Potential Use of Fescue in Grazing Systems Using Graze-Out Small-Grain Forages and Bermudagrass

摘要

The objective of this study was to determine if stacker calves backgrounded on endophyte-infected tall fescue compared to small-grain forages could achieve sufficient compensatory growth during subsequent grazing of either graze-out small-grain forages in spring or bermudagrass in summer to offset the expected reduced performance for fescue. A total of 40 steer calves in year 1 and 32 in year 2 grazed either fescue or wheat/rye pastures from November to the end of January, after which all calves grazed wheat/rye pastures to the end of graze-out in April. Similarly, 48 steer calves grazed either fescue or wheat/rye pastures during the graze-out period and were then moved to bermudagrass pasture for summer grazing. Calves grazing small-grain forages during graze-out gained more weight (91 Ib in year 1 and 55 Ib in year 2, P < 0.01) than calves on fescue. Subsequent weight gain during bermudagrass grazing was similar for both groups in both years. Calves grazing small-grain forages from November through January gained 51 Ib more than calves grazing fescue (P < 0.01). However, no compensatory gain was observed during subsequent grazing on small-grain forages during graze-out. No compensatory gain was observed in spite of the significantly greater BW gain for calves that grazed small-grain forages compared to fescue.