Project background
‘Finished by 20 Months’ is a Beef + Lamb New Zealand
project supported by the MPI Sustainable Farming Fund
and the Hine Rangi Trust. This project focused on how
Northland beef farmers might improve farm profitability
and sustainability through growing cattle faster and
finishing them at a younger age.
Increasing young cattle LWG provides improvements in:
• Feed Conversion Efficiency
• Meat quality
• Less pugging damage (fewer big animals going
through a second or third winter)
• Animal health and welfare
• Potentially more profitable, resilient and sustainable
farm systems
The study reported in this paper focused on how
PKE blends might be used to improve young cattle
growth rates.