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Symposium on Pasture Methods for Maximum Production in Beef Cattle: Effect of Grazing Management on Animal and Area Output¹

Virginia Polytechnic Institute², Blacksburg

Abstract

Grazing management and pressure influence the daily gains per animal and live weight gains per hectare by affecting quality, yield, botanical composition and longevity of herbage. These effects of either grazing management or pressure on the herb-age may be partially attributed to selective grazing by the ruminant.

The yield per animal and live weight gains per hectare, as related to the herbage, depend on the quality and yield of the herbage utilized by the grazing animal. The quality of grasses decreases as the plant changes from a young, leafy, vegetative growth to a more stemmy growth. Brown, Blaser and Fontenot (1968) observed an average decrease in apparent digestibility of orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) and timothy (Phleum pratense L.) of 0.32 units per day with advancing maturity in the spring. Reid et al. (1959) reported that first growth forage harvested prior to June 10, irrespective of stage of growth, had a higher digestible dry matter value than aftermath forage.

¹ Presented at the 60th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Animal Science, Stillwater, Oklahoma, August, 1968. The Symposium, made possible by support from the American Hereford Association, was organized jointly by the Pastures and Forages Committee, A.S.A.S., and the American Forage and Grassland Council.

² Contribution from the Department of Agronomy, Animal Science and Biochemistry and Nutrition. This work was partially supported by the Old Dominion Foundation.