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A feeding demonstration at two Prairie feedlots will provide important information to cattle feeders on the economic and environmental value of including prairie-grown oilseeds in feeder cattle finishing rations.

More than 1,400 head of steers were on feed this spring and summer in Saskatchewan and Alberta feedlots in a project demonstrating how sunflower, flax and canola seed can play a greater role in rations to improve the performance of beef cattle, improve meat quality characteristics and also reduce methane gas production by the cattle.

The feeding demonstrations were staged at the Pound-Maker Agventures feedlot at Lanigan, Saskatchewan and Claresholm Custom Feeders south of Calgary.

"Using more edible oil crops in feedlot rations not only benefits beef production, but also can increase market opportunities for oilseed producers," says Vern Racz, director of the Prairie Feed Resource Centre (PFRC) at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. "It has to make economic sense to the feeder, but there are some years when due to frost or poor growing conditions, the oilseed doesn't make the grade for human food consumption, but makes excellent livestock feed."

The edible oilseed project shows the Canadian beef industry is committed to doing its part to help with reduction of greenhouse gas emissions," says Racz. "The industry, working through the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, is looking at ways to economically produce beef products with superior health benefits, while at the same time, ensuring environmental sustainability. Research shows rations with higher oil content significantly reduce production of methane, a greenhouse gas produced in the rumen of cattle."

Manual in the works

The feeding demonstration is the applied component of a project that began last year to develop a producer manual on the use of oil seeds in feed rations, says Racz. The work is funded by the beef sector of the federal Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Program (GHGMP) for Canadian Agriculture. Project collaborators include PFRC, University of Saskatchewan, University of Alberta, Olds College School of Innovation, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the two feedlots.

The use of edible oils in rations has been researched extensively over the years for several reasons. Oils were originally fed to increase production efficiency, but recently there has been renewed interest in their ability to reduce emissions of rumen methane (a greenhouse gas), and their potential to produce meat and milk products with enhanced human health benefits.

Edible oils have most commonly been used in dairy rations as a way to increase energy. They eliminate the negative side effects and digestive disorders that can be associated with feeding more fermentable carbohydrates found in high grain rations. With oils, producers have the benefit of increasing energy density in the diet without increasing the risk of acidosis.

"Research has shown adding oil to beef rations can improve feed efficiency, positively alter the fatty acid composition of the meat, and also significantly reduce rumen methane production," says Racz.

In the demonstration projects, the three prairie-grown oilseeds replaced some of the barley and wheat as the energy source in standard rations. The oilseeds represent eight to 10 percent of the dry matter content of the ration. Sunflower seed can be fed whole, while the flax and canola seed are ground before being used as a supplement over the 140 to 150-day finishing period.

Methane reduction

AAFC research found feeding whole sunflower seeds as a supplement reduced greenhouse gas (methane) emissions by 22 percent, while another project utilizing four percent supplemental canola oil reduced methane emissions by 33 percent. Even a 15 percent reduction in methane gas among 2.5 million head of feeder cattle would result in a reduction of 17.6 million kilograms of methane per year. Since methane has 21 times the "global warming potential" of carbon dioxide, the most abundant greenhouse gas, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from feeder cattle could be 370,125 tonnes of "CO₂ equivalent" each year.

"There are tremendous economic benefits for both the livestock and oilseed industries," adds Racz.

Oil and fat affects the quality characteristics of both milk and meat. Added vegetable fat in the diet has a positive effect on levels of nutritionally important fatty acids, such as alpha-linoleic acid (ALA) and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). However, the type of oil fed, whether it is canola, flax or sunflower, will effect the fatty acid composition differently.

ALA and CLA have important human health benefits. ALA helps prevent heart disease, while CLA also enhances the immune system, increases the metabolic rate, and as an anti-carcinogenic, helps prevent cancer.

"Altering the fatty-acid composition of meat and milk presents an opportunity to produce products with specific quality characteristics," says Racz. "For example, producers could have the opportunity to produce higher value 'designer beef' with potential for tremendous economic opportunity."

At the same time, Racz says, increasing the fat content in rations could provide canola, flax, sunflower and soybean producers across the country with a multi-million dollar market for a wide range of oil types and grades.

An important component of the project is to look at the economics of feeding edible oils. "It has to make sense to the feeder, but at times when there is a large supply of the off-grade oilseeds it can be a viable option that benefits both feeders and farmer," says Racz.

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Oilseeds finding high-value fit in feeder cattle rations

Manual in the works

Methane reduction