What The Closeout Numbers Are Telling You
Every finishing program arrives at the same moment — the rail, the weight ticket, the carcass sheet. Everything that went into those cattle over the preceding months is either there or it isn’t. For nutritionists and feedlot managers who take that number seriously, the question has always been what more can be done, within a sound program, to make it better.
PrimeFORCE™, an all-natural rumen performance supplement from McNess, now has two independent research trials behind it that answer that question with specific numbers.
The Research
The first trial, at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, ran PrimeFORCE against a standard feedlot ration with monensin and tylosin on 320 finishing steers over the last 62 days of finishing, across eight replications. Results were statistically significant at P<0.05 across all primary performance metrics. Steers on PrimeFORCE gained 6% more per day on average, 4.52 lbs compared to 4.27 lbs for the control group. They finished 42 lbs heavier on a live weight basis and yielded 24 lbs more hot carcass weight. USDA marbling scores improved by 16 points. Forty-two pounds of additional live weight at $195 per cwt generates $81.90 in added revenue per head. Against an average product cost of $21 per head, that’s a net margin improvement of approximately $60 per head and a 3:1 return on investment.
The second trial evaluated PrimeFORCE Essentials across a full 175-day finishing period on heifers, against a control diet of Bovatec and MGA. Heifers gained 0.2 lbs more per day, a 9% improvement over the control group, and finished 35 lbs heavier. At $2.24 per lb live weight, that gain generates $78.40 in value per head against a product cost of $17.50 for the period — a 4.48:1 return on investment.
Two trials. Two animal classes. Same result.
How It Works
PrimeFORCE is formulated with zinc amino acid complex, live yeast, yeast extract and culture from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and boulardii, lecithin, chromium propionate, natural flavors and a standardized source of saponins. It supports and maintains rumen function during the finishing period, enhancing nutrient digestion and absorption and keeping feed intake consistent through the window that determines what shows up on the closeout sheet.
It carries no withdrawal period and uses only AAFCO-approved ingredients. For operations with packer restrictions, branded beef program requirements or export considerations, that’s not a minor distinction. PrimeFORCE fits alongside existing protocols without adding compliance steps.
What It Means For Your Numbers
For nutritionists, two independent studies conducted on different animal classes, against the industry-standard control protocols for each, is the kind of evidence that can be put in front of a client and defended. One study is a data point. Two is a pattern.
For feedlot managers, the economics are direct. At $0.28 per head per day, total product cost over a standard 60-to-90-day finishing window runs $16.80 to $25.20 per head. The research data shows the return exceeds three times that cost on both a live weight and carcass weight basis.
The finishing window is where the margin gets made. PrimeFORCE gives nutritionists and feedlot managers a research-validated tool to capture more of it, in steers and heifers, against the standard protocols this industry already runs.
Download both technical papers and calculate your operation’s projected return at primeforcebeef.com.
