Season-Long vs Intensive-Early Stocking with Growing Cattle Grazing Bermudagrass Pasture11Approved for publication by the director, Arkansas Agric. Exp. Stn., manuscript no. 00097.22This project was conducted with funding from the Univ. of Arkansas Agric. Exp. Stn., Hatch Project No. ARK1735. This project was also partially supported by product donations from Ivy Laboratories, Inc. (Overland Park, KS).

Abstract

Abstract Our objective was to compare the performance of weaned steer calves managed with intensive-early stocking (IES; 12.4 steers per ha for 70 d) or season-long stocking (SLS; 6.2 steers per ha for 140 d) with and without supplementation (2 x 2 factorial). Beginning on May 15, 90 steers (BW = 217 ± 0.8 kg) were randomly assigned to one of 12 common bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon [L.] Pers.) pastures (0.81 ha each) fertilized with 168 kg of nitrogen/ ha. One of the following four treatments was randomly applied to three pastures: i) SLS plus no supplement, ii) SLS plus 0.45 kg/steer of ground corn daily, iii) IES plus no supplement, and iv) IES plus 0.45 kg/steer of ground corn daily. Steers on IES were lighter (P=0.01) than SLS steers on d 70. By d 140, SLS steers supplemented with corn were 33 kg heavier (P=0.02) than nonsupplemented steers. When using SLS, corn increased the BW gain 0.5 kg/kg of corn fed; however, when IES was used, there was no benefit from corn supplementation. Total BW gain/ha did not differ (P>0.17) among treatments, but SLS with corn supplementation could have the potential to produce more BW gain/ ha compared to the other treatments. Grazing systems did not affect feedlot ADG (P>0.53), but IES (175 d on feed) steers did have a higher (P