Winter Feeding Strategies: Implications of Corn Supplementation on Gestating Beef Cows

Overwintered, gestating beef cows fed low-quality forage are at risk of nutrient restriction which can lead to compromised growth and poor carcass quality in their offspring. In many species, poor maternal nutrition also results in reduced uteroplacental hemodynamics and fetal growth. To better understand how different nutritional paradigms influence the beef cow, our lab has examined the impacts of nutrient restriction and diet composition on uterine hemodynamics. Previous research suggests that dietary intake or protein supplementation alone does not increase uterine blood flow. The current study examined the effects of dietary starch supplementation and our findings indicate that increasing starch composition of the diet does not alter uterine hemodynamics or fetal growth. Perhaps, a more successful feeding strategy could include a balanced protein to energy ratio and ad libitum access to forage, allowing the cows to increase intake without the substitution effect documented in this study. These ideas merit further investigation