Influence of Stocking Density on Grazing Beef Cattle Performance, Diet Composition Foraging Efficiency, and Diet Quality on a Late-spring Early-summer Native Bunchgrass Prairie PDF Download
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Author: Samuel A. Wyffels
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Beef cattle
Languages : en
Pages : 248
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Book Description
This study evaluated the influence of cattle stocking density on botanical composition of diet, diet preference, and cattle performance on the Zumwalt Prairie in Northeastern Oregon. In each of two years, 192 cow-calf pairs (549.27 kg, BCS = 4.89) and 48 yearling heifers (383.34 kg, BCS = 5.02) were stratified by age and body condition, and randomly allotted to a randomized block design (four blocks) with the following treatments: 1) Control, no livestock grazing; 2) low stocking, 0.36 animal units (AU)/ha; 3) moderate stocking, 0.72 AU/ha; and 4) high stocking, 1.08 AU/ha for a 42 d grazing period spanning from late May to early July. Using ruminally-cannulated cows, diet composition and masticate samples were taken, in May and July, following 20 min grazing bouts and were analyzed for forage fiber and crude protein. Treatments had no influence on cattle weight change and body condition (P > 0.10). In regard to foraging efficiency, grams per minute and bites per minute were lower in the early collection than the late collection (21.51 g/min vs. 31.21 g/min; 16.71 bite/min vs. 26.71 bite/min) and higher in the control pasture than the grazed pastures (31.21 g/min vs. 12.44 g/min; 26.71 bite/min vs. 12.70 bite/min; P 0.05). In addition, grams per bite decreased linearly with increased stocking density (P
Author: Samuel A. Wyffels
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Beef cattle
Languages : en
Pages : 248
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Book Description
This study evaluated the influence of cattle stocking density on botanical composition of diet, diet preference, and cattle performance on the Zumwalt Prairie in Northeastern Oregon. In each of two years, 192 cow-calf pairs (549.27 kg, BCS = 4.89) and 48 yearling heifers (383.34 kg, BCS = 5.02) were stratified by age and body condition, and randomly allotted to a randomized block design (four blocks) with the following treatments: 1) Control, no livestock grazing; 2) low stocking, 0.36 animal units (AU)/ha; 3) moderate stocking, 0.72 AU/ha; and 4) high stocking, 1.08 AU/ha for a 42 d grazing period spanning from late May to early July. Using ruminally-cannulated cows, diet composition and masticate samples were taken, in May and July, following 20 min grazing bouts and were analyzed for forage fiber and crude protein. Treatments had no influence on cattle weight change and body condition (P > 0.10). In regard to foraging efficiency, grams per minute and bites per minute were lower in the early collection than the late collection (21.51 g/min vs. 31.21 g/min; 16.71 bite/min vs. 26.71 bite/min) and higher in the control pasture than the grazed pastures (31.21 g/min vs. 12.44 g/min; 26.71 bite/min vs. 12.70 bite/min; P 0.05). In addition, grams per bite decreased linearly with increased stocking density (P
Author: Jared Vern Judy
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Feeds
Languages : en
Pages : 94
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Book Description
The objectives of this research were to 1) evaluate the effects of stocking rate on forage nutrient quality 2) quantify the relative proportions of current vs. previous year growth being consumed in early summer upland range pastures and 3) determine how grazing effects forage nutrient quality in subirrigated meadows in the Nebraska Sandhills. Experiment 1 was a two year study conducted on the experimental upland range paddocks at Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory. Twelve 2-hectare paddocks were assigned one of three treatments stocked at 0 (control), 0.57 (light), and 0.85 (heavy) AUM/ha. Ten 0.25 m2 quadrats were clipped per paddock during the study. Diet quality was determined using esophageally fistulated cows. Experiment 2 was conducted at a commercial ranch near Lakeside, NE. Esophageally fistulated cows sampled pastures either grazed or non-grazed throughout the grazing season starting on June 14 and ending late August in a two year study. Samples were analyzed for IVOMD, CP and NDF content. Stocked upland range paddock diet samples had decreased CP, IVOMD, and greater NDF content compared with control paddocks for diet samples. Diet samples were lower in quality compared with current year growth but greater in quality compared with previous year growth indicating cattle consumed previous year growth as part of the diet. Forage accumulation increased linearly in control paddocks but did not change in stocked paddocks. Grazed samples had lower CP content than non-grazed pastures early in the grazing season and unaffected later in the season. Neutral detergent fiber was greater in grazed compared with non-grazed pastures early in the grazing season. Diet IVOMD was most affected by grazing as season progressed. These studies indicate grazing and stocking rate effect diet quality in subirrigated meadows and upland range. Producers need to rotate cattle frequently in early summer to ensure high quality intake..
Author: Tamarah R. Plechaty
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780438475120
Category : Cattle
Languages : en
Pages : 103
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Book Description
Yearling diet quality, diet composition, and ADG were assessed in the northern mixed-grass prairie under fixed stocking rates (light, moderate, and heavy) versus flexible stocking rates. We hypothesized that by better matching forage available to animal demand by calculating stocking rate from spring precipitation, animals under flexible stocking rated would have higher diet quality and more continuous diet composition. The flexible stocking rate herd had lower diet quality compared to fixed stocking rates (2015–2017). However, above average spring precipitation occurred all three years of our study so a true flexible stocking rate was unable to be evaluated. Diet composition differed in all treatments (light, moderate, heavy, and flexible) and ADG was highest in treatments with lower grazing pressure. Yearling diet quality, diet composition, beef production, and animal behavior were evaluated in the shortgrass steppe under collaborative adaptive rangeland management (CARM) and traditional rangeland management (TRM). We hypothesized that the CARM treatment would have higher diet quality, a more diverse diet, and higher beef production compared to TRM. Contrary to our hypothesis, the TRM treatment had higher diet quality and more diverse diet composition compared to CARM. TRM also had 13.7–18% higher beef production. Seasonal animal behavior was different between treatments, but was only cumulatively different across the 2017 grazing season in step count.
Author: Jim Gerrish
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780972159708
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
Using vivid images and detailed explanations, Gerrish takes graziers step by step through the MiG system. He begins from the ground up with the soil, and advances through the management of pastures and animals. Written for those new to MiG grazing, Gerrish's insight and personal experience can help experienced graziers fine tune their grazing operations for added income.
Author: Averi Q. Reynolds
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Beef cattle
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
Growing stocker cattle on native rangelands is a viable agricultural enterprise for many ranchers as yearlings offer producers flexibility in management and marketing of the cattle. Grazing studies evaluating livestock performance across different rangeland ecosystems are extensive, and differences in weight gains across these studies can be attributed to genetics, environment, climate, management. However, the origin of cattle and its implications for producers is understudied. We compared performance of yearling steers originating from a local ranch in northeastern Colorado to yearlings originating from a high-elevation mountain ranch in southeastern Wyoming and a mixed-grass prairie ecosystem in south-central Nebraska. Forty steers of each origin grazed on the shortgrass steppe from mid-May to October with individual animal weights obtained at the beginning and end of each three grazing seasons (2019-2021). Weather patterns in 2019 and 2021 were similar, with spring precipitation followed by a dry late summer. In these years with normal precipitation, we observed consistent ordering of yearling steer weight gains by origin. In 2019 and 2021, local steers gained 1.08 and 0.96 kg/head/day, respectively. Weight gains of steers from the high-elevation ranch were 12 – 23% lower at 0.83 and 0.84 kg/head/day in 2019 and 2021, respectively. Yearlings from the mixed-grass prairie had 20 – 31% lower gains than local cattle at 0.75 and 0.76 kg/head/day in 2019 and 2021, respectively. Average daily gain of yearling steers was reduced 15 – 25% by drought in 2020, where forage quantity and quality were greatly impacted. Local cattle gains were 0.81 kg/head/day, which is 11% greater than gains observed in yearlings from the mixed-grass prairie. Diet quality, including measures of crude protein and digestible organic matter, did not differ among yearlings of different originating environments across the full grazing season in any year of the study. These data suggest that differences in weight gain of yearling steers could be attributed to physiological acclimation to a new grazing environment, lack of knowledge influencing grazing behavior, differences in digestive efficiency based on rumen microbial populations, or genetics that are not matched to grazing on the shortgrass steppe. To better understand the influence of origin on yearling steer ruminal microbial community structure and composition, rumen fluid was collected from 18 steers (n = 6 per origin) in each of the two non-drought years. Microbial DNA was extracted from the rumen fluid and 16S rRNA sequencing was completed on the Illumina MiSeq platform. QIIME2 was used to process reads, assign taxonomy, and compare samples utilizing alpha and beta diversity metrics as well as Analysis of Compositions of Microbiomes (ANCOM) to detect differences between originating environment, rangeland plant community, and sample period in each year. Differences in alpha diversity were observed within yearling steer origin and sampling date in richness and evenness Rangeland plant community did not influence differences in alpha or beta diversity measures. Ruminal microbial composition varied between origin in 2019 and differences in composition occurred between the early and late grazing season. In 2021, differences between originating environment were minimal, though compositional differences between early and late grazing were detected. Further investigation into the mechanisms by which originating environment influences performance of yearling steers could provide producers means to improve efficiency, as well as mitigate impacts of drought through optimally matching livestock to their grazing environment.
Author: Zachary Michael Duncan
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
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Book Description
Recent research demonstrated that mid- or late-summer prescribed fire can be employed to manage sericea lespedeza infestations in the Kansas Flint Hills. Despite optimistic reports, ranchers have voiced concerns that mid- or late-summer prescribed fire may negatively affect stocker cattle growth performance, native warm-season plant populations, or forage biomass accumulation. Eighteen pastures were grouped by watershed and assigned to one of three prescribed-fire treatments: spring (7 April ± 2.1 d), summer (21 August ± 5.7 d), or fall (2 October ± 9.9 d). All prescribed fire treatments were applied prior to grazing in 2019 and 2020. Yearling beef cattle were grazed from May to August at a targeted stocking density of 279 kg live-weight ˖ ha−1. Forage biomass accumulation was measured in July of 2018 and 2020 by clipping vegetation within 0.252-meter frames. Soil cover, botanical composition, and root carbohydrate concentrations of key native tallgrass species were evaluated during the growing seasons of 2018, 2019, and 2020. After 2 complete years of prescribed fire application and grazing, total body weight gains and average daily gains were greater (P = 0.01) for cattle that grazed the spring and summer prescribed-fire treatments compared with those that grazed the fall prescribed-fire treatment. As a result, final body weights were greater (P = 0.04) in the spring and summer fire treatments compared with the fall fire treatment. Conversely, forage biomass accumulation did not differ (P = 0.91) between fire regimes. When soil cover was evaluated, proportions of bare soil were greater (P
Author: Cory Matthew
Publisher: MDPI
ISBN: 3038424889
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 221
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Book Description
This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Forage Plant Ecophysiology" that was published in Agriculture
Author: Forage and Grassland Terminology Committee
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 52
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Book Description
Two years in the making, this book represents the combined effort of scientists in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States and of some 16 organizations and agencies including the American Forage and Grassland Council. It has been adopted by these 16 and numerous other organizations world-wide as the definitive standard for word usage in the science.
Author: Marcy Cottrell Houle
Publisher: Northwest Reprint
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 292
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Book Description
The ruggedly beautiful Zumwalt Prairie in northeastern Oregon has become a battleground in the war between ranchers and environmentalists. In this eloquent expose, wildlife biologist Marcy Houle shows what she learned about this majestic region--and why ranchers, grazing, and wildlife not only can coexist but must coexist if we are to save our native prairies.
Author: John L. Launchbaugh
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Beef cattle
Languages : en
Pages : 44
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Book Description
