The Effect of Beef Production System on the Health, Performance, Carcass Characteristics, and Meat Quality of Holstein Bulls

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of production system on the health, performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality of autumn born (AB) and spring born (SB) Holstein bulls. The study involved a total of 224 Holstein bulls and was conducted over two years (2017/18, 2018/19). The four production system treatments differed during the grower period and consisted of: (i) grazed with no concentrate supplementation (G), (ii) grazed with 2 kg concentrate supplementation per day (G2), (iii) grazed with ad libitum access to concentrates (GA) and (iv) housed with ad libitum access to concentrates and grass silage (HA). All bulls were finished on ad libitum concentrates and grass silage and were slaughtered at a mean age of 15.5 months. Total grower dry matter intake (DMI) (p < 0.001) and total finishing DMI (p < 0.001) differed between production systems for both AB and SB bulls, with that of GA bulls being the greatest in both cases. Average daily gain (ADG) during the grower period was greatest (p < 0.001) for the HA production system in the AB bulls and the GA and HA production systems for the SB bulls. However, during the finishing period, G bulls had the greatest (p < 0.001) ADG of the AB bulls, while that of the SB bulls was from the G2 production system (p < 0.001). For both AB and SB, bulls on the GA and HA production systems produced heavier cold carcass weights than the G and G2 bulls (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in health, carcass conformation, fat classification, or meat quality between production systems.

Performance of spring-calving beef suckler cows and their progeny to slaughter on intensive and extensive grassland management systems

The performance of rotationally grazed beef suckler cows and their progeny to slaughter on two lowland grassland management systems differing in stocking rate (SR) and fertiliser nitrogen (N) level was compared over eight years. The two Systems were 1) Intensive (INT): SR of 0.56 (bull production) or 0.71 (steer production) ha cow^− 1 unit, 211 kg fertiliser N ha^− 1, two silage harvests, and 2) Extensive (EXT): SR of 0.69 (bull production) or 0.88 (steer production) ha cow^− 1 unit, 97 kg fertiliser N ha^− 1 and one staggered silage harvest. A cow unit was defined as a cow plus progeny to slaughter. On the silage harvesting area, the mean application rate for fertiliser N was 110 and 80 kg ha^− 1 for first and second harvests, respectively. Herbage dry matter digestibility both pre- and post-grazing was similar (P > 0.05) for the two systems, whereas herbage crude protein concentrations were generally significantly lower for the EXT than the INT system. There was no difference (P > 0.05) between the Systems in cow live weight, body condition score or their changes or in calf live weight gain from birth to weaning. Post-weaning, live weight gain, slaughter weight, carcass weight, kill-out proportion, estimated carcass gain, carcass conformation score or carcass fat score did not differ (P > 0.05) between the systems for heifer, steer or bull progeny. It can be concluded that similar animal performance levels can be expected in an extensive grassland-based suckler calf-to-beef system compatible with the EU, Rural Environmental Protection Scheme as that attained in a more intensive System comprising of both a moderately high SR (~ 1.25 higher) and fertiliser N application (~ 2.1 higher).