in cost of high protein feeds plus possible shortages of feed grade urea will force many cattle feeders to alter feeding and management practices used in the past. For example, recommendations in previous years frequently called for the use of soybean meal or soybean meal based supplements as the source of protein in growing rations. These recommendations were based on experimental work that had shown that urea or other non-protein nitrogen sources were not utilized as well in high roughage rations (such as those commonly used in growing programs) as was natural protein. The current price differential between all natural protein supplements and those containing non-protein nitrogen is considerably greater than it has been in the past. Therefore, economics dictate the use of supplements containing substantial quantities of non-protein nitrogen in growing as well as finishing rations.