39-2
Comparison of Productivity and Efficiency of Grass-Only and Grass-Legume Beef Stocker Grazing Systems in the Southern High Plains.
See more from this Division: C06 Forage and Grazinglands
See more from this Session: Robert F Barnes Ph.D. Oral Contest
Monday, November 7, 2016: 8:20 AM
Phoenix Convention Center North, Room 224 A
Lisa Baxter, Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University, LUBBOCK, TX and Charles P. West, Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX
Abstract:
COMPARISON OF PRODUCTIVITY
AND EFFICIENCY OF
GRASS-ONLY AND GRASS-LEGUME BEEF STOCKER GRAZING SYSTEMS IN THE SOUTHERN HIGH
PLAINS
L.L. Baxter and C.P. West
The imminent depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer demands
innovative alternatives to prevent dramatic losses of income when water levels
are insufficient for irrigated row-crop production in the Southern High Plains.
With the goal to optimize sustainability and
productivity with pasture-based beef stocker systems, a grass-legume
(GL) pasture system employing novel forages and grazing techniques was compared
to a previously examined grass-only (GO) warm-season pasture system. Since protein is often the limiting
factor in improving performance of stockers grazing warm-season perennial
pastures, higher gains are expected with strategic inclusion of legumes such as
alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). Alfalfa was managed as a protein bank so
that a limited water resource was concentrated on a small area to
produce a high-quality supplement for poorer-quality base pastures. Average
daily gains between treatments did not differ in year 1 (P = 0.26). Deferring
hay harvests to better utilize forage resources in both treatments extended the
grazing season and increased stocker gain per hectare in years 2 and 3 (P < 0.01). After considering
rotation frequency and protein bank utilization in the first year, a decision
was made to increase the duration but decrease the frequency of rotating
stockers into the alfalfa. In years 2 and 3, stocker gains in the GL treatment
exceeded those in the GO treatment since longer,
more infrequent rotations promoted gains and allowed for better management of
high-quality pasture resources (P
< 0.01). Inclusion of legume increased stocker gain achieved per hectare in
all years (P < 0.01) and increased
water use efficiency with the sufficiently long grazing season in year 3 (P < 0.01). The forage-livestock
systems created in this research will serve as alternatives for producers
transitioning from irrigated row-crops into more resource-sustaining systems.
See more from this Division: C06 Forage and Grazinglands
See more from this Session: Robert F Barnes Ph.D. Oral Contest