Profitability, greenhouse gas emissions and feed-food competition of strategies to exploit compensatory growth in Uruguayan weanling-to-beef systems

• Compensatory growth in both pasture and feedlot finishing increased profitability. • Feedlot finishing reduced greenhouse gas emissions per unit of beef produced. • The forage-only farm systems were net producers of human-edible energy and protein. This study evaluates nutritional and management strategies aimed at exploiting compensatory growth (CG) in weanling-to-beef systems in Uruguay. The evaluation encompassed productivity, economic viability, and environmental impact. The Grange Beef System Model, augmented with Uruguayan national technical coefficients, was used. Four weanling-to-beef systems were modeled: 1) forage only with no CG (FNC), 2) forage only with management improvements to exploit CG (forage with CG; FWC), 3) forage with concentrate supplementation during two winter feeding periods (forage with supplementation; FWS), and 4) forage with supplementation during the first winter followed by feedlot finishing (forage with feedlot; FWF). The systems purchased spring-born Angus calves at 8 months of age and 180 kg live weight (LW) and finished with a slaughter weight of 550 kg. FWS system was used as reference with the performance parameters obtained during 5 years of systems experimentation. FNC used the performance parameters of FWS but during winter periods, LW gain was lower due to the absence of concentrate supplementation. FWC used the previous FNC performance parameters, but increased LW gain after the first and second winter restriction period due to improved grazing management practices thereby exploiting CG. FWF is based on the FWS system but instead of moderate supplementation during the second winter (concentrate: 3.0 kg/d/head), steers are feedlot finished (concentrate: 9.5 kg/d/head) exploiting CG due to previous summer-autumn restriction period. FNC and FWC increased age at slaughter, reducing net beef production by 21 and 11 % relative to FWS, respectively. In contrast, FWF reduced age at slaughter, increasing beef production by 93 % compared to FWS. FWS and FNC had similar profitability expressed in net margin; however, FWC and FWF increased net margin by 33 and 107 % compared to the FWS, respectively. FNC and FWC increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity per beef produced by 17 and 3 % relative to FWS, respectively; meanwhile, FWF reduced GHG intensity by 10 % relative to FWS. Due to the inclusion of concentrates in the diet for FWS and FWF systems, the only net producers of human edible energy and protein were the forage-only systems (FNC and FWC). In summary, strategically harnessing CG in both pasture and feedlot finishing stages within a weanling-to-beef system in Uruguay successfully increased profitability. Feedlot finishing reduced GHG emissions per beef produced. However, the forage-only farm systems emerged as the only net producers of human-edible energy and protein.