source: Farm and Food Report
It was a question for which there was no definite answer.
Should livestock producers grow annual cereals for feed and graze their cattle throughout the season, or should they just grow the cereals to the milk or soft dough stage, cut them and swath graze or bale them?
Now, Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food has the answer. “There is more dry matter yield per acre in waiting to the soft dough stage before cutting. For years, we didn’t know the answer. We assumed it amounted to more or less the same yield,” Rangeland and Forage Agrologist Lorne Klein says.
In the summer of 2003, simulated grazing forage yields were collected from the Cool Season and Warm Season Annuals Forage Trial plots at Redvers and Indian Head. Annual spring cereals, which are seeded in spring, are one of the forage options available to livestock producers.
“Generally, there are two methods of harvesting a spring seeded spring cereal,” explains Klein. “Either the crop can be grazed in the vegetative stage two to four times during the summer, or the crop can be allowed to develop to the milk/soft dough stage and cut once. After cutting, the windrow can be baled, chopped for silage, or left in the field for swath grazing.”
Producers have questioned whether the cumulative dry matter yield of multiple grazing is similar to the single cut dry matter yield at the milk/soft dough stage. Saskatchewan research comparing dry matter yields of the two harvest options was not available. Research from Alberta from 1981-1983 had shown that simulated grazing yields are significantly less than single cut yields.
Research conducted in Saskatchewan in 2003 showed that simulated grazing yield of the cool season crops (oats, barley) averaged 59 per cent of the single cut greenfeed yield. Further to that, the simulated grazing yield of the warm season crops (Golden German, Siberian Red, Strain R German, White Wonder) averaged 51 per cent of the single cut greenfeed yield.
Tests were conducted again in 2004. Results indicated that simulated grazing of cool season crops yielded 50 per cent of the single cut at the milk/soft dough stage, while simulated grazing of warm season crops yielded 45 per cent of the single cut.
“We found that there was considerably less dry matter yield in the simulated multiple grazing plots, whereas on the plots where we waited an extra 35 days before harvesting the cereals, the yield far outweighed that.”
Klein believes producers are going to think twice about seeding annuals to graze their cattle in the future.
Given the magnitude of the differences, producers wishing to graze annuals should consider allowing the crop to reach the greenfeed stage, and then windrow and swath graze.
Of course, harvesting costs and feed quality of simulated grazing and greenfeed need to be factored against the expected yield differences.
For more information, contact the Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1-866-457-2377.
For more information, contact:
Lorne Klein
Rangeland and Forage Agrologist
(306) 848-2382
It was a question for which there was no definite answer.
Should livestock producers grow annual cereals for feed and graze their cattle throughout the season, or should they just grow the cereals to the milk or soft dough stage, cut them and swath graze or bale them?
Now, Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food has the answer. “There is more dry matter yield per acre in waiting to the soft dough stage before cutting. For years, we didn’t know the answer. We assumed it amounted to more or less the same yield,” Rangeland and Forage Agrologist Lorne Klein says.
In the summer of 2003, simulated grazing forage yields were collected from the Cool Season and Warm Season Annuals Forage Trial plots at Redvers and Indian Head. Annual spring cereals, which are seeded in spring, are one of the forage options available to livestock producers.
“Generally, there are two methods of harvesting a spring seeded spring cereal,” explains Klein. “Either the crop can be grazed in the vegetative stage two to four times during the summer, or the crop can be allowed to develop to the milk/soft dough stage and cut once. After cutting, the windrow can be baled, chopped for silage, or left in the field for swath grazing.”
Producers have questioned whether the cumulative dry matter yield of multiple grazing is similar to the single cut dry matter yield at the milk/soft dough stage. Saskatchewan research comparing dry matter yields of the two harvest options was not available. Research from Alberta from 1981-1983 had shown that simulated grazing yields are significantly less than single cut yields.
Research conducted in Saskatchewan in 2003 showed that simulated grazing yield of the cool season crops (oats, barley) averaged 59 per cent of the single cut greenfeed yield. Further to that, the simulated grazing yield of the warm season crops (Golden German, Siberian Red, Strain R German, White Wonder) averaged 51 per cent of the single cut greenfeed yield.
Tests were conducted again in 2004. Results indicated that simulated grazing of cool season crops yielded 50 per cent of the single cut at the milk/soft dough stage, while simulated grazing of warm season crops yielded 45 per cent of the single cut.
“We found that there was considerably less dry matter yield in the simulated multiple grazing plots, whereas on the plots where we waited an extra 35 days before harvesting the cereals, the yield far outweighed that.”
Klein believes producers are going to think twice about seeding annuals to graze their cattle in the future.
Given the magnitude of the differences, producers wishing to graze annuals should consider allowing the crop to reach the greenfeed stage, and then windrow and swath graze.
Of course, harvesting costs and feed quality of simulated grazing and greenfeed need to be factored against the expected yield differences.
For more information, contact the Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1-866-457-2377.
For more information, contact:
Lorne Klein
Rangeland and Forage Agrologist
(306) 848-2382
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