Studies on the Extension Oe the Grazing Season I.

The production and use of cocksfoot foggage for winter grazing at the Hannah Dairy Research Institute in the period 1956–61 is described. Two acres of cocksfoot (S37) were sown broadcast in 1956 and two acres were drilled in rows 28 in apart in 1957. The average annual application of fertilizer nutrients was 118 lb. N, 51 1b. P2O5 and 142 lb. K2O per acre. The mean yield of the broadcast section was 7450 lb. dry matter/acre/annum compared with 6090 lb. from the rowcrop section. Normally two crops of grass were harvested from the field in the summer, and one grazing was made in the winter. The yield of winter herbage dry matter was 28% and 26% of the total annual yield of the broadcast and the rowcrop sections, respectively. The field was grazed for four successive winters by 5–10 bulling heifers each weighing 650–850 lb. They received no other feed during the grazing period. Grazing started in December and finished in February, March or April in different years. The mean intake of herbage dry matter was only 6 lb./day, and on average the heifers lost 80 lb. liveweight each winter. This loss was regained after 4–6 weeks when the winter grazing finished. Twenty‐nine of the 30 heifers held to the first or second service while grazing the winter herbage. On average the broadcast section gave 340 heifer‐grazing‐days per acre during the winter and the rowcrop section 260 days. The cost of a heifer‐grazing‐day was 3id. and 4id. on the broadcast and rowcrop sections, respectively. The dry matter of the herbage cut on 19 December 1960 had a digestible crude protein content of 59% and a starch equivalent of 34. It is concluded that on well‐drained land the technique of foggage production and of winter grazing can usefully extend the normal grazing season and hence reduce the costs of winter feeding.

Section: Nutritive Valuesupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Production and Use of Cocksfoot Foggage for Winter Grazing in South‐west Scotland

Castle

Watson

1961

“…The experiment reported in an earlier paper (Corbett,5) provided clear evidence that, of the grass species tested, cocksfoot was the most suitable for winter grazing by store cattle. Heavy yields of foggage were obtained following autumn applications of 3 or 4 cwt.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…The time at which a pasture is closed and top-dressed for foggage production affects both the yield and composition of the crop. Later closing gives a smaller yield of a higher protein herbage (5). Davies and Fagan (6) found that with earlier closing the proportion of cocksfoot in foggage produced from a complex sward increased at the expense of perennial ryegrass.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Studies on the Extension of the Grazing Season

Corbett¹

1957

Self Cite

In a small plot trial good yields of foggage of satisfactory botanical composition with cocksfoot dominant were produced from a mixed-species pasture after it had been cut for silage in spring and again in summer. Production in the following year was satisfactory. The advantages of using ordinary pastures for winter grazing, especially if this occurs only during their last winter before ploughing, are discussed. From a study of various autumn treatments it is concluded that the optimum management for foggage production in the north-east of Scotland is to close fields on or near 10 August when 3 cwt. nitro-chalk per ac. should be applied; a higher rate (6 cwt. per ac), though it increased yields and percentage crude protein immediately, and also during the subsequent summer, conferred no benefits of practical importance. Effects of K fertilizer applications were negligible. Closing as late as the beginning of September gave smaller but useful yields of a higher protein foggage and the sward was less cocksfoot-dominant. Autumn closing and fertilizer treatments did not affect foggage wastage during winter, which averaged 14 per cent of the initial organic-matter yield; the percentage of crude protein in standing foggage rose.

“…The earliness of spring growth after winter grass has been recorded in other trials (5,8). In the present work resting from mid-October was a treatment comparable in some respects with normal management of many pastures in this country, in which grazing is carried on until growth ceases; this may lead to the weakening of the plant.…”

Section: Aftermath Yieldmentioning

confidence: 91%

The Production of Winter Grass From a Row Crop of Cocksfoot and Lucerne

Cowling

1962

A crop of cocksfoot and lucerne in alternate rows was subjected to various autumn treatments for winter pasture. The yield of grass in winter, and the effect of autumn and winter treatments upon yield and composition in the following spring, are reported and discussed. Maximum yield of winter grass was achieved by resting from an early date and applying nitrogenous fertilizer. The response to fertilizer applied in August and mid‐September for winter grass production was as good as that obtained on ordinary swards at other times of the year. To ensure an adequate yield in any year the crop would need to be rested from early August and to receive about 70 lb N per acre. The spring growth of cocksfoot was distinctly retarded by cutting twice in winter, i.e. in November and February. Cutting once only had no such adverse effect. Both cocksfoot and lucerne persisted satisfactorily. The use of nitrogenous fertilizer to promote autumn growth of grass did not greatly reduce the overall productivity of the lucerne. The two species were complementary in the sense that, in combination, they maintained a high aggregate yield of herbage under a range of weather conditions in midsummer and in winter.