The Effects of Graminaceous Species and Stocking Rate on Grazing Performance of Charolais Steers

Abstract

High daily intakes of herbage with high digestibility are required to maximise animal production output per hectare from grazing. Tall fescue (TF) is well known for its high herbage pro­duction but its nutritive value may limit animal growth (Jacobson, 1969). Recently progress in sward species selection has provided· new TF cultivars with smooth leaves more digestible and better ingested by animals than the previous cultivars. The purpose of the trials reported here was to study, in com­parison with perennial rye grass (PRG), the influence of new tall fescue cultivars, on steers growth grazing at two stocking rates