Forage Availability and Quality of No-till Forage Crops for Grazing Cattle

No-till forage crops were planted to determine forage quantity and quality for grazing cattle. Seven combinations were evaluated using different mixtures containing forage peas, oats, winter triticale, turnips, radishes, clover, vetch, and sunflower. The cover crops were planted April 9 and sampled three times (day 54, 70, and 86 after planting) to determine forage mass and nutrient content. Mixtures containing forage peas and oats yielded the greatest quantity of DM/acre. The NDF and CP content of the mixtures are comparable to native range during the growing season. When used in place of fallow in crop rotations, grazing cover crops may provide an alternativeto native range

GRAZING COVER CROPS AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO FALLOW AND THE INTERACTION BETWEEN CORN PROCESSING METHOD AND CONDENSED DISTILLERS SOLUBLES

Recently, producers in dryland wheat farming regions have made a shift from the typical winter wheat fallow rotation to a no-till system paired with cover crops. Cover crops have been shown to minimize these problems associated with the conventional fallow and possibly provide a source of forage. A 2-year grazing study was conducted to evaluate forage quality and utilization of cover crops (CC) planted to replace fallow in no-till wheat systems compared to crested wheatgrass pastures (CWP). Hand clipped and diet samples were greater in digestibility and CP for CC compared to CWP. The NDF and ADF content of the hand clipped and diet samples were less in CC compared to CWP. Forage production for CC was less in 2011 compared to CWP. In 2012, forage production was similar for CC compared to CWP. Forage utilization for both years was similar for CC and CWP. An interaction exists when comparing corn processing methods and increased concentrations of wet distillers grains with solubles (WDGS). However, little research is available studying the interaction between corn processing method and concentration of CDS. An experiment was conducted to test the interaction between condensed distillers solubles (CDS) and corn processing method in finishing diets. Interactions were observed between corn processing method and CDS concentration for final BW, ADG, and G:F. Within DRC based diets, final BW, ADG, and G:F increased quadratically with increasing concentration of CDS. The greatest final BW and ADG were observed at the 15% concentration of CDS. The greatest G:F was observed with the 30% concentration of CDS for DRC. For SFC based diets, linear improvements were observed in final BW and ADG as CDS concentration increased. A quadratic improvement in G:F was observed where greatest G:F was observed at the 30% CDS concentration. Replacing either DRC or SFC with CDS improved performance. Advisers: Karla H. Jenkins and Terry J. Klopfenstei

Forage Availability and Quality of No-till Forage Crops for Grazing Cattle

No-till forage crops were planted to determine forage quantity and quality for grazing cattle. Seven combinations were evaluated using different mixtures containing forage peas, oats, winter triticale, turnips, radishes, clover, vetch, and sunflower. The cover crops were planted April 9 and sampled three times (day 54, 70, and 86 after planting) to determine forage mass and nutrient content. Mixtures containing forage peas and oats yielded the greatest quantity of DM/acre. The NDF and CP content of the mixtures are comparable to native range during the growing season. When used in place of fallow in crop rotations, grazing cover crops may provide an alternativeto native range

Field Peas as a Binder for Dried Distillers Grains-Based Range Cubes

A grazing study was conducted to determineif field peas are a good naturalbinder for dried distillers grains-based range cubes. Cattle supplemented dried distillers grains in the bunk or a 25% field pea/75% distillers grains cube fed on the ground gained similarly and outgained cattle supplemented dried distillers on the ground. A 25.6% loss of the distillers grains fed loose on the ground was estimated. The similar performance of cattle fed distillers grains in the bunk and those fed pea/distillers cube on the ground suggests field peas reduced distillers grains loss and therefore are an acceptable binder for distillers grains based range cubes

Dryland Cover Crops as a Grazing Option for Beef Cattle

A two-year grazing study was conducted to evaluate forage quality and utilization of cover crops (CC) in dryland cropping systems compared to crested wheatgrass pastures (CWP). The CC mixture consisted of oats, peas and turnips planted in March with a no-till drill. Both CC and CWP were grazed during the month of June. Total tract dry matter digestibility and CP were greater for CC compared to CWP while NDF and ADF of CC were less. The CC was observed to have greater forage quality over both years and may produce similar amounts of forage as crested wheatgrass pastures allowing deferred grazing on native pasture

Replacing Steam-Flaked Corn and Dry Rolled Corn With Condensed Distillers Solubles In Finishing Diets

The interaction between corn processing method and condensed distillers solubles (CDS) was evaluated using either steam-flaked corn (SFC) or dry rolled corn (DRC). As CDS replaced corn at either 15 or 30% of the diet DM, DMI intake decreased quadratically for both SFC and DRC. Within DRC- based diets, ADG increased quadratically with 15% CDS being greatest and F:G improved quadratically with 30% inclusion being best. When SFC was used as the grain source, ADG increased linearly and F:G improved quadratically with increasing levels of CDS. A greater performance response was observed with SFC compared to DRC when feeding increased levels of CDS