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Production and use of stockpiled fescue to reduce beef cattle production costs

M. H. Poore^*,1, G. A. Benson, M. E. Scott and J. T. Green

^* Department of Animal Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27695-7621 and Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27695-7621 and and Department of Crop Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27695-7621

¹ Correspondence: phone: 919-515-7798; fax: 919-515-9061.

Abstract

Tall fescue is the predominant cool-season forage in the eastern United States. Because of its relatively high autumn growth rate, propensity to accumulate nonstructural carbohydrates, and ability to resist deterioration due to freezing/thawing, it is ideal for stockpiled winter grazing. Fescue does inevitably lose some quality as winter progresses, but stockpiling potentially allows a year-round grazing program. To accumulate significant forage, it is essential that nitrogen be available in late summer and autumn. Applying 50 to 100 kg of N/ha to pastures in late summer has resulted in a yield response of 7 to 33 kg DM/kg N, but a range of 10 to 20 kg DM/kg N can be expected in most situations. This response will be economical with current N prices. The date to initiate stockpiling has been researched widely, and most studies show that accumulation starting in late summer (August 1 to September 1) is important, especially when precipitation is short in autumn. Nutrient concentrations of stockpiled fescue reported in the literature are variable but generally are at or above the requirement of beef cows or calves growing at moderate rates of gain. Cattle performance, however, is often lower than expected if endophyte is present, and supplementation is often necessary to achieve growing animal performance goals. Highly digestible fiber supplements such as soybean hulls will result in more cost-effective gains than high-starch supplements such as corn. Although research evidence is limited, it seems that quality and use are improved by controlled grazing and are maximized by the use of daily strip-grazing. Economic simulation for a yearling wintering system showed that strip-grazing stockpiled fescue could reduce feeding costs by about 40%, compared with harvesting and feeding autumn growth as hay. Use of stockpiled fescue could be expanded and with controlled grazing management and efficient supplementation could lead to improved economics of winter feeding in the fescue belt.