Integrating Ranch Forage Production, Cattle Performance, and Economics in Ranch Management Systems for Southern Florida

Abstract Use of cool-season annual cover crops through grazing has been shown to be a potential tool in extending the grazing season, while still mitigating environmental risks associated with warm-season row crop production. Although data describing the effects of grazing on soil health are not novel, effects of grazing length on animal performance and cover crop production are limited. The objective was to determine cattle performance and forage production when grazing a cool-season annual cover-crop. Twelve, 1.2-ha pastures were established in a four species forage mix and randomly allocated to be grazed through either mid-February (FEB), mid-March (MAR), or mid-April (APR) with a non-grazed control (CON). Three tester steers were randomly placed in each paddock and a 1:1 forage allowance was maintained in each paddock using put-and-take steers. Animals were weighed every 30 d for determination of average daily gain (ADG). Forage was harvested bi-weekly and analyzed for forage production, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent fiber (ADF). Fiber fractions were measured using an ANKOM fiber analyzer (ANKOM Tech, Macedon, NY). All data were analyzed using MIXED procedure of SAS version 9.4 (SAS Inst., Cary, NC). Differences in forage mass were detected between CON and FEB (3,694.75 vs. 2,539.68 kg/ha; P < 0.003), CON and MAR (3,694.75 vs. 1,823.45 kg/ha; P < 0.001), and CON and APR (3,694.75 vs. 1,976.23 kg/ha; P < 0.001). Differences in total gain/acre were detected between APR and MAR (212.24 vs. 101.74 kg/ha; P < 0.0001), APR and FEB (212.24 vs 52.65 kg/ha; P < 0.0001), and FEB and MAR (101.74 vs. 52.65 kg/ha; P < 0.003). No differences were detected for tester ADG (1.23 kg/day, P = 0.56), NDF (44.9%, P = 0.99), or ADF (27.2%, P = 0.92) among treatments. These results indicate that cattle removal date effected forage yield and total gain/hectare.

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INFLUENCE OF HARVESTING MANAGEMENT ON YIELD, CARBOHYDRATE RESERVES, ETIOLATED REGROWTH, AND POTASSIUM UPTAKE OF BIRDSFOOT TREFOIL

Canadian Journal of Plant Science ◽

10.4141/cjps68-110 ◽

1968 ◽

Vol 48 (6) ◽

pp. 575-580 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

J. E. Langille ◽

L. B. MacLeod ◽

F. S. Warren

Keyword(s):

Lotus Corniculatus ◽

Phleum Pratense ◽

Potassium Uptake ◽

Management Systems ◽

Birdsfoot Trefoil ◽

Stage Management ◽

Forage Production ◽

Carbohydrate Reserves ◽

Stage 4 ◽

Phleum Pratense L

Empire and Viking birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) were seeded in mixtures with Climax timothy (Phleum pratense L.) and harvested for forage according to four management systems: (1) four cuts at pre-bud stage, (2) three cuts at 10% bloom stage, (3) two cuts at 50% bloom stage, (4) two cuts at 75–100% bloom stage. Management 4 produced the most forage in both harvest years. Birdsfoot trefoil root weights were generally higher for the two-cut system than for the three- or four-cut system. Etiolated regrowth from the birdsfoot trefoil roots did not differ significantly due to management m either year. The percent total available carbohydrates did not vary significantly between varieties under the different management systems. Frequent harvesting reduced the forage production of birdsfoot trefoil and the amount of K removed from the soil by the plants.

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The effect of water quality on cattle performance on pasture

Australian Journal of Agricultural Research ◽

10.1071/ar04086 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 56 (1) ◽

pp. 97 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

H. A. Lardner ◽

B. D. Kirychuk ◽

L. Braul ◽

W. D. Willms ◽

J. Yarotski

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Weight Gain ◽

Beef Cattle ◽

Water Chemistry ◽

Early Summer ◽

Direct Access ◽

Feed Consumption ◽

Forage Production ◽

Weight Gains ◽

Cattle Performance

In western Canada, dugouts are the primary source of water for beef cattle during the summer months. Over time, drought conditions and/or direct access by grazing animals have a negative effect on water constituents and overall water quality. A study was conducted to determine the effects of improvements in water quality on cattle performance. The effect of pasture water quality on weight gain of beef cattle was assessed with 44 Hereford yearling steers over 5 years and 40 Angus cow–calf pairs over 3 years. From 1999 to 2003, cattle were allocated to 1 of 4 treatments, which comprised untreated dugout water pumped to a trough, aerated water pumped to a trough, and coagulated and chlorinated water pumped to a trough, all compared with direct access by livestock to the water source. Data were collected on livestock weight gains, water consumption, fecal parasites, environmental conditions, water chemistry, biological constituents, and forage production and quality. Water treatment by aeration or coagulation tended to improve steer weight gains (P < 0.05) over untreated water from a dugout in 3 of 5 years. Daily weight gains tended to be improved slightly by simply pumping water to a trough without treatment. Water aerated and pumped to a trough in early summer tended to produce greater (P < 0.05) weight gains in calves than those drinking directly from the dugout. The effect of treatment on improving cattle weight gains appeared to be related to improved water palatability, which increased water and feed consumption. Water chemistry and biological constituents analysed did not identify significant differences among treatments. These results suggest that improving water quality with aeration and pumping to a trough will improve weight gain 9–10% over a 90-day grazing period in most years.

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Integrated Ecological and Economic Analysis of Ranch Management Systems: An Example From South Central Florida

Rangeland Ecology & Management ◽

10.2111/05-071r1.1 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 60 (1) ◽

pp. 1-11 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Hilary M. Swain ◽

Patrick J. Bohlen ◽

Kenneth L. Campbell ◽

Laurent O. Lollis ◽

Alan D. Steinman

Keyword(s):

Economic Analysis ◽

Management Systems ◽

Central Florida ◽

South Central ◽

Ranch Management

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Riparian Habitats (Mallines) of Patagonia

Outlook on Agriculture ◽

10.5367/0000000053295088 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 34 (1) ◽

pp. 55-59 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Victor Utrilla ◽

Miguel Brizuela ◽

Andres Cibils

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Management ◽

Grazing Management ◽

Management Systems ◽

Plant Interactions ◽

Forage Production ◽

The Past ◽

Current State ◽

Order Of Magnitude ◽

Sheep Production ◽

Extensive Degradation

Riparian-like habitats of arid Patagonia (Argentina), known locally as mallines, play a key role in providing forage for domestic herbivores and adequate habitat for native wildlife. Because these systems are driven by localized abundant water availability, their forage production can be of an order of magnitude higher than that of the surrounding dryland and, when properly managed, can considerably improve livestock and sheep production. Unfortunately, improper grazing management has caused extensive degradation of soils and vegetation of these habitats in the past. Until recently, very few local studies had addressed questions related to the complexities of ungulate–plant interactions in relation to sustainable management of this critical grazing resource. Fortunately, this trend is changing rapidly and since the early 90s there have been a number of grazing studies with sheep and cattle, investigating animal responses to controlled-grazing management systems. Many of the results of this research have been published locally and are not readily accessible. In this article, the authors review much of this research and provide a synthesis of the current state of knowledge regarding the functioning and grazing management of riparian-like habitats of Patagonia.

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Livestock utilisation of grass species at different distances from water on both traditional cattle post and ranch management systems in Botswana

African Journal of Range and Forage Science ◽

10.2989/10220110609485897 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. 147-151 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

WN Mphinyane ◽

NFG Rethman

Keyword(s):

Management Systems ◽

Grass Species ◽

Ranch Management

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Effects of resting perennial pastures during the sensitive pre-dormancy period in western Manitoba: Pasture productivity and beef cattle performance

Canadian Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.4141/cjas-2014-046 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 95 (2) ◽

pp. 129-141 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Obioha N. Durunna ◽

Vern Baron ◽

Shannon L. Scott ◽

Clayton Robins ◽

Mohammad Khakbazan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Beef Cattle ◽

Phase Ii ◽

Rest Period ◽

Forage Yield ◽

Phase Iii ◽

Botanical Composition ◽

Forage Production ◽

Dormancy Period ◽

Pasture Productivity ◽

Cattle Performance

Durunna, O. N., Baron, V., Scott, S. L., Robins, C., Khakbazan, M. and Block, H. C. 2015. Effects of resting perennial pastures during the sensitive pre-dormancy period in western Manitoba: Pasture productivity and beef cattle performance. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 95: 129–141. The objective of this experiment was to determine whether avoiding grazing during the sensitive pre-dormancy period (ca. 6 wk prior to a dormancy-inducing frost) would improve forage production, stand quality, alfalfa persistence and animal productivity in perennial pastures. There were two pasture species (PS), alfalfa–grass (AG) or grass (G), and three grazing phases. Phase I was conventional rotational grazing of all AG and G sections. In Phase II, one half of AG and G was rotationally grazed (conventional treatment, CT) while the other half was not (rested treatment, RT). Resting AG and G in Phase II required transferring RT animals to swath-graze early-seeded cereals. In Phase III, RT animals that swath-grazed in Phase II were moved to graze the rested sections of the pastures while those that grazed the unrested sections (CT animals) were transferred to swath-graze late-seeded cereals. There was no PS (P>0.05) or rest period (P>0.13) effect on total forage yield, carrying capacity, forage disappearance and forage residues. There was no effect (P>0.13) of resting on botanical composition or yield in AG. The current study did not observe significant benefits of resting on pasture yield, botanical composition or animal performance.

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