Grasses and Grazing

Evaluating diet quality selected by grazing beef cattle using photographic guidelines

Both animal productivity and ranch profitability can be affected by the nutritional management of grazing beef cattle.

Forage is the nutritional foundation for beef cows as well as all ruminant species. Producers are paying more attention in recent years to forage quality in an attempt to get more nutrition from perennials throughout the year. Grasses and legumes are the primary forages fed to livestock.

Grab a bag of grass or clover seed at your local supplier, and that seed likely has an origin in Oregon. In fact, around 90 percent of all the cool-season forage seeds used in the U.S. originate from the Willamette River Valley south of Portland.

Most grazing school programs focus on measuring, monitoring and managing the forage produced above the soil surface. But the Advanced Grazing School program put on by the University of Georgia (UGA) Extension taught the forage growers in attendance to dig deeper.

How far can we extend the grazing season profitably?

Last month (September issue of Progressive Forage,  Part I

Researchers have devoted decades and countless dollars to learn more about plants and animals alike in order to help farmers utilize them to the fullest.