Biochanin A (BCA) is an isoflavone produced by red clover (Trifloium pratense L.) that can inhibit hyper‐ammonia‐producing bacteria (HAB) to reduce deamination in the rumen and increase the feed amino acids available for gastric digestion. An ex vivo experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of dried distiller's grains (DDG) and BCA (30 μg mL−1) on HAB in bovine rumen fluid. Following a 24‐h incubation, HAB and ammonia concentrations in the media increased with addition of DDG. However, DDG fermentations with BCA had 100‐fold fewer HAB and 37% less ammonia than DDG‐only fermentations. A grazing experiment was conducted with crossbred steers grazing a mixture of predominately endophyte‐free tall fescue [Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh], Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratense L.), and orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) in the early and late growing season. Average daily gains (ADG) were compared among treatments of pasture‐only control, daily feeding of 1.4 kg DDG steer−1, and daily feeding of 1.4 kg DDG plus BCA (6.3 g steer−1, representing ∼30% red clover diet). Averaged over the early and late growing seasons, feeding DDG (0.83 ± 0.05 kg d−1) increased ADG by 15% over the pasture‐only treatment (0.72 ± 0.03 kg d−1), but addition of BCA to the DDG (0.93 ± 0.04 kg d−1) provided an additive increase in ADG of 29% over the control treatment. Results of the ex vivo and grazing experiments provide evidence that BCA inhibits HAB in the rumen and that the reduced deamination in the rumen can enhance weight gain performance of steers.