forage management for pasture...
TRANSCRIPT
Forage Management for Pasture Finishing
59th Florida Beef Cattle Short Course
John Andrae Extension Forage Specialist
Southeast Beef Cattle Inventory
Beef Cattle7.64 M Cows that have calved32.5 M US (23% Total)Calves exported for finishing
(NASS, 2/1/2008)
Millions of Neighbors- A good thing?Niche Market Opportunities
Metropolitan Area Population State(s)
Miami/Ft Lauderdale 5,422,200 FLWashington D.C. 5,290,400 VA/DC/MA/WVAtlanta 5,249,121 GATampa/St Petersburg 2,589,637 FLCharlotte/Gastonia 2,191,604 NC/SCOrlando/Kissimmee 1,977,437 FLVirginia Beach/Norfolk 1,700,000 VA/NCNashville/Davidson 1,498,836 TNRaleigh-Durham 1,467,434 NCJacksonville 1,348,381 FLRichmond 1,300,000 VAMemphis 1,260,905 TN/MS/ARLouisville 1,245,920 KYGreenville-Spartanburg 1,203,795 SCTotal 33,740,000
>11M in FL
„Forage Finished‟ Market Share
Grass-fed sector is tiny but growing– 50,000 to 100,000 hd cattle estimated in 2008– Less than 0.5% of conventional beef
(34,000,000 hd produced 26,000,000,000 lbs beef)
Forage fed producers range from very small to very large (1 to >6,000 hd)How important can a 0.5% niche market be?
Animal Age at Slaughter• Angus forage-finished cattle
• 3 slaughter times
• 2 Postmortem aging times, d 14 or 28
Tender
Tough
Duckett et al., In press
7 221712 mo of age
450 lb
1200 lb
825 lb
3.1 lb/d 4 mo
1.5 lb/d 8 mo
1.8 lb/d 7 mo
1.1 lb/d 11 mo
15-month growing –finishing period
1.7 lb/d 15 mo
Slide from Dr. Anibal Pordomingo, INTA
Energy requirements of medium frame steers gaining 2.6 lbs/day at various weights
Protein g/d +20%NEg Mcal/d +69%
Weight gain and digestibility relationships in pasture-fed cattle
54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74
2.64
2.02
1.76
1.32
0.88
0.44
lb/dayLW gain
Young stock< 800 lb LW< 15 months
Heavy steers>800 lb LW> 15 months
Digestibility, % (TDN)
Data compiled from multiple grazing trialsA. Pordomingo; INTA, Argentina
Grazing Methods
Preweaning– Rotational Grazing?– Forward Grazing
Base forages– Creep Grazing
„Improved‟ forages
Postweaning– Forward or Leader/Follower grazing– Improved species– Supplementation
Effect of rotational stocking on growth and weaning traits of Angus calves. Cows grazed
Pensacola bahiagrass.
Hammond et al., 1997Pensacola bahiagrass pastures near Brooksville FL.
Continuous Rotational
Birth weight, lbs 62 62
Weaning wt, lbs 365 367
ADG, lbs 1.47 1.50
BCS 7.8 7.8
Performance can decrease with rotational stocking
Forces animals to consume stems after leaves are goneCan be detrimental to performance of high nutrient requirement animals (dairy cows, replacement heifers, finishing steers etc).DOES allow forage budgeting and flexibility and actually permits some forages to persist
Forward GrazingHigh requirement animals (leaders) get “tops”- leafy high quality forage– Lactating dairy animals, replacement heifers, growing calves
etcLast grazers get lowest quality stems– Dry cows, mature animals
Can have intermediate group(s).
Effects of creep grazing treatments on average daily gain of calves.
Dams grazed bahiagrass.Creep Treatments Calf ADG, lbs
Aeschynomene 1.98
Hairy Indigo 1.80
Tifleaf 1 Pearl Millet 1.80
Alyceclover 1.70
Commercial creep 1.86
No Creep 1.50
Data by Bill Ocumpaugh. IFAS Circular S-318, 1985.
Gainesville FL.+0.2 to 0.48 lbs/d
Creep grazing
Excellent potential to improve calf gainsEasy to implement into existing continuous grazing systemSeveral addtnl forages have potential for creep grazing– Pearl millet, chicory, small grains and
ryegrass
Steer ADG on C & T85 Pastures in E. Texas(Rouquette et al., 2003; a-d, P <.05)
Pasture
--------------- ADG, Lb/day -----------------
Coastal (C) 1.01d
C + suppl 1.30c
Tifton 85 (T85) 1.69b
T85 + Suppl 2.02a
Supplement= 2 lb/hd daily of 1:1 (corn:SBM; 28% CP)
A wide range of productive, improved legumes are adapted to the region
CowpeaC. DesmodiumHairy IndigoAeschynomeneStyloAlyceclover
Expanding the Grazing Season for Sustainable Year-Round Forage-Finished Beef Production
S. K. Duckett, J. G. Andrae, J. Schmidt, and M. C. MillerClemson University
IntroductionSoutheastern U.S. – Cool season forage available– Gains > 2 lb/d– Support forage finishing of beef cattle
Summers– Hot temperatures, dry conditions– Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L. Pers.)
and bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flugge) – Well suited for traditional cow-calf operations– Limited gains and nutrient composition for
forage finishing of beef cattle
Objectives
Examine potential forage systems to expand grazing seasons for year-around forage-finished beef production.Determine the effect of these various warm season forages on beef carcass quality, composition and palatability
Forage Species for Summer FinishingAlfalfa (Medicago sativa) – perennial legume
September establishment
Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) – warm season perennial grass
Existing paddocks (c.v. ‘Coastal’) were utilized
Chicory (Cichorium intybus) – short-lived perennial forb
September establishment
Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) – warm season annual legume
May establishment
Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum) – warm season annual grass
May establishment
Materials & Methods
30 Angus-cross steers per year; 2 yr study (2007-2008) 5 ac paddocks; 2-reps per forage species Grazing began when adequate forage growth was present– Alfalfa & Chicory: April - July– Bermudagrass, Cowpea & Pearl Millet: June – Sept./Oct.
Slaughtered when forage mass inadequate or live weight exceeded 1250 lbCarcass data collected at 48 h postmortem
Average Daily Gains
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
AL BG CH CO PM
ADG, lb/d
AL = Alfalfa; BG = Bermudagrass; CH = Chicory; CO = Cowpea; PM = Pearl Millet
Carcass DataAL BG CH CO PM
FT, in 0.30 0.22 0.30 0.27 0.18
REA, in2 12.11 12.26 11.40 12.55 11.98
KPH, % 1.83 1.83 1.92 1.75 1.25Yield Grade 2.45 2.23 2.55 2.38 1.89Marbling score 450 455 433 513 473Quality grade 3.50 3.75 3.17 4.42 3.83
MS: 400 = Slight, 500 = Small QG: 3 = Select-, 4 = Select+, 5 = Choice-
AL = Alfalfa; BG = Bermudagrass; CH = Chicory; CO = Cowpea; PM = Pearl Millet
Warner-Bratzler Shear Force, d 14
AL = Alfalfa; BG = Bermudagrass; CH = Chicory; CO = Cowpea; PM = Pearl Millet
ConclusionsAnimal Performance– Alfalfa and Chicory, > 2 lb/d
Carcass Quality– Higher dressing percents for Alfalfa, Chicory and
Cowpea– Increased quality grades for Cowpea
Tenderness– Greater tenderness for legumes, Alfalfa and Cowpea
Fatty acid composition– Chicory: greater linoleic acid and omega-6 to omega-3
ratio– Grasses: greater CLA and TVA
SummaryPopulation centers may offer multiple niche marketsForage fed beef can likely be produced on a year round basis throughout the region. Forage management and forage species selection will be critical for successful production of young, acceptable carcassesUtilize species adapted to your climate “If you want to make the middle man‟s money, be prepared to do his work.”
Winter annuals hay
Summer
Winter
Spring Fall
Legume based pasture
Small grain winter annuals
Summer annuals
Legume hay