Alltech Ruminant Tour: Insights From USA Feedlotting & Production

Our Feed Division General Manager, Grant Boal, and Territory Sales Manager, Anthony “Tony” Grob, had the fantastic opportunity to travel to the United States to get an insight into the US-based feedlot and production industries. 

Grant and Tony joined the Alltech Ruminant Tour in June, which was a 10-day tour visiting facilities throughout South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana. 

“The tour gave us a glimpse of American production industries, visiting dairies, beef feedlots, lamb and wool production companies, grazing, cropping and irrigation land as well as a buffalo ranch,” Tony says. 

“We learnt about the connection between the feedlots and US corn farms. Because of how prevalent corn is in the USA, the feedlots we visited used raw ingredients such as rolled corn, high moist corn, cob and husk silage, corn earlage, corn steep liquor and other corn-based byproducts.” 

Coming out of one of their largest snowfalls in 40 years, the recent May/June snow melt has seen USA cattle markets thrive.

“Another interesting aspect of the tour was learning the impact their environment has on the commodities that are available to work with and its impact on the markets,” Grant says. 

“The recent snow melts that have occurred have seen the US beef markets experience heights similar to what our markets achieved in November 2022 when they were at their peak.” 

Tony says several facilities that were visited during the tour were sheltered and had slatted floors, very similar to what is used in commercial piggeries.

“These facilities are designed to help the cattle perform all year round, sheltering them from the elements. The slatted floors of these facilities also allowed the owners to harvest the manure runoff which created another revenue stream with fertiliser,” he says.

“Australian feedlots are now seeing the benefits of investing in sheds for their operations, with feedlots developing their own.”    

During the 10-day tour, Grant and Tony learnt about the determination displayed by niche markets such as lamb and wool industries to survive and thrive. 

“With my family’s background in sheep farming, it was great to hear from Center of Nation Wool CEO, Larry Prager, about the hardships the wool industry faced during COVID and how they were able to bounce back,” Tony says. 

“The enthusiasm for consumer development these producers and processors displayed allowed them to get through difficult times brought on by the pandemic and drought.

“But despite some differences with feed choices, the feed efficiencies and conversions between American and Australian feedlots were comparable.

“Grant and I want to thank the Alltech team and the hosting facilities for the terrific hospitality they provided over the tour.

Riverina Stockfeeds was established in 1927 in the Riverina District of NSW and has been manufacturing and providing Australia and international countries with high-quality dry stock feeds, grain mixes, and liquid supplements.