Alkaline diets using Home n’ Dry can help cattle finish faster, kill out well and hit spec consistently
Great British Beef Week (GBBW) returns 23–30 April 2026, celebrating the people and the local supply chains behind naturally delicious British beef – from the farmers who produce it to the farm shops and butchers bringing it to tables across the UK.
At Dugdale Nutrition, we believe great beef is built on the basics done well: good stockmanship, good health, and nutrition that supports consistent performance. And when it comes to finishing cattle, consistency is everything – because finishing is where feed costs rise, margins tighten, and the consequences of a poor diet become most expensive.
One approach we’re seeing deliver strong results across UK and international beef systems is alkaline feeding – using Home n’ Dry to create alkalised, protein-enhanced, stable cereal-based feeds and forages that support rumen function and help cattle convert feed efficiently through the finishing period.
Why rumen stability matters in beef finishing
Finishing diets typically involve higher starch levels to drive the final polish. But highstarch feeding can increase acid pressure in the rumen, raising the risk of sub-acute ruminal acidosis (SARA) – which can depress intakes, reduce feed efficiency and increase the likelihood of issues such as liver abscessation.
When you feed cattle, you’re feeding the rumen and its microbes – and those microbes perform best when rumen conditions are stable, including a suitable pH range.
That’s why alkaline feeding has become such a valuable tool: it’s a proactive approach to managing dietary acid load and supporting the environment where rumen microbes work best.
What is alkaline feeding with Home n’ Dry?
Home n’ Dry pellets are the foundation of Alkasystems technology. When the pellets contact moisture in the crop or feed, they release ammonia and help create a feed material that is alkaline, stable and enhanced in protein, with improved digestibility.
This technology can be used to create Alkagrain – an alkaline, high-starch feed material with added protein. The typical analysis for Alkagrain Wheat (DM) is pH 8.5, 68% starch, 17% protein, and 13.5 ME.
For beef finishers, this matters because alkalised diets enable you to feed higher cereal content more safely, while supporting rumen function and helping reduce the risk of SARA challenges associated with high-starch systems.
What benefits can beef producers see?
Faster finishing when it matters most
Across a range of beef finishing systems, alkaline cereal-based feeding is helping producers finish cattle quicker, without pushing costs up. In the Jacob Barker case study, moving to rations that include Alkagrain, produced using Home n’ Dry®, was associated with an improvement in bull daily liveweight gain of around 0.2 kg/day. That uplift translated into cattle being finished two to three weeks earlier, while also reducing overall diet cost.
At today’s feed and protein prices, shaving days off the finishing period can make a meaningful difference to throughput and cost per kilo gained – particularly in what is often the most expensive stage of production.
Strong kill-out and consistent carcase specification
Producers finishing cattle on cereal-rich rations that include alkaline treated grain consistently report strong kill-out percentages and reliable grading. Beef producer Andrew Webster describes achieving daily liveweight gains of 1.5–2.0 kg on a TMR containing Alkagrain, alongside 63–65% kill-out and the vast majority of cattle grading within U 2–3 specification.
Similar outcomes have been recorded elsewhere. In the David Airey case study, cattle finished using Alkagrain were taken through to 680–720 kg liveweight, achieving consistent grading within U3, R4L and R3+ specification, with kill-out figures of 58–60%. These are the types of results that help reduce variation and improve confidence when cattle are sold deadweight.
Improved feed efficiency, backed by trial work
Controlled trial work supports what many producers are seeing on farm. In a Harper Adams University beef finishing unit trial (B45), cattle fed Alkagrain achieved similar growth rates while consuming 5.2% less feed, resulting in a 5.3% improvement in feed conversion efficiency.
Under the conditions of the study, feed costs per kilo of carcase weight gain were reduced by 8.5%. The trial also assessed liver health, highlighting the link between mild acidosis and liver abscesses in high-starch systems. Bulls fed Alkagrain recorded lower liver damage scores, supporting the wider role alkaline feeding can play in managing dietary acid load.
What we can say with confidence is that including Home n’ Dry® within feeding systems is proving successful across a range of finishing operations – delivering faster finishing, efficient feed use and consistent carcase specification, including in supply chains where cattle are finished for local butchers and quality-led markets.
Great British Beef Week: celebrating the people behind British beef
GBBW 2026 highlights the importance of farm shops and local butchers in bringing British beef to consumers and it’s a great moment to recognise the day-to-day work on farm that helps keep beef consistent, saleable and naturally delicious.
Want to explore alkaline feeding in your beef system?
Call the Alka-line: +44(0)1200 613118
Learn more: www.homendry.com