Summer Grazing and Fall Grazing Pressure Effects on Protein Content and Digestibility of Fall Range Diets

In 1997 and in 1998, four blocks of Sandhills range were used to examine summer grazing time and fall grazing pressure effects on fall diet quality. Three pastures within each block were grazed in June, July, or deferred from summer grazing each year. Multiple grazing pressures were created by grazing cows at various stocking rates in the fall. Diets were collected by esophageally fistulated cows. In 1997, diet protein and digestibility declined with increasing grazing pressure. In 1998, there were no effects of grazing pressure on fall diet protein or digestibility. July grazing reduced fall diet protein compared to June grazing in 1997, and summer grazing reduced fall diet protein compared to no summer grazing in 1998

Effects on Protein Content and Digestibility of Fall Diets in the Nebraska Sandhills

Four blocks of Sandhills rangeland (three pastures/block) were used to test summer grazing date and fall grazing intensity effects on protein content and digestibility of fall diets. Summer treatments applied to each block were 1) no summer grazing, 2) June grazing and 3) July grazing. Each block was grazed in sequence at six different stocking rates the following fall by six esophageally fistulated cows (two per pasture). Digestibility of fall diets declined linearly and crude protein declined quadratically as fall stocking intensity progressively increased. June grazing increased the CP content of fall diets compared to July or no summer grazing, but no summer by fall grazing interactions were detected