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Title: PERFORMANCE AND ECONOMIC RETURNS OF STOCKER CATTLE ON TALLGRASS PRAIRIE UNDER SEASON-LONG OR INTENSIVE EARLY STOCKING GRAZING MANAGEMENT

Author
item Phillips, William
item Northup, Brian
item Mayeux Jr, Herman
item Daniel, John

Submitted to: Proceedings of the National Conference on Grazing Lands
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/1/2003
Publication Date: 2/1/2004
Citation: Phillips, W.A., Northup, B.K., Mayeux, H.S., Daniel, J.A. 2004. Performance and economic returns of stocker cattle on tallgrass prairie under season-long or intensive early stocking grazing management [abstract]. Proceedings of the National Conference on Grazing Lands. p. 806.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: A study was conducted during 1999-2002 to determine stocker calf performance under three management strategies applied to tallgrass prairie. Pastures were assigned to one of three summer (June-September) grazing treatments that were maintained on the same pastures each year. Two of the pastures were grazed season-long (June-September) at an average stocking rate of 2.9 head* ha-1. Calves in one of these pastures were fed a protein supplement (daily equivalent of 1.1 kg of a 20% crude protein pellet) during the last half (mid-July - September) of the grazing season while calves in the second pasture were not supplemented (control group). The third pasture was under Intensive Early Stocking (IES) and grazed at twice the stocking rate used in the season-long pastures for the first half of the grazing season (June - mid-July), then rested the second half. Average daily gain (ADG) of stocker calves during the first half of the summer was 0.9 kg and similar among grazing treatments. Supplemental protein during the second half of the grazing season increased calf ADG by 0.2 kg, compared to the non-supplemented calves. Over the summer, calves under IES produced 21% more gain per ha than calves in the season-long pastures (77.6 vs. 64.2 kg), but in half the time. Grazinglands managers can use IES to increase stocker gain per ha during the summer.