Yearling Beef Cattle Grazing Diverse Summer Annual Swards

Utilizing summer annuals is often regarded as “a breakeven proposition at best” due to high establishment costs. This study investigated using botanical diversity to increase forage yield or animal performance to improve the economic feasibility of grazing summer annual forages in western Kentucky, USA. Sorghum-sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor x S. bicolor spp. drummondii)-based treatments included a monoculture, a three-species mixture (two grasses, one legume), and a 12-species mixture (five grasses, four legumes, two brassicas, and one forb). Angus-cross yearling beef calves (329, 366, and 297 kg in 2017, 2018, and 2019, respectively) grazed summer annuals in 2017-2019 for an average of 40 days each year without supplementation. Pastures were stocked when forage was approximately 1 m tall and calves were removed when forage was 2-2.5 m tall (seedheads present). In all years, forage dry matter yield was not different between treatments (p \u3e 0.85) and both mixtures were dominated by sorghum-sudangrass. In 2017 (p \u3c 0.03) and 2019 (p \u3c 0.03), calves grazing the 12-species mixture had lower average daily gains (ADG) than the monoculture and 3-species mixture, while there was no difference in 2018 (p \u3e 0.3). Average daily gains were suboptimal for stocker calves in all years (0.75, 0.01, 0.54 kg day-1 in 2017, 2018, and 2019). The extremely low ADG in 2018 was likely a result of stocking pastures late in the season when grasses were at physiological maturity. Additional species increased seed cost but did not contribute significantly to forage production and did not result in increased animal production. Unless greater forage yield or livestock gains are attained, planting mixtures may not provide any economic benefit. However, adjusting seeding rates to favor less dominant species may provide a more accurate representation of species diversity manipulation effects on forage and livestock production

Feeding Cannabidiol (CBD)-Containing Treats Did Not Affect Canine Daily Voluntary Activity

Growing public interest in the use of cannabidiol (CBD) for companion animals has amplified the need to elucidate potential impacts. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the influence of CBD on the daily activity of adult dogs. Twenty-four dogs (18.0 ± 3.4 kg, 9 months−4 years old) of various mixed breeds were utilized in a randomized complete block design with treatments targeted at 0 and 2.5 mg (LOW) and at 5.0 mg (HIGH) CBD/kg body weight (BW) per day split between two treats administered after twice-daily exercise (0700–0900 and 1,700–1,900 h). Four hours each day [1,000–1,200 h (a.m.) and 1,330–1,530 h (p.m.)] were designated as times when no people entered the kennels, with 2 h designated as Quiet time and the other 2 h as Music time, when calming music played over speakers. Quiet and Music sessions were randomly allotted to daily a.m. or p.m. times. Activity monitors were fitted to dogs\u27 collars for continuous collection of activity data. Data were collected over a 14-day baseline period to establish the activity patterns and block dogs by activity level (high or low) before randomly assigning dogs within each block to treatments. After 7 days of treatment acclimation, activity data were collected for 14 days. Data were examined for differences using the MIXED procedure in SAS including effects of treatment, day, session (Quiet or Music), time of day (a.m. or p.m.), and accompanying interactions. CBD (LOW and HIGH) did not alter the total daily activity points (P = 0.985) or activity duration (P = 0.882). CBD tended (P = 0.071) to reduce total daily scratching compared with the control. Dogs were more active in p.m. sessions than in a.m. sessions (P \u3c 0.001). During the p.m. session, dogs receiving HIGH tended (P = 0.091) to be less active than the control (CON). During the a.m. and p.m. sessions, CBD reduced scratching compared with CON (P = 0.030). CBD did not affect the activity duration during exercise periods (P = 0.143). These results indicate that, when supplemented with up to 4.5 mg CBD/kg BW/day, CBD does not impact the daily activity of adult dogs, but may exert an antipruritic effect

Seasonal forage quality of rangelands across Kansas

The K-State Research and Extension Forage Task Force surveyed Kansas rangelands during the course of seasonal changes to enable producers and managers to better estimate the feed value of their pasture forage during particular times of the year. Kansas’ two distinct rangeland vegetation types, shortgrass and tallgrass prairie, were evaluated. Forage samples were collected monthly from two rangeland sites in each of 10 Kansas counties. Tallgrass vegetation was lowest in acid detergent fiber (ADF) and greatest in crude protein (CP) from May to July, and rapidly increased in ADF and declined in CP the rest of the season. Shortgrass vegetation was also lower in ADF and greater in CP from May to July, but changed less from early summer to the winter than did tallgrass vegetation. Degradable intake protein (DIP) was greatest for tallgrass vegetation in May. Otherwise DIP was similar between tallgrass and shortgrass except in February and March when shortgrass had greater DIP. DIP was greatest in May and June for both vegetation types and gradually declined from June to December. Undegradable intake protein (UIP) values were greater for tallgrass vegetation than for shortgrass vegetation from May through July, but all other months were similar. Seasonal forage quality is different between and within rangeland vegetation types, and identification of dominant vegetation is a key determinant in choosing appropriate animal nutritional management strategies

Consumption of endophyte-infected fescue seed during the dry period does not decrease milk production in the following lactation.

Ergot alkaloids in endophyte-infected grasses inhibit prolactin (PRL) secretion and may reduce milk production of cows consuming these grasses. We investigated the effects of consuming endophyte-infected fescue seed during late lactation and the dry period on mammary growth, differentiation, and milk production. Twenty-four multiparous Holstein cows were randomly assigned to 3 treatment groups. Starting at 90±4 d prepartum, cows were fed endophyte-free fescue seed (control; CON), endophyte-free fescue seed plus 3×/wk subcutaneous injections of bromocriptine (0.1mg/kg of body weight, positive control; BROMO), or endophyte-infected fescue seed (INF) as 10% of the diet on an as fed basis. Although milk yield of groups did not differ before treatment, at dry off (-60 d prepartum) INF and BROMO cows produced less milk than CON. Throughout the treatment period, basal concentrations of PRL and the prepartum increase in plasma PRL were reduced in INF and BROMO cows compared with CON cows. Three weeks after the end of treatment, circulating concentrations of PRL were equivalent across groups. In the subsequent lactation milk yield was not decreased; in fact, BROMO cows exhibited a 9% increase in milk yield relative to CON. Evaluation of mammary tissue during the dry period and the subsequent lactation, by quantitative histology and immunohistochemical analysis of proliferation markers and putative mammary stem or progenitor cell markers, indicated that feeding endophyte-infected fescue seed did not significantly affect mammary growth and development. Feeding endophyte-infected grasses during the dry period may permit effective utilization of feed resources without compromising milk production in the next lactation

Grain supplementation on bluestem range for intensive-early stocked steers

A 4-year study was conducted on Kansas Flint Hills bluestem range to monitor animal gain, grass, and forb standing biomass following grazing, plant population dynamics, and in 2 years, subsequent feedlot performance of steers under intensive-early stocking supplemented with increasing levels of sorghum grain. Each year from 1988 through 1991, crossbred beef steers were stocked at 0.24 ha/100 kg of initial steer weight from 5 May to 1; July. Steers in twice-replicated pastures were given no supplementation, 0.91 kg rolled sorghum grain per head daily, or 1.82 kg rolled sorghum grain per head daily, which corresponded to approximately 0, 0.3, and 0.6% of body weight-1. All steers were implanted with estradiol 17 beta in 1988 and zeranol in 1989-91 during initial processing and had unlimited access to a lasalocid/mineral mixture during the entire trial. In 1989 and 1990, representative groups of steers selected from all treatment/pasture combinations were subjected to a feedlot finishing phase and carcass data were obtained. Grass and forb standing crops were estimated each year at livestock removal in mid-July and again in early October. Pretreatment species composition and basal cover were determined in 1988 and compared to those at the end of the study. In mid-July, when cattle were removed, residual standing biomass of grass increased in direct proportion to increasing level of supplement. Standing biomass of grass at the end of the growing season did not differ among pastures with different supplement levels. Forb standing biomass did not differ among pastures with different supplement levels in July or October. Changes in plant populations among treatments during the course of the study were minimal. During the early portion of the grazing period, sorghum grain supplementation did not significantly influence steer gains, but average daily gain during the latter part of the grazing period increased in direct proportion to increasing level of sorghum grain supplement. Daily gain. feed intake, carcass characteristics, and gain:feed ratio were not different among treatments during the feedlot phase. Although conversion efficiencies may be economically marginal, low-level grain supplementation has the potential to increase the daily gain of cattle grazing early-season tallgrass prairie under an intensive-early stocking program.The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform August 202