Description

Swath grazing is a practice for overwintering beef cows on small grain forage left in the field to graze through snow, but annual variation occurs. The objective is to review 18 years of research at Lacombe, Alberta (AB) to describe how production attributes are related to cost mitigation and cow performance. Five trials compared swath grazing management options to pen-fed controls to determine feasibility. Associated studies monitored forage quality, soil fertility requirements and planting date impacts on yield. Mean, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, maximum and minimum values (n=18) for forage yield, pasture days, carrying capacity and percent utilization were determined from annual treatment averages for small grain species used from 1997 to 2017. Swath grazing reduced total daily costs of winter feeding compared to pen feeding, but amounts varied from trial to trial. Savings were larger for feeding activities (yardage) of cows than feed production (feed), although both were reduced consistently. Small grains lost nutritive value over winter, cows lost weight in 3 of 5 trials, but reproductive performance matched the pen-fed practices. Forage yield and carrying capacity followed similar trends for magnitude, variability and were inversely related to feed cost. Low utilization and forage quality is related to cow weight loss, but low utilization may be more important. Lower savings could be associated with low yield and poor utilization caused by deep snow, muddy conditions, and forage freezing to soil. Planting date of all species was delayed to mature and swath late in Sep. to minimize impacts of weathering. Fertilizer-N requirements may be reduced in fields grazed repetitively, but soil nutrient accumulation could cause environmental problems and lodging.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.13023/s7db-r230

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Swath Grazing: Feeding “Hay” Without the Production Expenses

Swath grazing is a practice for overwintering beef cows on small grain forage left in the field to graze through snow, but annual variation occurs. The objective is to review 18 years of research at Lacombe, Alberta (AB) to describe how production attributes are related to cost mitigation and cow performance. Five trials compared swath grazing management options to pen-fed controls to determine feasibility. Associated studies monitored forage quality, soil fertility requirements and planting date impacts on yield. Mean, standard deviation, coefficient of variation, maximum and minimum values (n=18) for forage yield, pasture days, carrying capacity and percent utilization were determined from annual treatment averages for small grain species used from 1997 to 2017. Swath grazing reduced total daily costs of winter feeding compared to pen feeding, but amounts varied from trial to trial. Savings were larger for feeding activities (yardage) of cows than feed production (feed), although both were reduced consistently. Small grains lost nutritive value over winter, cows lost weight in 3 of 5 trials, but reproductive performance matched the pen-fed practices. Forage yield and carrying capacity followed similar trends for magnitude, variability and were inversely related to feed cost. Low utilization and forage quality is related to cow weight loss, but low utilization may be more important. Lower savings could be associated with low yield and poor utilization caused by deep snow, muddy conditions, and forage freezing to soil. Planting date of all species was delayed to mature and swath late in Sep. to minimize impacts of weathering. Fertilizer-N requirements may be reduced in fields grazed repetitively, but soil nutrient accumulation could cause environmental problems and lodging.