Aims:  To identify dominant bacteria in grain (barley)‐fed cattle for isolation and future use to increase the efficiency of starch utilization in these cattle. Methods and Results:  Total DNA was extracted from samples of the rumen contents from eight steers fed a barley diet for 9 and 14 days. Bacterial profiles were obtained using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of the PCR‐amplified V2/V3 region of the 16S rRNA genes from total bacterial DNA. Apparently dominant bands were excised and cloned, and the clone insert sequence was determined. One of the most common and dominant bacteria present was identified as Ruminococcus bromii. This species was subsequently isolated using traditional culture‐based techniques and its dominance in the grain‐fed cattle was confirmed using a real‐time Taq nuclease assay (TNA) designed for this purpose. In some animals, the population of R. bromii reached densities above 1010R. bromii cell equivalents per ml or approximately 10% of the total bacterial population. Conclusions:  Ruminococcus bromii is a dominant bacterial population in the rumen of cattle fed a barley‐based diet. Significance and Impact of the Study:  Ruminococcus bromii YE282 may be useful as a probiotic inoculant to increase the efficiency of starch utilization in barley‐fed cattle. The combination of DGGE and real‐time TNA has been an effective process for identifying and targeting for isolation, dominant bacteria in a complex ecosystem.