Beef

Integrating Field Peas into Feedlot Cattle Diets

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Abstract

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of replacing corn in the traditional Iowa finishing diet with field peas on steer growth performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality. Fifty-four purebred Angus steers were assigned to treatment by age, marbling potential, and initial body weight to one of two dietary treatments (n = 27 hd/trt): 1) a finishing diet composed of 66% corn, 20% modified distillers grains, 10% ground hay, and 4% supplement on a dry matter (DM) basis (CON) or 2) a finishing diet composed of 36% corn, 30% field peas, 20% modified distillers grains, 10% ground hay, and 4% supplement (PEA). While no differences were observed for body weight or average daily gain, PEA-fed steers tended to have lower dry matter intake compared to CON-fed steers. Carcass characteristics, Warner-Bratzler Shear Force, and fatty acid composition were not impacted by dietary treatments. In this study, field peas successfully replaced 30% of corn in finishing diets (dry matter basis) with minimal impact on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality of steers.

Keywords: field peas, beef cattle, feedlot

How to Cite:

Lundy-Woolfolk, E. L. & Loy, D. D., (2024) “Integrating Field Peas into Feedlot Cattle Diets”, Iowa State University Animal Industry Report 20(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/air.16105