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Forage Management for Pasture Finishing 59th Florida Beef Cattle Short Course John Andrae Extension Forage Specialist

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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)

Excellent climate for forage production

Irrigation is readily available in some areas

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

How are we going to keep adequate quantities of good

quality forage in front of animals?

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

Leader-Follower, First-Last, or Forward Grazing

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).

Base perennial forage HQ forage

Standard Creep Gate

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

What about improved forage species for the finishing phase?

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

Cowpea, 7/22/07

Pearl Millet, 7/22/07

Chicory, 4/30/07

Alfalfa, 4/30/07

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