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Changes In Corn Residue Quality Throughout The Grazing Period And Effect Of Supplementation Of Calves Grazing Corn Residue, Amanda J. Burken

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Corn residue is an abundant feed source in Nebraska that can be utilized as an alternative winter feed. Calves were backgrounded on corn residue in order to determine gain and estimate forage intake when supplemented with distillers grains (DGS). Calves grazing the non-irrigated field gained more (1.03 kg/calf daily) when compared to those grazing the irrigated field (0.90 kg/calf daily; P < 0.01). In year 1, a quadratic effect for intake of DGS was present (P < 0.01) while year 2 observed a linear effect for increasing level of DGS (P < 0.01). The nutritional quality of corn residue was evaluated over time in order to determine changes in blade/sheath, cob, husk/shank and stem. Minimal changes in DM of the forage components occurred was grain reached 15.5% moisture. Digestibility of the blade/sheath declined linearly over time (P < 0.01) while the husk remained constant (P = 0.40). Cob digestibility decreased quadratically (P < 0.01) throughout the sampling period with few changes once grain reached 15.5% moisture. Differences observed in the digestibility of the blade/sheath were attributed to the effects of weathering. A third set of trials was conducted to evaluate the effects of by-product supplementation of calves grazing irrigated corn residue and supplemented with DGS or continuous access to lick tubs. The DGS treatment gained more (0.62 kg/calf daily) than the lick tub treatment (0.38 kg/calf daily; P < 0.01). Calves offered DGS consumed more supplement as a percentage of BW (0.52%) when compared with calves offered lick tubs (0.36%; P < 0.01) on a DM basis. Calves supplemented with DGS had a higher supplement efficiency (46.3% to 42.9%, DM basis) although no differences were present between treatments (P = 0.49). When analyzed on an OM basis, however, calves offered lick tubs had a numerically higher supplement efficiency (50.4%) in comparison to calves …

Performance Of Beef Cattle Grazing Native Warm-Season Grasses In An Integrated Forage/Biofuels System In The Mid-South, William Matthew Backus

Masters Theses

Early season (ES) and full season (FS) grazing strategies were used to evaluate performance of stocker steers grazing native warm-season grasses (NWSG) in 2010, 2011 and 2012 in two experiments. Experiment one was conducted at the Research and Education Center (REC) at Ames Plantation near Grand Junction and experiment two was conducted at Highland Rim REC near Springfield in which Angus and Angus cross steers (268±25kg) were used in completely randomized design with three forage treatments: 1) switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.); 2) a combination of big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman) and indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans); and 3) …

Effects Of Stocking Rate On Forage Nutrient Composition Of Nebraska Sandhills Upland Range When Grazed In Early Summer And The Effects Of Grazing On Nebraska Sandhills Meadow Forage Nutrient Compostion, Jared V. Judy

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The objectives of this research were to 1) evaluate the effects of stocking rate on forage nutrient quality 2) quantify the relative proportions of current vs. previous year growth being consumed in early summer upland range pastures and 3) determine how grazing effects forage nutrient quality in subirrigated meadows in the Nebraska Sandhills. Experiment 1 was a two year study conducted on the experimental upland range paddocks at Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory. Twelve 2-hectare paddocks were assigned one of three treatments stocked at 0 (control), 0.57 (light), and 0.85 (heavy) AUM/ha. Ten 0.25 m² quadrats were clipped per paddock during …

Grazing And No-Till Cropping Impacts On Nitrogen Retention In Dryland Agroecosystems, Megan L. Mobley, Rebecca L. Mcculley, Ingrid C. Burke, Gary Peterson, David S. Schimel, C. Vernon Cole, Edward T. Elliott, Dwayne G. Westfall

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

As the world's population increases, marginal lands such as drylands are likely to become more important for food production. One proven strategy for improving crop production in drylands involves shifting from conventional tillage to no-till to increase water use efficiency, especially when this shift is coupled with more intensive crop rotations. Practices such as no-till that reduce soil disturbance and increase crop residues may promote C and N storage in soil organic matter, thus promoting N retention and reducing N losses. By sampling soils 15 yr after a N tracer addition, this study compared long-term soil N retention across several …

Response Of Grassland Songbirds To Grazing System Type And Range Condition, Stephen K. Davis, Brenda C. Dale, Tom Harrison, David C. Duncan

The Prairie Naturalist

Much of the remaining prairie in Canada is grazed by cattle and most grassland birds of conservation concern occupy such habitat. Identifying vegetation features related to grassland bird habitat selection that can be easily understood and measured by professional range managers and livestock producers on private lands is an important step towards conserving and restoring remaining grasslands. We conducted grassland bird surveys on 28 native mixed-grass prairie pastures in southern Saskatchewan to determine whether grazing system type (season-long vs. rotational) influenced avian abundance. Grazing system had no influence on abundance of grassland passerines. Conservation agencies that promote particular grazing systems …

Assessing Rodent Species Counts And Diversity In The Not-Grazed Montana De Oro State Park And The Rotationally Grazed Pecho Ranch, Nancy Marie Lemos

Master's Theses

The available data examining the influence of rotational grazing on rodent responses are limited. This study investigated how rotational livestock grazing practices influence small mammal rodent abundances and species diversity. We looked for evidence of variation in the occurrence and/or numbers of certain rodent species among three plant community types (grassland, shrubland, grass-shrub mix), managed with or without grazing. We used Sherman live traps over a total of eight trapping sessions. We totaled 486 trapnights for each of the six plant community and grazing management combinations. The three plant community types were identified by visual cover.

Out of the eight …

Determining Forage Intake Of Nursing Calves Grazing Native Sandhills Rangeland, Jennifer A. Walker

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Effective management of grazing lands is important for longevity and productivity. Accurate calculations of stocking rates per animal unit will aid in long term sustainability. Calculating stocking rates for cattle can prove challenging for cows and nursing calves. Limited research has been conducted to determine forage intake of the nursing calf pre-weaning. The objective of Trial 1 was to determine nursing calf forage intake over time until weaning. Trial 1 used 8 crossbred cow-calf pairs in experiment 1 and 12 pairs in experiment 2. Pairs were separated into two groups rotating between grazing upland range or housed in individual pens …

Restoring The Longleaf Pine (Pinus Palustris) Forests Using Pineywoods Cattle Grazing In Conjunction With Prescribed Burning, L. Tyler Albin

Honors Theses

The longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) is major forest constituent of the Southern Coastal Plains of the United States. Ecologically, a virgin longleaf pine forests supports increased species richness. Since the 1800s, longleaf pine forests have been exploited as a massive source of commercial products (e.g., lumber, pulp, and naval stores). A decrease in species richness has been recorded following this vast decrease in longleaf pine presence. Rebuilding the longleaf pine ecosystem is essential for restoring species richness and maintaining the ecological health of many Costal Plains habitats. Presently, the most popular restoration and management method utilized is prescribed burning. Prescribed …

Timing And Intensity Of Steer Use On Old World Bluestem (Bothriochloa Ischaemum) And Blue Grama (Bouteloua Gracilis) In Southern Mixed-Grass Prairie, Jessica Casey

Master's Theses

Yellow bluestem (Bothriochloa ischaemum), an invasive species, was introduced as a forage species and as a roadside grass for erosion control. Yellow bluestem can negatively interact with native grasslands and reduce biodiversity. Livestock tend to avoid yellow bluestem after accumulation of standing lignified tissue, particularly at the end of the growing season. Mowing has been used in pasture situations to remove excess grass for hay and over coarse grass left from the previous season. It is essential to understand the role livestock play as either a catalyst for control or preventing further invasion of yellow bluestem. Quantification of the timing …

Grazing And Virus-Induced Mortality Of Microbial Populations Before And During The Onset Of Annual Hypoxia In Lake Erie, Christopher J. Gobler, Timothy W. Davis, Sarah N. Deonarine, Matthew A. Saxton, Peter J. Lavrentyev, Frank J. Jochem

Peter J. Lavrentyev

Lake Erie is the most productive of the North American Great Lakes and experiences annual periods of hypolimnetic hypoxia with unknown consequences for the microbial food web. We established the abundances and mortality rates of microbes in Lake Erie during thermal stratification and determined how they varied with changes in bottom-water dissolved oxygen concentrations. The microbial plankton community (heterotrophic bacteria, Cyanobacteria, eukaryotic phytoplankton, nanozooplankton, microzooplankton) was quantified in surface and bottom waters along with measurements of herbivory and bacterivory rates on eukaryotic and prokaryotic picoplankton and rates of viral lysis of bacteria. High rates of grazing mortality of prokaryotic picoplankton …

Forage News [2014-03], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Meetings, Friends and March 1
• Southern Forage Authors Make Surprise Visit at 34th Kentucky Alfalfa Conference
• 34th Kentucky Alfalfa Conference
• Kentucky Alfalfa Awards
• Hay "Evaluation" Contest
• Register NOW for the Kentucky Spring Grazing School
• Hay Awards
• New Program Available: Grazing for Cash
• Midwest Cover Crop Council - Cover Crop Decision Tool
• Is an Acreage Comeback Looming for Alfalfa?

The Ecological Effects Of Cattle Grazing On Reptiles And Small Mammals In A San Joaquin Valley Grassland, Michael William Tom

Master's Theses

Livestock grazing is a common and extensive land use practice in the United States occurring in a wide range of habitat types. As such, livestock grazing has the potential to alter ecosystem structure, function and community composition. The primary component (Chapter 1) of this thesis examined the effects of cattle grazing in a San Joaquin Valley grassland on two target taxa: reptiles and small mammals. The study took place on the Chimineas Unit of the Carrizo Ecological Reserve, San Luis Obispo County, California during Fall 2009 and Spring 2010. These taxa were sampled on matched pairs of two grazed and …

Competition For Food Between The Markhor And Domestic Goat In Chitral, Pakistan, Nasra Ashraf, Maqsood Anwar, Iftikhar Hussain, Muhammad Ali Nawaz

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The markhor (Capra falconeri) is endangered globally as well as in Pakistan. The Chitral district in Pakistan supports one of the largest populations of this species. The rural communities of the district have large holdings of livestock, which make up a significant part of their livelihood system. The domestic goat is the dominant livestock species, and a potential competitor with the markhor due to habitat overlap. The present study was conducted to examine the extent of food competition between the markhor and domestic goat in Chitral. A total of 120 pellets of the 2 species were collected during the spring …

Sarpa Salpa Herbivory On Shallow Reaches Of Posidonia Oceanica Beds, Latina Steele, Kelly M. Darnell, Just Cebrián, Jose Luis Sanchez-Lizaso

Biology Faculty Publications

Sarpa salpa herbivory on shallow reaches of Posidonia oceanica beds.— Here, we examined the temporal and small–scale spatial variability of grazing by the herbivorous fish Sarpa salpa on shallow beds of the temperate seagrass Posidonia oceanica. Herbivory intensity expressed as the percent of leaf area taken by fish bites was higher in September 2006 than in February 2007, and at 0.5 m than at 1.5 m during both sampling times. All S. salpa feeding at the shallow locations studied were juveniles, with bite sizes ranging from 0.03 to 0.62 cm2. Juveniles feeding at 1.5 m were larger in February 2007 …

Forage News [2014-01], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Grazing, Health & Animal Rights
• Forage Workers Heading for Memphis
• Forage Variety Reports Now Available
• Heart of America Grazing Conference will help Producers Improve Forages
• Dugger Brings Cotton Council Experience to National Hay Association
• Bermudagrass Stem Maggot found in Allen County
• Farmland Value Reaches Historic $8,716 Statewide Average
• Farmer-to-Farmer Mentoring - Delivering Real Change in Practice on UK Livestock Farms
• Novel Approaches to Developing On-farm Biomass Production Systems

Drought-Induced Woody Plant Mortality In An Encroached Semi-Arid Savanna Depends On Topoedaphic Factors And Land Management, Dirac L. Twidwell Jr, Carissa L. Wonkka, Charles A. Taylor, Chris B. Zou, Jeremiah J. Twidwell, William E. Rogers

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Questions: How do recent patterns of drought-induced woody plant mortality in Texas semi-arid savanna compare to the extended drought of the 1950s? Does the relative composition of the woody plant community shift ubiquitously across the landscape following woody plant mortality and dieback or are shifts dependent on differences among species, soils, land use and plant demography?

Location: Texas Agrilife Research Station, Sonora, Texas, USA (30.1° N 100.3° W).

Methods: Following an exceptional drought from 1951 to 1957, a study was conducted to quantify rates of mortality for various woody plant species. In 2011, we repeated this study within three long-term …