STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Cattle producers from 22 Pennsylvania counties came together to learn about feeding Holstein steers at a one-day Dairy Beef Workshop conducted at Penn State on Dec. 2.
“We at the Pennsylvania Beef Producers Working Group have been hearing from producers that they’d like more information about feeding Holstein steers,” said Bridget Bingham, executive director, PA Beef Council, and member of the PA BPWG. “We felt this workshop provided that opportunity.”
The PA BPWG was the main organizer of the workshop.
The opening session, led by Ben Williamson, PSU instructor, walked participants through how to evaluate live cattle that they would later evaluate as carcasses on the rail.
More than 60 participants also learned the difference between grading dairy and beef cattle and were given a beef cutting demonstration by Dr. Jonathan Campbell, PSU Extension Meat Specialist.
Dr. Tara Felix, PSU Extension Beef Specialist, wrapped up the day with a discussion of the feeding and management of dairy beef, in addition to dairy beef economics.
“The presentations were helpful in showing some of the differences in feeding dairy beef versus traditional beef breeds — how they respond to various feeding methods,” said Phoebe Bitler, a dairy producer from Fleetwood who attended the workshop.
“The actual trial with the cost break-out charts were appreciated in helping us to determine if this may be an economic diversification for our dairy operation,” she said. “The presentation showing photos of the animals on foot and then actually displaying them on the rail was also helpful in determining how a ‘finished’ dairy beef should look.”
Of the participants, there was a fairly even split as to whether they were currently raising Holsteins for beef or not. Out of the producers not currently raising Holsteins for beef, 35 percent indicated that they are considering the option. Seventy-five percent of participants who filled out a response card indicated that they would like more information on raising dairy beef, regardless of whether or not they currently are raising dairy beef.
“I think the responses speak to the continued need for programmatic efforts throughout the new year,” said Felix.
“The participants were overwhelmingly engaged in the program and many stayed long after to discuss their own operations and get feedback on what they’re doing,” Felix said.
The real-life scenario used as a basis for the workshop was the result of a 205-day Holstein Dairy Beef Project conducted at the PDA Livestock Evaluation Center in 2016, where 44 carefully-monitored Holstein steers were fed a high-grain diet and implanted to optimize growth.
The project was spearheaded by the PA Beef Producers Working Group, a collaboration of Penn State Extension, PA Beef Council, Center for Beef Excellence and PA Cattlemen’s Association.
Organizers felt the field test would help to determine whether feeding Holstein cattle for beef would be economically viable for Pennsylvania producers. The project was supported with funding from the PA Department of Agriculture and JBS.
For more information on the project, contact Felix at 814-865-0065 or tfelix@psu.edu.
— PA Beef Producers Working Group