Three Oklahoma trials followed steers from supplemented summer pasture into a commercial feedyard.
Three pasture experiments
USDA Agricultural Research Service and Oklahoma State University researchers studied steers grazing native range in western Oklahoma. The animals received different quantities of extruded dried distillers grains cubes during summer. After grazing, the steers entered a commercial feedyard. The paper was accepted on 9 October 2026.
Weight and finishing results
In two experiments, unsupplemented steers averaged 687 kg at harvest after 183 days on feed. Across the supplemented groups, harvest weights were 696, 706 and 716 kg, with 178, 169 and 155 days on feed. The study also reported greater hot carcass weight and ribeye area with higher supplementation during grazing.