For over twenty-five years, Hawaii has exported its annual calf crop to mainland stocker-finisher programs. The increasing cost of shipping calves has sparked interest in grass-finished beef production. However, successful grass-finished beef production requires different management tactics than conventional stocker-feeder programs. Grass-finish beef quality is a function of genetics, forage quantity and quality over the production cycle, age of animal at slaughter, and climatic conditions that affect forage production and animal performance. University of Hawaii research indicates that the ideal Live Weight-Age ratio of grass-finished beef cattle is 27.2; corresponding to a 544 kg animal slaughtered at 20 months with a frame score of 5. This translates into an average daily gain of 0.91 kg/day. To achieve this rate of gain grazing animals must have access to adequate high-quality forage throughout their production cycle. However seasonal variation in forage productivity makes this very difficult. Alternatively, delaying weaning until calves reach a heavier weight allows continued growth at a higher rate of gain than on grass alone thus reducing the overall length of time grass-finish animals need access to high-quality forage. In 2011 a research project was initiated to evaluate the effect of weaning weight on animal performance and carcass quality. Yearly, 12 steers and 12 heifers were randomly selected from the University of Hawaii production herd and assigned to one of three weaning weight groups of 272, 227, or 181 kg. Post weaning the animals were grazed together in low-intensity short-duration grazing system with a stocking rate ranging between 10 (beginning) and 24 AUD/ha (ending). Forage samples were collected monthly and analyzed for quality. Animals were weighed monthly and slaughtered at approximately 20 months of age. Carcass quality of each animal was scored and meat tenderness assessed. Results suggested that heavier weaning weights positively influenced ADG and carcass quality traits.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.