High concentrate diets for beef cattle

With the major changes in beef cattle farming, especially with the increase in large-scale feedlots, there is a greater need than ever to develop nutritional strategies with high levels of concentrates. The aim is to improve production performance, manipulate the deposition of finishing fat and marbling with effects on carcass growth and meat quality in feedlot animals. The aim is to reduce the cost of prepared diets, as well as the operating costs of preparing and distributing them to the animals. Likewise, as a result, labour, confinement time, food waste, investments in machinery and facilities will be rationalised, with a positive impact on the profitability of the activity. When working with complete rations with high levels of concentrate for ruminants, some feed management operations are necessary so that rumen stability is not compromised during this process. Some strategies, such as the use of additives, fibres and the non-processing of feed, can play an important role in preventing rumen metabolic disorders.