Production of Year-Round Beef Cattle Grazing Systems in the Southern Great Plains.

Year-round grazing by beef cattle (Bos spp.) is an attractive option for producers interested in reducing costs associated with purchased feed and increasing flexibility when purchasing cattle. However, research is limited on forage species that are compatible in grazing systems in the Southern Great Plains of the USA. The objective of this research was to evaluate different cool- and warm-season forage species in beef cattle grazing systems in Ardmore, OK in 2013-14 and 2014-15, with the goal of achieving 365 days of pasture grazing. Paddock (0.8 ha) treatments were 1) NF101 wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) followed by NFCG07-1 crabgrass [Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop.], 2) ‘Bulldog 505’ alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), 3) ‘Flecha’ tall fescue {Festuca arundinacea Schreb. [syn. Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb). Dumort]} fertilized with 112 kg N ha^-1, 4) alfalfa-tall fescue, and 5) alfalfa-tall fescue-‘Commander’ chicory (Cichorium intybus L.). In 2013-14, there was no difference in steer average daily gain (average 1.0 kg d^-1) among the treatments, indicating that all these systems have very high nutritive value and potential for stocker production in the region. There were more grazing days (242 d) associated with the wheat-alfalfa-crabgrass system, but the wheat-crabgrass system had the most grazing days ha^-1 and gain ha^-1 (901 d ha^-1 and 891 kg ha^-1, respectively). Based on this first year of data, utilizing wheat, alfalfa, and crabgrass in a beef cattle grazing system offers a promising option for producers interested in year-round grazing. This research will continue for at least two additional years, and will include nutritive value and economic analyses to identify the optimal system.