The influence of age and environmental conditions on supplement intake and behavior of winter grazing beef cattle on mixed-grass rangelands

摘要

Beef cattle production on Montana farms accounted for $1.78 billion of gross income and 42% of total agricultural sales in 2012 ( ). Economic efficiency of cattle production is threatened by high feed and input costs ( ). To improve profitability and transition to reduced reliance on transported harvested feeds, many cow-calf producers have adopted management strategies involving dormant season grazing extending into the winter months ( ).