THE PROJECT INTENDS TO INSTALL AN AUTOMATED FEED DELIVERY AND MONITORING SYSTEM WITH SOLAR UNITS AT SIU, TO MODERNIZE AND UTILIZE THE BULL TEST STATION AS A HYBRID RESEARCH AND SERVICE CENTER

The project intends to install an automated feed delivery and monitoring system (SmartFeed system; C-Lock Inc., RapidCity, SD) at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, to modernize and utilize the Beef Evaluation Center (Bull Test Station) as a hybrid research and service center. The SmartFeed system will facilitate the evaluation of the residual feed intake (RFI) along with other production parameters of growing bulls. The RFI is independent of performance measures such as body weight (BW) and average daily gain (ADG), thus representing inherent differences in genetic merits for metabolic processes related to energetic efficiency. There is concern among beef breeders that selection based on RFI could have a negative impact on the reproductive performance and fertility of bulls. Reduced reproductive performance has been reported among swine and poultry when selected for feed efficiency. Beef breeders suspect that the more efficient bulls might be less active in the multi-sire mating group, resulting in reduced reproductive performance and fertility on pasture during the breeding season. On the other hand, there are reports that thefeeding event behaviors, including feeding duration, head down time, and feeding frequency of efficient bulls, were decreased, suggesting reduced maintenance energy requirements for feeding activity, conversely, having greater energy reserves for breeding activity. Reports of the correlation of RFI with the reproductive performance of bulls have been inconsistent, with no or negative impact on the sperm quality of bulls or breeding soundness evaluation (BSE), along with decreased sperm motility but a more significant number of progenies per sire than high RFI bulls on pasture, warranting further investigation. The SmartFeed system will be utilized to evaluate the RFI of bulls and to correlate the RFI of bulls with sperm quality and BSE. Further, theperformance of bulls during the breeding season, including the pregnancy rate,calving rate, BW,and body condition scores of bulls at the beginning and end of the breeding season, will also be recorded. Young bulls, after the first breeding season, may lose 100-300 lb. of BW. The bulls are required to regain the lost weight in the most efficientway to have optimum farm economics. The study intends to evaluate the impact of RFI onpost-breeding recovery and the potential interaction of RFI and the age of bulls. Favorable results would provide valuable information and likely recommendations for seedstock and commercial producers for making the selection and purchase decisions. Each year, undergraduate and graduate studentswill be trained during the bull test on all aspects of feeding and management of bulls, data collection, and evaluation, equipping them to develop skills to be successful in all aspects of animal agriculture. Moreover, the facility will be utilized for advancing research in beef cattle nutrition and reproduction and biomedical research through collaborative efforts of interested researchers and industry partners.The objectives of the study include:1. Installation of 10 units of SmartFeed with solar units at the Bull Test Station of SIUC2. Determiningthe RFI of bulls participating in the annual bull test and sale based on the class of bulls (senior vs. junior)3. Evaluatingthe breeding soundness and semen characteristics of bulls as impacted by the RFI4. Evaluatingthe breeding performance of bulls based on RFI during the breeding season5. Evaluatingthe post-breeding recovery as affected by the RFI