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 Except for brief periods, citrus pulp has not been widely used in North Florida steer
rations because of a generally unfavorable price relationship of the citrus pulp to locally
produced corn. An estimated doubling of orange production by 19753 indicates a greater use
of citrus pulp in the area in the future. Data are needed on the use of pulp in cattle
rations currently in use in North Florida feedlots.

 PROCEDURE

 Eighty good grade yearling Angus, Hereford, and Angus-Hereford crossbred feeder steers
weighing approximately 700 pounds were purchased off summer pasture in Gadsden County. The
cattle were grazed on North Florida Experiment Station pasture until they regained the
purchase weight and then were individually tagged, weighed, and allotted as equally as
possible to eight experimental groups of ten head each. Cost of feed during the preliminary
period between purchase and start of trial was added to the purchase price, and the total
was the cost of the cattle going on trial.

 Rations fed the eight experimental lots are shown in Table 1. All groups were given
free access to grass hay for the first week while the grain mixtures were being increased
to full-feed. After the cattle were consuming all the feed mixtures they would clean-up
between once-a-day early morning feedings, hay was discontinued with all groups except
Lots 3 and 4, which were self-fed grass hay throughout the trial. Citrus molasses was
topdressed on the feed mixtures of Lots 1, 3, 5, and 7, at the morning feedings. The cattle
were confined to a peanut hull-bedded steer feeding barn with 60 square feet of pen space
and 2 feet of trough space per steer. The trial was begun on August 9, and the cattle were
slaughtered on November 19. Each steer was given a 24 mg. stilbestrol ear implant at the
beginning of the trial.

 Protein concentrate levels were slightly higher in feed mixtures supplemented with
citrus molasses (Table 1) to compensate for the low protein content of the molasses.

 Average daily feed intake for each lot is shown in Table 2. The first part of the
table (ending with the line, "Total feed intake") shows feed consumption on an "as fed"
basis; in the latter part of the table, cob and shuck in ground snapped corn are included
in the roughage, and citrus pulp is considered 3 parts concentrate and 1 part roughage.
Also in the last part of the table, weight of citrus molasses is adjusted to an 85 percent
dry matter basis, which permits more accurate comparison of feed intake of groups fed
molasses and those with no molasses.

 Average costs of individual feeds and feed mixtures are given in Table 3. Costs of
feed mixtures include a charge of $7.00 per ton for milling and mixing. Prices received
for carcasses are shown in Table 4.

 Final weights were taken in the early morning after trucking three miles to the
packing plant in Quincy. Individual final weights were shrunk 3 percent, and the shrunk
weights were used in calculating gain, carcass yield, and sale price per hundredweight.
Carcass weights were warm weights less 2 1/2 percent. Quality grade, degree of marbling,
and yield grade (fat cover over ribeye, ribeye area, estimated kidney fat, and estimated
cutout) were determined for each carcass by a USDA grader and packing house and Experiment
Station personnel.

 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

 As shown in Table 5, steers fed the ground snapped corn ration with citrus molasses
 (Lot 1) gained faster than the ground shelled corn-cottonseed hull-citrus molasses group


 3The DARE Report, IFAS, Univ. of Fla. 1964.