Beef Science Commons^™

Nitrogen-Use Efficiency Of Irrigated Rhodes Grass In Northern Wa, Carla Milazzo, Christopher Ham, Geoff Moore

Grain and other field crops research reports

Cultivation of irrigated fodder and forage crops to intensify northern beef production in the west Kimberley and Pilbara has seen significant private investment over the past decade. To support this growing investment, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) carried out replicated, randomised trials on irrigated Rhodes grass near Broome.

High nitrogen (N) inputs are required for subtropical grasses to achieve annual growth rates of up to 40 t DM/ha and there is growing scrutiny of these systems to prevent nutrient losses to groundwater and downstream ecosystems. The research aimed to establish N (urea) response curves to five …

To Hold Or Sell Breeding Cattle In The Rangelands, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock factsheets

In a dry season where feed, water and finances are limited, removing less productive animals as soon as possible is a good option. This will free up feed for more productive animals and help preserve ground cover.

This page provides some of the information and a process for making decisions about holding or selling breeding cattle.

Patch Mow Grazing: Investigating The Effects Of Mowing On Forage Nutritive Value, The Biomass–Nutritive Value Relationship, And Herbivore Selection, Trace R. Stauble

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Herbivore foraging behavior plays a critical role in shaping grassland structural heterogeneity, with selection often driven by forage biomass and nutritive value. Currently, it is thought that herbivores primarily select areas that are greater in nutritive value, and low in biomass. More specifically, disturbances like fire and grazing have been thoroughly studied showing that recently burned and grazed areas are not only higher in nutritive value but disproportionately selected by herbivores in comparison to undisturbed areas. However, most studies address only narrow ranges of defoliation, comparing intensely defoliated sites (< 10 cm) to those that are either not defoliated or have experienced a much longer time since defoliation, thereby decreasing grazing pressure as biomass increases. However, one of the most widely used methods of defoliation in grasslands, mowing, hasn’t been thoroughly studied for its effects on nutritive value, and how it impacts herbivore selection. Our study aimed to (1) evaluate how mowing treatments—i.e., short (5 cm), medium (18 cm), and tall (>30 cm, unmown)—affect nutritive value and herbivore selection, (2) assess …

An Integrated Modeling Framework To Evaluate Circularity Of The Corn–Water–Ethanol–Beef Nexus, Heydi Han

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation examines the transition from conventional linear agricultural and food bioenergy systems toward more circular, resilient, and resource-efficient configurations. Prior research indicates that spatial and temporal variability in soil, weather, animal biological responses, and management decisions strongly influences productivity, nutrient-use efficiency, and profitability. Studies have also shown that a diversified circular system can buffer these sources of variability, improving stability and adaptive capacity. Building on these insights, the central focus of this work is to develop an integrated modeling framework to evaluate circularity within the Corn-Water-Ethanol-Beef (CWEB) nexus and explore how climate variability and management choices shape system-wide performance. …

Economic Analysis Of Stockers Grazing Botanically Diverse Summer Annual Pasture, Kelly M. Mercier, Christopher D. Teutsch, S. Ray Smith, Kenneth H. Burdine, Eric S. Vanzant, Edwin L. Ritchey

Journal of Extension

Economic analyses were performed to determine the feasibility of retaining weaned fall-born calves on summer annual pastures (a monoculture, a 3-species mixture, or a 12-species mixture). Average daily gain was reduced by 0.3 lbs/day in calves grazing the complex mixture in two out of three years. Enterprise budgeting illustrated that retaining calves on summer annual forages was not economical. Two-way net return tables indicated that this scenario would only be profitable when cattle prices are high and pasture establishment costs are low. Extension educators should be sure to emphasize the economic risks when discussing these systems.

Microbial And Plant Biodiversity In Appalachian Agroecosystems And Their Implications For Soil Health, Kinsey Reed Close

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The sustainability of agricultural landscapes depends on understanding the complex interactions between plants, soil, and microbes. In Appalachia, a region shaped by complex terrain and long histories of human and ecological interaction, small family farms produce hay, livestock, and row crops. These agroecosystems, though often treated as “artificial” by many ecologists, have the potential to support both food production and biodiversity conservation if managed with an understanding of ecological complexity. This dissertation examines how plant and microbial diversity interact with soil and management to influence nutrient cycling, soil health, and long-term resilience in Appalachian agricultural systems. A literature review revealed …

Longitudinal And Ensemble Modeling Of Beef Cattle Feed And Water Intakes, Nathan El Blake

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Beef cattle production remains a cornerstone of global food systems, providing highly bioavailable protein and essential micronutrients that are difficult to secure from plant-based foods alone. Yet this production is also resource-intensive, requiring substantial land, feed, and water inputs while contributing significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. Efficiency of dry matter intake (DMI) and water intake (WI) is central to both productivity and sustainability, but accurate measurement of these traits—particularly in grazing systems—remains a major limitation. National WI standards continue to rely on pen-level data collected in the 1950s, while most existing DMI prediction equations perform poorly when applied beyond the …

Cattle Performance Grazing Canola And Cereal Crops, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock factsheets

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development conducted research to investigate and demonstrate the performance of cattle grazing canola and cereal compared to animals left on pasture and investigate the value of spelling the pasture during the time the cattle are grazing crops.

Cattle grazing cereal crops had a higher liveweight gain compared to the cattle that remained on the pasture. However to see a significant benefit from grazing dual purpose crops, the grazing period may need to be longer than 4 weeks particularly when grazing canola.

The highest growth rates for cattle grazing the cereal crops were achieved …

Evaluation Of Dual Purpose Canola And Cereals Grazed With Cattle, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock factsheets

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development conducted research to investigate and demonstrate the importance of dual-purpose crops (canola, wheat and barley) to improve the feed availability for cattle (in late autumn to early winter) in mixed farming systems of the high rainfall environment of Western Australia (WA).

The grain yield of a wide range of canola and cereal varieties sown in mid-April were unaffected by the grazing of cattle at a stocking rate of 20 to 22 dry sheep equivalent (DSE) per hectare (ha) for up to 4 weeks at Esperance in 2011.

The grazed crops yielded the …

Roly Poly And Its Management, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Roly poly, also known as prickly saltwort or tumbleweed (Salsola australis), is a native species found throughout Australia. The dead plants can break off at ground level, forming the ‘tumbleweeds’ seen in movies.

Like most summer weeds, roly poly uses soil moisture and nutrients that would otherwise be available to the following crop. The time taken to clear uncontrolled plants can delay seeding.

Livestock will graze the young plants; however, they will not eat the mature plants and are injured by the prickly leaves.

Capeweed And Its Management, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Capeweed (Arctotheca calendula) is a prostrate, stemless, sprawling annual herb that germinates during autumn and winter. In Western Australia (WA), competition from 7 to 90 capeweed plants per square metre in a wheat crop can reduce crop yield by 28 to 44% and net return by 25 to 76%.

Adding Value To Crop Production Systems By Integrating Forage Cover Crop Grazing, Robert B. Mitchell, Daren D. Redfearn, Kenneth P. Vogel, Terry J. Klopfenstein, Galen Erickson, P. Steven Baenziger, Bruce E. Anderson, Mary E. Drewnoski, Jay Parsons, Steven D. Masterson, Marty R. Schmer, Virginia L. Jin

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

In addition to their value as cereal grains, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and triticale (× Triticosecale Wittmack) are important cool-season annual forages and cover crops. Yearling steer (Bos taurus) performance was compared in the spring following autumn establishment as for age cover crops after soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] grain harvest. Replicated pastures (0.4 ha) were no-till seeded in three consecutive years into soybean stubble in autumn, fertilized, and grazed the following spring near Ithaca, Nebraska, USA. Each pasture (n = 3) was continuously stocked in spring with four yearling steers (380 ± 38 kg) for …

Addressing Soil Carbon Sequestration Response From Multispecies Dairy Forage Systems And Modeling Rangeland Beef Cow Dry Matter Intake Using Precision Enteric Emissions Measurements, Lillian J. Mcfadden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Regenerative agriculture is a pressing matter for the dairy industry to address cropland sustainability and carbon sequestration. One regenerative management practice that has been identified to help with row crop sustainability for key metrics like soil organic carbon (SOC) is complex covers. When producers use complex covers one of the main challenges is that it takes time to detect a change in SOC. However, simulation models are a tool that can be used to help determine if a regenerative practice is a strategy that gives the best results (i.e., increased SOC) while aligning with long-term production goals. Therefore, our objectives …

Is There An Economic Advantage To Planting Diverse Summer Annual Forage Mixtures?, Kelly Mercier, Chris Teutsch, Ray Smith, Kenny Burdine, Edwin Ritchey, Eric Vanzant

Journal of Extension

This study examined economic implications of planting summer annual mixtures of grasses, legumes, and forbs at varying nitrogen rates. No differences in yield occurred between the three mixtures, indicating that mixtures with lowest seed cost will be most economical. Applying N resulted in yield increases of 12.26 lb DM per lb N applied. Although yield responses to N were positive, sensitivity analyses showed that applying N resulted in positive net returns only when hay prices were high and N prices were low. When utilization rates are accounted for, enterprise budgets determined grazing to be 18% cheaper to implement than haying.

Primary Industries Development Research Highlights 2021, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Tim Scanlon

Books & book chapters

The Primary Industries Development Research Highlights 2021 showcases the breadth and depth of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s research and development activities over the past several years.

Stories featured in Research Highlights 2021 stem from about 60 (of 140) current and recently-completed projects undertaken by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s (DPIRD) 1100 scientists, technical experts and economists throughout the State.

Explore our Research Highlights 2021.

The publication demonstrates the innovative and applicable research that DPIRD and its collaborators and investment partners deliver to Western Australia.

Download the Research Highlights 2021 here. Alternatively, …

Industry Funding Scheme Regulations: A Review Of Operation And Effectiveness, May 2021, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

Section 147 of the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 requires the Minister for Agriculture and Food to carry out a review of the operation and effectiveness of any regulations made for the purposes of establishing an Industry Funding Scheme (IFS) every five years.

In 2010, regulations establishing three IFSs commenced to address pest and disease threats relevant to Western Australia’s broadacre and pastoral cropping and livestock sectors. This report documents the second fifth-year anniversary statutory review of the following regulations:

• Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Industry Funding Scheme (Cattle) Regulations 2010

• Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Industry Funding Scheme …

Mosaic Agriculture: A Guide To Irrigated Crop And Forage Production In Northern Wa, Geoff A. Moore Mr, Clinton K. Revell Dr, Christopher Schelfhout Dr, Christopher Ham Mr, Samuel Crouch Mr, Meredith M. Guthrie

Bulletins 4000 -

The Bulletin is a comprehensive guide for pastoralists, agronomists, agribusiness and the broader community on the growing of irrigated crops and pastures within a rangeland pastoral setting.

Dispersed irrigation developments on stations throughout the northern rangelands (sometimes referred to as mosaic agriculture) has created opportunities for the introduction of more productive forage species and pastoralists can now grow high quality forage for 12 months of the year. This can help to overcome the key constraint of traditional pastoral systems, the low quality of the feed over the dry season that typically results in stock losing condition.

Incorporation Of Summer Annual Mixtures Into Grazing Systems In Kentucky, Kelly Marie Mercier

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Utilizing summer annual grass-legume forage mixtures has the potential to improve forage yield and nutritive characteristics, and/or animal performance during times when cool-season pasture growth is limited by high temperatures. Legumes can utilize atmospheric nitrogen, which can increase crude protein and forage digestibility in mixtures. As nitrogen application generally improves both the yield and nutritive characteristics of summer annual forages, but can have a negative effect on legume competitiveness, nitrogen fertilizer recommendations for legume-containing summer annual mixtures are not well established.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the feasibility of utilizing summer annual mixtures in Kentucky, USA. The first experiment …

Use Of Uav Imagery And Nutrient Analyses For Estimation Of The Spatial And Temporal Contributions Of Cattle Dung To Nutrient Cycling In Grazed Ecosystems, Amanda E. Shine

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Nutrient inputs from cattle dung are crucial drivers of nutrient cycling processes in grazed ecosystems. These inputs are important both spatially and temporally and are affected by variables such as grazing strategy, water location, and the nutritional profile of forage being grazed. Past research has attempted to map dung deposition patterns in order to more accurately estimate nutrient input, but the large spatial extent of a typical pasture and the tedious nature of identifying and mapping individual dung pats has prohibited the development of a time- and cost-effective methodology. The first objective of this research was to develop and validate …

Economic Contribution Of The Agricultural Sector To The Arkansas Economy In 2017, Leah English, Jennie Popp, Wayne Miller

AAES Research Reports and Research Bulletins

Agriculture and associated agricultural activities are major contributors to the Arkansas economy. Agriculture is defined as the sum of agricultural production and processing activities, unless otherwise specified, and includes crop and animal production and processing, agricultural support industries, forestry and forest products, and textile goods. Agriculture contributes to the economy through direct agricultural production and value-added processing, and also leads to economic activity in other parts of the economy. This report is the eleventh in a series of reports examining agriculture’s economic contribution to the Arkansas economy. The total economic contribution of agriculture (direct, indirect, and induced effects) on value …

Nebraska Grazing Conference Proceedings, 2019, Center For Grassland Studies, University Of Nebraska-Lincoln

Nebraska Grazing Conference Proceedings

Rangeland Health Session

Managing Sand Deposits after the Flood by Daren Redfearn

Rangeland Health: What Is It and Why Do I Care?” by Patrick Shaver

Managing a Sandhills Ranch with an Eye to Soil Health by Dana Larsen

Grazinglands Management Session

Soil Health: Expectations and Evidence by Virginia Jin

Mob Grazing on Nebraska Sandhills Meadow by Walt Schacht

Effect of Length of Grazing Period on Upland Sandhills Range by Jerry Volesky

Carbon Input and Loss in Semi-arid Sandy Rangeland by Martha Mamo

Graze 365 by Jacob Miller

Soil Health and Grazing Strategies: Opportunities for Increasing Soil Water by Andrea Basche …

Radical Social Ecology As Deep Pragmatism: A Call To The Abolition Of Systemic Dissonance And The Minimization Of Entropic Chaos, Arielle Brender

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper aims to shed light on the dissonance caused by the superimposition of Dominant Human Systems on Natural Systems. I highlight the synthetic nature of Dominant Human Systems as egoic and linguistic phenomenon manufactured by a mere portion of the human population, which renders them inherently oppressive unto peoples and landscapes whose wisdom were barred from the design process. In pursuing a radical pragmatic approach to mending the simultaneous oppression and destruction of the human being and the earth, I highlight the necessity of minimizing entropic chaos caused by excess energy expenditure, an essential feature of systems that aim …

Alternative Feeding Strategies For Growing Cattle Grazing Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue During The Summer, Kerri A. Johnson

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Two experiments were conducted to determine animal performance of alternative feeding strategies to heifers grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue during summer months. In Experiment 1, 40 Limousin heifers (261± 40kg initial BW) were stratified by weight and assigned to either a spring harvested tall fescue silage diet or grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue pasture with grain supplement having either natural or artificial shade for 80 days. In Experiment 2, 40 Limousin heifers (277 ± 44kg initial BW) were stratified by weight and assigned to either a traditional grain supplement or feather-meal supplement (rumen bypass arginine supplement) with natural or artificial shade while …

The Use Of Grape By-Products As A Nutrient Rich Cattle Feed, Zachary Christman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In this article you will learn about how to use the grape stems, skins and pulp that are generated by the wine industry. Ruminant animals such as cattle can digest this inexpensive yet nutrient rich material. The complete process from wine press to cattle feed is covered in this article. The historical background of using grape by-products and methods to preserve this food source is also presented.

Nebraska Grazing Conference Proceedings, 2018, Center For Grassland Studies, University Of Nebraska-Lincoln

Nebraska Grazing Conference Proceedings

Pasture Monitoring Sesion

Overview of Choquette Ranch by Jim Choquette

Field Applications of Pasture and Ecological Monitoring by Christine Su

Keeping Human Knowledge at the Center of Technology by Christine Su

Field Monitoring Exercise with Christine Su, Jim O’Rourke, Bethany Johnston, Brad Schick, Brent Plugge, Ben Beckman, and Jace Stott

Prescribed Fire, Bird Monitoring, and Butterfly Date by Andrew Pierson

Strategies for Rangeland Monitoring by Jim O’Rourke

Pasture Monitoring: Field Experience by Jeff Nichols, Beau Mathewson, and Mitch Stephenson

Ranch Succession Planning Session

Keeping Your Ranching Operation in the Family for Future Generations by Ron Hanson

Sharing Our Ranch Succession …

Nebraska Grazing Conference Proceedings, 2017, Center For Grassland Studies, University Of Nebraska-Lincoln

Nebraska Grazing Conference Proceedings

Fences and Water Points: Where They Should Go by Jim Gerrish

Beef Systems Initiative by Archie Clutter

Grass-based Health and the Ruminant Revolution by Peter Ballerstedt

The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Weedy Plants by Chris Helzer

2016 Leopold Conservation Award Winner by Nancy Peterson

Managing Grassland Vegetation to Benefit Livestock and Wildlife by Patricia Johnson

What is Plant Cover, and How Can We Manage it for Wildlife Needs? by Dwayne Elmore

Producer Panel: Annual Forages vs Row Crops Under Irrigation moderated by John Maddux

Producer Panel: Economics of Grazing Strategies moderated by Jim Jankins

It Costs How Much!? by …

Carbon Farming In Wa, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia, Department Of Regional Development And Lands, Western Australia

Natural resources published reports

Fact sheets:

1. Applying biochar to improve soil quality and crop productivity

2. Reducing methane emissions from cattle using feed additives

3. Cattle breeding for lower greenhouse gas emissions

4. Managing genetic codes to reduce methane emissions from cattle

5. Managing pastures and stocking rate to reduce methane emissions from cattle

6. Claying as a method of increasing soil carbon content

7. Green and brown manuring as part of carbon farming

8. Permanent environmental plantings to earn carbon credits

9. Nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soils

10. Sheep genetics in methane reduction

11. Managing sheep pastures to reduce methane production …

Crop Performance And Soil Properties Of Sites Previously Used For Production Of Beef Cattle Manure Compost, Daniel Ginting, Bahman Eghball, Daniel T. Walters, Charles A. Francis, Terry J. Klopfenstein, Casey Wilson, Galen E. Erickson

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

This study was established on sites that had three or seven years of compost production history. Corn, wheat, barley, sorghum and alfalfa were planted in 2001. In the first year, wheat, barley and sorghum performed better than corn in the windrow areas while alfalfa did not even establish because of excessive salt in the soil. Soil electrical conductivity, K and Na in the 0-6 inch depth under windrows were high and caused soil crusting and poor germination and crop yields. Growing salt tolerant crops, such as barley, can rehabilitate sites used for composting and the process can be accelerated by …

Land Management Report For The Kent River Catchment, Sue Kelly

Natural resources published reports

The Kent River Catchment is located in the South-West of Western Australia, approximately between latitudes 34° 15' and 35° 10' South and longitudes 116° 45" and 117° 50° East. The north-eastern boundary of the catchment stretches to the Albany Highway at Tenterden, and from there the catchment curves towards Rocky Gully before continuing to the South Coast (Figure 1.1.1). The catchment is located within the Shires of Cranbrook, Plantagenet and Denmark.

The Kent River Catchment is part of Basin 604, which is the Water Authority descriptor for the Kent, Bow and Kordabup River catchments collectively. Basin 604 has a total …

Miscellaneous Publication 42/93 - Development And Dissemination Of Design Methods For Rangeland Paddocks Which Maximise Animal Production And Minimise Land Degradation, Shane Cridland, Mark Stafford Smith

Animal production and livestock published reports

Surveys of rangeland resources in Western Australia to date have shown that 23% of the area surveyed is in poor range condition. Poor condition is characterised by the loss of perennial vegetation allowing wind and water erosion. Approximately another 37% is in only fair range condition (Curry and Hacker 1990).

The loss of range condition is partly due to uneven use of paddocks by sheep and cattle. The areas close to water and the preferred pasture types are often over-utilised, while areas well away from water and less preferred pasture types are under-utilised. The result is that rangeland in good, …