Effect of single implant and re-implant strategies on growth performance and carcass characteristics in finishing cattle

Lay Summary Feedlot cattle are often given growth-promoting implants to improve growth performance and efficiency. Some implant programs require cattle to be handled and reimplanted during the feeding period, whereas others are designed to provide a sustained response from a single administration. We conducted three studies to compare the performance of cattle receiving a single long-acting implant with cattle receiving traditional reimplant programs during feeding periods ranging from approximately 200 to 400 days. Across the studies, cattle given a single long-acting implant performed similarly to cattle managed with reimplant strategies. These results suggest that a single long-acting implant can be an effective alternative to reimplanting cattle, potentially reducing animal handling, stress, and labor logistics while maintaining growth performance during extended feeding programs.