Review of rumen manipulation options

Summary

This project provides evidence that progress in improving liveweight gains of cattle has been limited since the 1950’s. Currently used interventions that provide increased weight gain include minerals, ionophores, non-protein nitrogen, protein meals and Leucaena. There is a lack of knowledge of integrated effects of supplementary feeding strategies on profitability. The most important new developments were methodological rather than products. The capacity to understand rumen function using advanced meta-genomic methods, in which Australia has world-leading skills, will open a new era in ruminant production. Technologies that provide promise, include bacteriocins, anti-microbial proteins, fungi, exogenous enzymes, and protozoal control.
Confirmation that cattle on high fibre, low protein pastures exceed nutritional standards for feed intake and efficiency of production of microbial protein provides strong evidence for the potential to increase efficiency. A ranking tool to evaluate the economic effects of existing or new strategies was developed.
Recommendations include;Develop a manual for northern beef production based on report provided to MLA
The meta-analysis of effects of bambermycin, probiotics and fibrolytic enzymes;
An evaluation of practical means to use algae at remote sites
Systems research into responses to supplementation and
The development of a large project into fermentative systems that will make use of new technologies to understand and manipulate the rumen.