You’ve likely heard them referred to as foo-foo dust, fairy dust, hippie stuff, pixie dust and/or snake oil – and maybe have even used those terms yourself to describe the feed additives you have run into over the years. Vague marketing pieces, confusion on what they do and, sometimes, limited research with varying results have all contributed to the hesitation around trusting feed additives. But not all feed additives are created the same.
The current economics of the beef business say that animals can’t have a bad day, you can’t afford to lose one, and you need to help maximize animal performance and reproductive efficiency. This means proactive measures, like using feed additives, should have stronger consideration in your feeding programs.
Understanding the regulatory environment
Feed additives are ingredients added to animal feed to perform a specific function and can be medicated or non-medicated. For this article, I will discuss the non-medicated additives, or ingredients, which would include, but are not limited to, prebiotics, postbiotics, probiotics, essential oils and enzymes. These additives are often mistaken for something that is simply added “to what I am already doing,” when in fact they should be considered as an ingredient included in a feeding program to perform a specific function.
The FDA oversees the approval, registration and regulatory measures for feed additives. Each of the 50 states also has their own regulations, which can sometimes mirror the federal regulations but don’t always. With that said, to be used nationally, a feed additive must meet the requirements set by the FDA and for each individual state. Additionally, the FDA can review and approve an ingredient classification, but does not approve an individual product.
According to the FDA, any ingredient must be registered as medicated if it claims it can prevent, cure or treat an illness. Non-medicated feed ingredients, however, can and do a lot of things, but are not always allowed to be publicly talked about.
Non-medicated feed additive function
Probiotics, often called direct-fed microbials, are live microorganisms fed to animals to alter and enhance the microbe balance in the rumen and/or the lower GI tract. They have been shown to change rumen fermentation to reduce bloat, acidosis or methane production, as well as improve animal health and performance.
Prebiotics are ingredients that stimulate the growth of good bacteria in the lower GI tract or bind pathogens and toxins. These can help animals to better overcome health challenges during times of stress to improve average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversions, help reduce incidence of scours and support reductions in sickness and animals that need treatment.
Postbiotics are the end products of microbes consuming prebiotics. Instead of being produced inside of the animal, they are made in a production facility and then fed to the animal. They have been shown to affect physiological processes in the animal and to support immunity and modulate inflammation.
Enzymes are proteins fed to animals to improve the breakdown and digestibility of fiber, starch or protein, allowing for more energy to be derived from feedstuffs. Enzymes have been shown to improve ADG, feed efficiency and cow body condition, and allow animals to make better use of poor-quality forages.
Essential oils are natural oils that have the characteristic smell of the source from which they are extracted. They have been shown to have a wide array of positive effects, including improved ADG and overall animal health, antimicrobial activity and reduced methane production.
Research is important – and complicated
It can be challenging for the beef industry to get good research. Diverse genetics and breed variations, weather, different housing and production systems, wide variations in feedstuff consistency and quality, trial duration and cost of animals all play into developing trials that will show what a feed additive can do. Did the product work or not? If the challenge isn’t present, you won’t get the results.
Trusted research usually includes large animal numbers with many replicates, done by a reputable university or business entity, with a good body of proof for an additive working requiring three or more trials. With many feed additives coming to market from startup companies, there isn’t always the financial backing to pay for the necessary work for the masses to adopt usage. With that said, observational data, field and farm demos and/or side-by-side pen data have some merit, but that data doesn’t necessarily mean an additive will or won’t work in every scenario.
In the field: What’s the cost?
The Texas A&M Ranch to Rail data from the late 1990s and early 2000s is referenced a lot when talking about animal performance variations, cutout, health and profitability. That program took calves from over 100 ranches and placed them in a commercial feedyard, where they were individually followed through harvest. Individual animal performance, carcass and financials were provided to the producers. That data showed the cost difference between one calf that got sick any time through the feeding period and the ones that remained healthy. Using the figures from that Ranch to Rail report and today’s economics, there is a $500-per-head difference between a healthy and sick calf.
Feed additives are typically priced on a pennies-per-head-per-day basis and will have a total cost of between $1.50 and $10 per head. Prices could be higher or lower depending on the circumstances. It doesn’t take many additional pounds of live weight or carcass weight gain, reductions in pulls and treats, reduced mortality, more calves weaned or cows bred back to pay for these ingredients. Can you afford not to be proactive with your feeding program?
Additives and economics
Not all feed additives are created equal. The due diligence of asking for the good and practical research behind an ingredient will help you wade through the sea of information. Feed additives have relevance in the cow-calf, weaning/receiving and stocker, and finish phases of beef production, and they should be given more consideration as part of your feeding program, especially with today’s economic environment in the beef business. You can’t afford to have your animals not performing at the top of their game.
As Benjamin Franklin is said to have coined, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” – or as I like to say, “A couple of cents can be worth a lot of dollars.”
