Cubed Alfalfa Hay or Cottonseed Meal-Barley as Supplements for Beef Cows Grazing Fall-Winter Range

Abstract

A a-year study evaluated the efficacy of supplements for beef cows grazing mixed grass prairie during the fall and winter. Cows were allotted to 3 treatments: (1) range forage only, (2) range forage plus 1.2-1.3 kg alfalfa cubes l hd-' l d-l, and (3) range forage plus .9 kg cottonseed meal-barley cake l hd-' l d-l. Supplements were fed daily to provide approximately 50% of crude protein requirements. Treatment effects did not depend (X0.10) on year for independent variables evaluated. Although weather conditions differed among years, observed changes in weight and condition score were similar (PCO.10) for both years. Supplemented cows gained weight; but supplement type did not influence weight gains. In contrast, unsupplemented cows displayed signiticant weight loss. Supplemented cows either maintained or slightly increased in body condition during the fall-winter period. However, body condition of unsupplemented cows decreased (K.05) compared with condition of supplemented cows. Supplementation with alfalfa cubes resulted in similar performance compared with supplementation with cottonseed meal-barley cake. Supplementing diets of wintering range cows with feeds high in protein improved performance compared with no supplementation. Supplementing beef cattle grazing on native winter rangeland in the Northern Great Plains is common but costly. Reducing these costs requires supplementation practices that meet nutritional requirements while enhancing forage utilization. Energy supplementation of animals consuming poor quality forage often results in depressed cellulose and hemicellulose digestibility (Henning et al. 1980, Kartchner 1981), reduced protein digestibility (Cook and Harris 1968), and decreased intake of forage (Crabtree and Williams 1971a,b; Lamb and Eadie 1979). In contrast, supplementing poor quality forage with a nitrogen or protein source frequently yielded increased forage intake (Amos and Evans 1976, Kartchner 1981), improved crude protein digestibility (Coleman and Wyatt 1982) and elevated crude fiber digestibility (Lyons et al. 1970). Alfalfa is a protein-rich feedstuff that generally costs less than traditional "protein" supplements. Alfalfa has been successfully used to complement the diets of sheep fed low quality tall fescue During the research the authors were, respectively, graduate research assistant, research animal scientist, research range scientist and statistician. USDA, ARS, Fort

Influence of supplemental alfalfa quality on the intake, use, and subsequent performance of beef cattle consuming low-quality roughages.

“…Acid detergent insoluble N was calculated by Kjeldahl N on the ADF residue (Goering and Van Soest, 1970). Indigestible acid detergent fiber was determined (Cochran et al, 1986a) using a 144-h in vitro digestion to determine the indigestible component of all diets.…”

Designing and conducting experiments for range beef cows

“…Cold ambient temperatures increase a cow's nutrient requirements (NRC, 1981(NRC, , 1996 and may reduce forage intake ( Kartchner, 1980;Adams et al, 1986;Pfister et al, 1998), lower forage digestibility (Kartchner, 1980;Adams et al, 1986), and affect grazing behavior (Malachek and Smith, 1976;Adams et al, 1986Pfister et al, 1998). Hot ambient temperatures have been observed to reduce grazing activity (Dwyer, 1961).…”

“…Hot ambient temperatures have been observed to reduce grazing activity (Dwyer, 1961). Time spent grazing decreased with increasing wind speed during winter grazing (Adams et al, 1986). Wind also affects the orientation of cows and the direction they graze (Dwyer, 1961).…”

“…Breed and physiological status of the cow affect behavior (Herbel and Nelson, 1966;Stricklin et al, 1976) and nutrient requirements (NRC, 1996). Weather affects herbage production (Smoliak, 1986), animal behavior (Adams et al, 1986;Pfister et al, 1998), and animal requirements (NRC, 1996). Interaction among landscape, weather, breed, and physiological status of the cow results in highly variable effects on grazing research.…”

Effect of supplementary feeding on the gastrointestinal strongylid eggs shedding in grazing pregnant Merino ewes

“…Offering supplement to grazing sheep could diminish the quality and quantity herbage deficit in unfavourable seasons (Vallentine, 1990). The benefits from supplementation may be substantial during these stress periods (severe winter, drought, extreme weed infestation and heavy stocking rates), but under more favourable conditions the usefullness of supplementation programs should be closely monitored (Cochran et al, 1986).…”