Beef cattle with soybean production

Soybean products are excellent sources of protein and energy for beef cattle. Approximately 7.0% of the SBM utilized in the United States is fed to beef catde. This is a much smaller portion than the quantities utilized by swine and poultry (Fig. 18.1). The purpose of this section is to describe the reason for this relationship and how recent research may increase the use of SBM in beef cattle diets in the future. With over 40 million growing and finishing beef cattle produced in the United States each year, this is a huge potential market for soybean products. To understand why only 7% of the SBM consumed by livestock and poultry is fed to beef catde, one has to begin with a discussion of the digestive physiology of ruminants. 

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