** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE US BEEF INDUSTRY IS CHALLENGED WITH IMPROVING PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY WHILE PROMOTING ANIMAL WELFARE, ECOLOGICAL STEWARDSHIP, AND JUDICIOUS USE OF NATURAL RESOURCES. INCREASING STOCKING DENSITY ALLOWS FOR GREATER PRODUCTIVITY USING LESS LAND, BUT SUBSTANTIALLY IMPACTS ANIMAL WELFARE. STOCKING DENSITY GUIDELINES HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED FOR MANY SPECIES, YET LIMITED INFORMATION EXISTS FOR BEEF CATTLE. CURRENT RECOMMENDATIONS ARE MOSTLY RELATED TO FEEDLOT CATTLE, AND SHOULD NOT BE EXTRAPOLATED ACROSS DIFFERENT SECTORS OF THE BEEF INDUSTRY. THAT INCLUDES COW-CALF SYSTEMS, IN WHICH REARING HEIFERS IN DRYLOTS IS BEING USED TO COPE WITH ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES AND LIMITED RESOURCES, BUT WITHOUT SPECIFIC GUIDELINES REGARDING STOCKING DENSITY. OUR RESEARCH GROUP REPORTED THAT REARING HEIFERS IN DRYLOTS WITH HIGH STOCKING DENSITY WAS DETRIMENTAL TO WELFARE ASPECTS SUCH AS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND CHRONIC STRESS, RESULTING IN DELAYED PUBERTY ATTAINMENT. REPRODUCTIVE DEVELOPMENT OF REPLACEMENT HEIFERS DICTATES THE OVERALL EFFICIENCY OF COW-CALF OPERATIONS. HENCE, MANAGEMENT AND STOCKING DENSITY GUIDELINES FOR HEIFERS REARED IN DRYLOTS ARE URGENTLY NEEDED. THE OBJECTIVES PLANNED HEREIN WILL ADDRESS THIS LACK OF KNOWLEDGE, AND PROVIDE NOVEL INFORMATION TO THE US BEEF INDUSTRY. OBJECTIVE 1 WILL DETERMINE IF PROVIDING AREAS FOR VOLUNTARY EXERCISE MITIGATES THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF DRYLOT-HOUSING AND HIGH STOCKING DENSITY. OBJECTIVES 2 AND 3 ARE INITIAL STEPS TOWARD OPTIMAL MANAGEMENT FOR DRYLOT HEIFERS; COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT STOCKING DENSITIES (OBJECTIVE 2) OR DRYLOT DIMENSION × GROUP SIZE ARRANGEMENTS WITHIN THE SAME STOCKING DENSITY (OBJECTIVE 3). COLLECTIVELY, THIS PROPOSAL WILL LEAD TO MANAGEMENT THAT PROMOTES WELFARE AND PRODUCTIVITY OF BEEF HEIFERS REARED IN DRYLOT SYSTEMS.

Texas A&M Agrilife Research, College Station TX

Investigators