Comparison of Season-Long Grazing Applied Annually and a 2-Year Rotation of Intensive Early Stocking Plus Late-Season Grazing and Season-Long Grazing

Owensby, Clenton E.; Auen, Lisa M.

doi:10.2111/rem-d-13-00014.1

Cited by 8 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…2622a † Values are means of three replications, and means with a common letter within a year do not differ (P ≤ 0.10) SLS-C = Season Long Stocking (4 acres/steer) from early May until early October; IES-C = Intensive Early Stocking (2 acres/steer) from early May until mid-July applied annually; IES-R = Intensive Early Stocking (2 acres/steer) from early May until mid-July following Intensive Early Stocking plus Late Season Grazing the previous year; IES+LSG = Intensive Early Stocking (2 acres/steer) followed by Late Season Grazing (4 acres/steer) on the same pasture. Because IES rather than SLS was rotated with IES+LSG in this study, gains per acre were substantially greater than those reported for a study where SLS was rotated with IES+LSG (Owensby and Auen, 2013). Steers that grazed season long following IES in that study, and in the study reported here, had greater gain than steers grazed SLS annually.…”

Section: Implications Of the Researchcontrasting

confidence: 54%

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Steer and Pasture Productivity Influenced by Intensive Early Stocking plus Late Season Grazing

Owensby

Auen

2018

Crop Forage & Turfgrass Mgmt

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Steer gains, aboveground biomass (AGB) remaining at the end of the growing season, and economic returns of Kansas were measured on annually-burned Kansas Flint Hills rangeland under different grazing management schemes. These systems included: Season-Long Stocking (SLS-C), Intensive Early Stocking (IES-C) and a grazing system which included a two-year rotation of IES-Rotated (IES-R), and IES + Late-Season Grazing at the normal stocking rate (IES+LSG). No supplemental feeding occurred. Each treatment was applied each year; therefore there is a comparison of IES-C and IES-R. Previous work has shown that grazing at twice the normal stocking rate until mid-season resulted in greater regrowth availability which, in the late season, resulted in steers gaining as well as or better than those stocked SLS-C at the normal rate even though the stocking rate was higher than normal. The remaining AGB at season's end on pastures grazed under the IES+LSG treatment was lower than annual IES in seven of the 10 year, but that on IES-R pastures did not differ from IES-C. Average SLS-C steer gains (lb/ steer) were less in eight of the 10 year than gains for steers grazed season-long under the IES+LSG. In the other two years, SLS-C steer gains were equal to that of the steers grazed season-long under the IES+LSG. Steer gains per acre were always greater on pastures grazed under IES or for the two-year rotation of IES+LSG and IES-R system compared to SLS-C. Net returns ($) per acre were approximately 50% greater under IES and 75% greater for the two-year rotation system compared to SLS-C pastures. Previous Research on Flint Hills Grazing SystemsTypically, grazing system research on rangelands has focused on improving range condition and has largely ignored the impact on livestock performance and economic return. The research reported here sought to increase livestock performance and net returns while maintaining a quality range resource. To get the greatest steer gain and maintenance of a quality Kansas Flint Hills pasture, late spring burning must occur on an annual basis (Anderson et al., 1970). Therefore, all grazing systems should include fire. Subsequent research on a seasonal suitability system that stocked pastures at a greater density only during the first half of the growing season, termed Intensive Early Stocking (IES), increased per acre gains while improving tallgrass dominance on a sustained basis compared to stocking burned Crop Forage Turfgrass Manage. 4:170011.

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Section: Implications Of the Researchcontrasting

confidence: 54%

“…fixed costs. Owensby et al (2008) and Owensby and Auen (2013) both concluded that a producer could sort off the heavier steers in mid-summer on the IES+LSG pasture and retain the lighter steers during the latter half of the growing season so that they could reach a desired weight for entering the feedlot.…”

Section: Implications Of the Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Steer and Pasture Productivity Influenced by Intensive Early Stocking plus Late Season Grazing

Owensby

Auen

2018

Crop Forage & Turfgrass Mgmt

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“…A reduction in the rate of vegetation regrowth in the latter half of the grazing season likely necessitated that cattle forage over increasingly greater area in the latter half of the grazing season to find a sufficient quantity of more palatable (and preferred) regrowth vegetation to meet their dietary requirements. Owensby et al (2008) and Owensby and Auen (2013) looked at the total area grazed in this study and concluded that since a doubling of the stocking rate only increased area grazed by 1.2 times by season's end, the reason that individual animal gains are reduced under heavy grazing in the late season (Launchbaugh and Owensby, 1978) was due to a reduced area of regrowth per animal which required the animal to consume a higher percentage of its diet from previously ungrazed plants. They grazed pastures at IES rates and then removed half the animals in midseason and grazed the animals remaining until early October to increase the proportion of their diet from regrowth in the late season.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Spatial and Temporal Grazing Patterns on Intensive‐early Stocked and Season‐long Stocked Pastures

Brock

Evans²,

Owensby

2017

Crop Forage & Turfgrass Mgmt

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Core Ideas Temporal grazing patterns influence forage quality. Temporal and spatial grazing patterns aid in grazing system design. Uniformity of grazing distribution is enhanced by increased stocking density. Spatial and temporal patterns of domestic cattle (Bos taurus × Bos indicus) grazing were observed over two consecutive years under two grazing systems, intensive‐early stocking (IES) and season‐long stocking (SLS), to determine the factors influencing the observed patterns. Temporal grazing patterns differed between the two grazing treatments. Area grazed and forage height reduction remained relatively stable and consistently higher on IES pastures than on SLS pastures until midseason. In contrast, SLS pastures exhibited steady increases in area grazed and forage height reduction throughout the grazing season and was comparable to IES by the end of the grazing season. Percent forage height reduction was significantly higher on IES pastures than on SLS pastures in both years until midseason when the IES steers were removed. There was no difference between the amounts of forage height reduction at the end of grazing trials in SLS pastures compared with overall IES means. Cattle grazed a higher percentage of pasture area on IES pastures than SLS in both years. Grazing intensity did not differ between treatments but was significantly different between years. The IES pastures were more uniformly grazed than SLS pastures during the period when both treatments were present, but there was no difference when overall pasture means were compared. Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman) tillers were grazed more frequently under IES than under SLS. The results indicate that temporal grazing patterns should be considered when evaluating the performance and design of grazing systems since spatial patterns alone may not reveal periods when forage quality or plant physiology may be adversely or positively affected.

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“…This is a promising margin of profitability, but a realistic estimate of economic advantage would have to consider additional costs incurred by the higher stocking density like a higher cow replacement rate (Table 3). Higher productivity following more intensive use of the green pasture was also demonstrated by Owensby and Auen (2013).…”

Section: Animal Performancementioning

confidence: 84%

Long-term Trade-Offs Among Herbage Growth, Animal Production, and Supplementary Feeding in Heavily Grazed Mediterranean Grassland

Henkin

Ungar

Perevolotsky

et al. 2015

Rangeland Ecology & Management

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Comparison of Season-Long Grazing Applied Annually and a 2-Year Rotation of Intensive Early Stocking Plus Late-Season Grazing and Season-Long Grazing

Cited by 8 publications

References 19 publications

Steer and Pasture Productivity Influenced by Intensive Early Stocking plus Late Season Grazing

Steer and Pasture Productivity Influenced by Intensive Early Stocking plus Late Season Grazing

Spatial and Temporal Grazing Patterns on Intensive‐early Stocked and Season‐long Stocked Pastures

Long-term Trade-Offs Among Herbage Growth, Animal Production, and Supplementary Feeding in Heavily Grazed Mediterranean Grassland

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