Alternative methods to reduce the use of synthetic products in cattle production, as well as reduction in feeding antibiotics to cattle, have been a growing preference in consumer opinions. The objective of this study was to determine if essential oils produce the same performance for stocker steers as consuming an ionophore.
Steers (n = 281 head; 641 ± 10.3 lb) were assigned to one of two mineral treatments and grazed on tallgrass native range on eight pastures. Treatments consisted of the “positive” control of ionophore (lasalocid at 3.6 lb/ton) and essential oil (garlic oil at 3 lb/ton and essential oil blend at 6 lb/ton) in free-choice mineral. Steers were weighed at the beginning and end of the 92-day grazing period. Pasture biomass production and mineral intake were monitored weekly.
Effects of mineral types on growth performance, average daily gain, average daily mineral intake, and pasture biomass
| Item |
Ionophore1 |
Essential oil2 |
SEM3 |
P-value |
| Initial weight, lb |
629 |
653 |
10 |
0.16 |
| Final weight, lb |
833 |
856 |
9 |
0.12 |
| Total gain, lb |
204 |
203 |
8.8 |
0.92 |
| Average daily gain, lb/day |
2.15 |
2.13 |
0.09 |
0.92 |
| Pasture biomass, lb dry matter/acre |
1180 |
1229 |
79 |
0.67 |
| Average mineral intake, oz/head/day |
5.18 |
5.63 |
0.54 |
0.58 |
1Ionophore mineral (Bovatec 91 included at 18 lb/ton to provide 3.6 lb/ton lasalocid; Zoetis, Kalamazoo, MI).
2Essential oil mineral (3 lb/ton garlic oil and 6 lb/ton Solace; Wildcat Feeds LLC, Topeka, KS).
3Standard error of means.
The Bottom Line: Growth performance produced by essential oils in mineral and ionophores are similar when fed to growing stocker steers grazing tallgrass native range.
The complete report is available at https://doi.org/10.4148/2378-5977.8672. Jones, Tatiana M. and Farney, Jaymelynn K. (2025) “Effects on Stocker Steer Performance While Consuming Essential Oil or Ionophore Minerals,” Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Reports: Vol. 11: Iss. 1.
