Effects of bulk density of steam-flaked corn and dietary roughage concentration on performance and carcass characteristics of finishing beef steers

Steam flaking is the most common grain processing method used by beef feedlots in the High Plains (Galyean and Gleghorn, 2001; Vasconcelos and Galyean, 2007); however, costs associated with natural gas and electricity used in steam flaking are substantial. Decreasing bulk density of steam-flaked grains increases gelatinization of starch, but mill production costs are greater with lighter flake weights. Dietary concentration of roughage, particularly of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) from roughage is closely associated with net energy for gain (NEg) intake by feedlot cattle (Galyean and Defoor, 2003), and small increases in dietary NDF from roughage sometimes increase NEg intake and thereby average daily gain (ADG; Galyean and Abney, 2006). At the present time, costs of traditional roughage sources are high; thus, as long as NEg intake (and thereby ADG) can be maintained at a reasonable level, minimizing roughage concentrations in feedlot diets is a logical approach to improve cost of gain.