Description
South Central Kentucky pastures serve as a host for a plethora of forbs found throughout the Upper South and Midwest United States. In this region, forbs can be numerous within pastures that are under- managed. Many producers view forbs as unwanted or weedy species and may not fully understand the value that some of these forbs provide to beef cattle. With little scientific information found on the subject for the specific geographic area, the purpose of this study was to determine what types of forbs will provide adequate nutrition for lactating beef cows. Three pastures from separate farms were used for this study. Botanical composition was assessed monthly starting in March and continuing through October 2022. Vegetative material from the five most numerous forbs was collected along with tall fescue, a predominate perennial forage, and submitted to a forage lab for quality testing using wet chemistry. Crude protein (CP), total digestible nutrients (TDN), sodium (Na), and copper (Cu) were reported for this presentation. The forbs were classified as palatable and non-palatable and compared to tall fescue. The results showed indicate the palatable forbs and tall fescue generally supported the nutritional requirement of a lactating beef cow. Overall, palatable forbs showed a higher TDN, CP, and Cu levels in comparison to tall fescue and the non-palatable forbs. In summary, it was found palatable forbs retained higher nutritive value than tall fescue and non-palatable forbs and met the nutritional requirements for a lactating beef cow apart from Na.
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Nutritive Value of South-Central Kentucky Forbs
South Central Kentucky pastures serve as a host for a plethora of forbs found throughout the Upper South and Midwest United States. In this region, forbs can be numerous within pastures that are under- managed. Many producers view forbs as unwanted or weedy species and may not fully understand the value that some of these forbs provide to beef cattle. With little scientific information found on the subject for the specific geographic area, the purpose of this study was to determine what types of forbs will provide adequate nutrition for lactating beef cows. Three pastures from separate farms were used for this study. Botanical composition was assessed monthly starting in March and continuing through October 2022. Vegetative material from the five most numerous forbs was collected along with tall fescue, a predominate perennial forage, and submitted to a forage lab for quality testing using wet chemistry. Crude protein (CP), total digestible nutrients (TDN), sodium (Na), and copper (Cu) were reported for this presentation. The forbs were classified as palatable and non-palatable and compared to tall fescue. The results showed indicate the palatable forbs and tall fescue generally supported the nutritional requirement of a lactating beef cow. Overall, palatable forbs showed a higher TDN, CP, and Cu levels in comparison to tall fescue and the non-palatable forbs. In summary, it was found palatable forbs retained higher nutritive value than tall fescue and non-palatable forbs and met the nutritional requirements for a lactating beef cow apart from Na.
