Can moderate-quality bermudagrass baleage be used to stretch wheat pasture?*

Objectives

Our objective was to determine the effects of feeding free-choice bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) round-bale silage to growing calves stocked at increasing rates and grazing wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) pasture in north-central Arkansas.

Materials and Methods

In the fall and winter, steers were stocked at 2.47 steers/ha without bermudagrass bale- age (HCON) or were stocked at 1× (H1.0), 1.5× (H1.5), or 2× (H2.0) the HCON stocking rate with ad libitum access to bermudagrass round-bale wrapped silage. Each pasture was stocked at 5.6 steers/ha (8 steers per pasture) in the spring, with continued ad libitum silage offered to pastures in the H1.0, H1.5, and H2.0 fall treatments.

Results and Discussion

When steers in H1.0 were offered ad libitum bermudagrass haylage with no change in stocking rate, ADG were increased by 12% over HCON to 1.43 kg/d. As stocking rate increased in the fall and winter from H1.0 to H1.5 and H2.0 treatments, ADG decreased. The ADG of H1.5 (1.25 kg/d) did not differ from HCON (1.27 kg/d), and ADG of H2.0 (1.12 kg/d) was reduced by 12% compared with HCON. There was no effect of of- fering supplemental round-bale haylage on ADG of steers grazing graze-out wheat pastures. Steer grazing days per hectare increased when round-bale haylage was offered, even though stocking rates were not increased during this part of the experiment. Total system net returns did not differ between HCON and H1.0. However, total system net return ($876/ha) was greater for H2.0 compared with H1.0 ($571/ha), whereas H1.5 ($693/ha) was intermediate, dif- fering from neither H1.0 nor H2.0.

Implications and Applications

Feeding moderate- quality roughage during the fall can increase production stability and thus improve economic stability of the wheat stocker enterprise. There does not appear to be an eco- nomic advantage of feeding moderate-quality roughage ad libitum to stockers grazing spring wheat when producers decide to forgo wheat grain harvest and steers graze out the wheat crop.