Description
Introduction: Beef cattle performance in the southeastern US is limited by tall fescue (TF) toxicosis. Native warm season grasses (NWSGs) can provide alternative forage for cattle and reduce TF toxicosis. Pollinator populations, especially bees, also have been declining across North America. Introducing native wildflowers into tall fescue grasslands might improve pollinator populations. An ongoing grazing experiment in central Virginia USA is testing the feasibility of integrating wildflowers and native grasses as a way to generate ecosystem services.
Objectives: This study sought to determine whether including native grasses and wildflowers in tall fescue pasture systems could improve beef heifer performance.
Methods: The grazing experiment consists of three treatments replicated 4x: 1) tall fescue pasture diversified with native warm-season grasses and wildflowers (WF), 2) tall fescue pasture with portable shade structure to reduce heifer body temperature, and 3) a tall fescue control. All paddocks (1-ha ea.) were planted to an endophyte-infected tall fescue base. Four heifers were set stocked in each paddock. Average daily gain (ADG), body temperature, forage mass, and botanical composition were measured during 2021 and 2022 growing seasons.
Results and Discussion: Seasonal ADG did not significantly differ among treatments in 2021 and averaged 0.49 kg head-1 d-1. In 2022, seasonal ADG for the wildflower paddocks was 0.45 kg head-1 d-1, double the ADG of the control. Body temperature data suggest that shade reduced heifer body temperature over unshaded heifers. Forage mass was not significantly different at most timepoints, and gradually increased then declined over the course of both seasons. Tall fescue stands had few weedy species, native warm season grass stands had some weed competition, and the wildflower stands were so weedy that they required replanting.
Conclusions: Integration of native warm-season grasses into tall fescue pastures improved beef cattle performance in summer. These gains occurred even when >10% of pasture area was devoted to non-forage wildflower plantings. We suggest greater diversification of tall fescue pastures generates ecosystem services and can be compatible with robust beef cattle production in this region.
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Biodiverse Forage Mixtures for Bees and Beef Cattle
Introduction: Beef cattle performance in the southeastern US is limited by tall fescue (TF) toxicosis. Native warm season grasses (NWSGs) can provide alternative forage for cattle and reduce TF toxicosis. Pollinator populations, especially bees, also have been declining across North America. Introducing native wildflowers into tall fescue grasslands might improve pollinator populations. An ongoing grazing experiment in central Virginia USA is testing the feasibility of integrating wildflowers and native grasses as a way to generate ecosystem services.
Objectives: This study sought to determine whether including native grasses and wildflowers in tall fescue pasture systems could improve beef heifer performance.
Methods: The grazing experiment consists of three treatments replicated 4x: 1) tall fescue pasture diversified with native warm-season grasses and wildflowers (WF), 2) tall fescue pasture with portable shade structure to reduce heifer body temperature, and 3) a tall fescue control. All paddocks (1-ha ea.) were planted to an endophyte-infected tall fescue base. Four heifers were set stocked in each paddock. Average daily gain (ADG), body temperature, forage mass, and botanical composition were measured during 2021 and 2022 growing seasons.
Results and Discussion: Seasonal ADG did not significantly differ among treatments in 2021 and averaged 0.49 kg head-1 d-1. In 2022, seasonal ADG for the wildflower paddocks was 0.45 kg head-1 d-1, double the ADG of the control. Body temperature data suggest that shade reduced heifer body temperature over unshaded heifers. Forage mass was not significantly different at most timepoints, and gradually increased then declined over the course of both seasons. Tall fescue stands had few weedy species, native warm season grass stands had some weed competition, and the wildflower stands were so weedy that they required replanting.
Conclusions: Integration of native warm-season grasses into tall fescue pastures improved beef cattle performance in summer. These gains occurred even when >10% of pasture area was devoted to non-forage wildflower plantings. We suggest greater diversification of tall fescue pastures generates ecosystem services and can be compatible with robust beef cattle production in this region.
