Steward, D. G. Mickey

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University of Kentucky

University of Kentucky UKnowledge International Grassland Congress Proceedings 21st International Grassland Congress / 8th International Rangeland Congress The Effect of Rapid Paddock Movement on Yearling Steer Weight Gain and Forage Condition in North‐Central Nebraska, USA D. G. Mickey Steward Flying M Ranch Follow this and additional works at: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc  Part of the Plant Sciences Commons, and the Soil Science Commons This document is available at https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/21/9-1/46 The 21st International Grassland Congress / 8th International Rangeland Congress took place in Hohhot, China from June 29 through July 5, 2008. Proceedings edited by Organizing Committee of 2008 IGC/IRC Conference Published by Guangdong People's Publishing House This Event is brought to you for free and open access by the Plant and Soil Sciences at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in International Grassland Congress Proceedings by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact UKnowledge@lsv.uky.edu. 瞯 ]62　 瞯 　 Multifunctional Grasslands in a Changing World 　 Volume Ⅱ 　Grasslands/Rangelands Production Systems——— Livestock Production SystemsThe effect of rapid paddock movement on yearling steer weight gain and forage condition innorth‐central Nebraska ,USAD .G .M ickey StewardFly ing M Ranch ,New port ,Nebraska ,65789 ,seacross＠ vcn .comKey words : ultra‐high stock density ,yearlings ,gainIntroduction Approximately ４００ yearling steers in a mixed group of low‐to‐moderate quality animals of varying sizes and breedswere provided to the contract grazier by a backgrounding operation whose objective was to minimize winter feed costs andcapitalize on summer gains . Most of the animals appeared to have Brahman and Charolais influence .The grazing property can be found on the headwaters of the Elkhorn River in north‐central Nebraska ( ４２°９ .３５７′N ;９９°０ .５３１′W) . Annual precipitation is approximately １０００ mm ,with annual variations from approximately ５００ to １５００ mm . Most rainfalls in May and June ,and as thunderstorms in July and August . The average summer temperature for the region is ２０ ℃ .Summer daytime temperatures over ３８ ℃ with high humidity and no wind are common .The grazed pastures are low‐lying ,flat ,and generally subirrigated ( depth to water approximately １ meter ) . Water‐filledpotholes lie adjacent to stabilized sand dunes . Soils are poorly developed except in low‐lying marshy areas ; parent material isderived primarily from windblown sands . Pasture vegetation varies from former haylands ( Bromus inerme andT ri f oliumsp p .) ,to low‐lying grasslands of Panicum v irgatum ,A grostis alba ,Sorgastrum nutans ,and A ndropogon sp p .Euphorbia esulaand Glycy rrhiz a lep idota are significant weeds . Average annual production is around ３ ,０００ kg / ha .Materials and methods Pastures are permanently divided withelectric and barbed wire into ２０ ha and further subdivided bytemporary electric fence into ４‐５ ha paddocks (１００‐１２５ animals /ha) . ２７５ ha were used in the grazing program . Approximately４０％ of this area was grazed twice ,once at the beginning of theseason ,and once at the end . Copious groundwater delivered bypipeline into １ .５M portable tanks was available to the livestockat all times . Upon arrival ,the extremely nervous animals werecarefully acclimated to electric fencing and frequent paddockmovement . Low stress handling methods were employed at alltimes ,with most paddock moves made on foot . Midway betweenthe grazing season ,pasture management changed from ３０ animalsper acre density , moved every two to three days , withapproximately ５０％ forage removal , to ５０ animals per acredensity ,moved every １８‐２４ hours ,and ３０％ forage removal .Results and discussion The average steer in‐weight was ２７５ kg ; average out‐weight was ３５５ kg . The adjacent figure showsweight distributions after ４１ and ６７ days . The table below shows weight gain and average daily gain with time . The increase inaverage daily gain from ０ .４９ to １ .０４ kg / day coincided with changes in grazing management . Post grazing re‐grow th increasedin the more lightly grazed pastures utilized for less than ２４ hours compared to the more heavily grazed ,longer utilized pasturesand weed consumption increased . Fly infestations were reduced as time‐in‐paddock decreased . No animals were lost during thegrazing program .８‐May １８‐Jun １４‐Jul １０‐Aug PeriodAverage Weight in Pounds ( kg) ６０４ %275 ６９２ 忖315 ７２０ 煙327 ７８２ \355Weight Difference in Pounds( kg) ８８ 怂40 ２８ 垐13 ６２ E28 １７８  81Days ４１ z２６ 7２７ 貂９４ 膊Average Daily Gain in Pounds( kg ) ２ o.１５ 0 揶.98 １ ,.０８ 0 洓.49 ２ 殚.３０ 1 X.04 １ Ё.８９ 0  .86Yearling steers born and raised on the ranch gained approximately ８０ kgs more than the contract steers over the same period .This is attributed to superior genetics ,local adaptation ,and more favorable winter backgrounding .Conclusions Increased stock density with extremely short‐duration grazing and limited forage removal coincided with increasedweight gain and improved pasture recovery . Fly infestations were reduced and weed consumption increased as time in paddockwas reduced . Livestock demeanor and sociability were improved by increased handling . Locally adapted yearlings gained morethan foreign stock .

The Effect of Rapid Paddock Movement on Yearling Steer Weight Gain and Forage Condition in North‐Central Nebraska, USA

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The Effect of Rapid Paddock Movement on Yearling Steer Weight Gain and Forage Condition in North‐Central Nebraska, USA

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