ANSC 318 1st Edition Lecture 13 Outline of Last Lecture I. Plant and Animal Protein Feeds, Carbonaceous Forages and Roughages. Outline of Current Lecture II. Pasture Grazing Systemsa. Rotational Grazingb. First-Last Rotational Grazingc. Strip Grazingd. Limit Grazinge. Creep Grazingf. Stocking RateIII. Haymaking Systemsa. Loose Hay Stacksb. Chopped Hayc. Bailed or Stacked Hayd. Pellets or Cubese. Hay LossesIV. Strategies to Reduce Field Lossesa. Mower-Cnditioner at Time Forage is Cutb. Drying Agents at Time Forage is Cutc. Preservatives at Time Forage is HarvestedCurrent LectureMethods of Utilizing Forage CropsPasture Grazing Systems•Grazing is the most cost effective way to utilize crops because the animal is the harvester Rotational Grazing: •Rotate one herd of animals through a number of pastures•need to know when to rotate•able to utilize more nutrients•cross-fencing, water in each pasture, more laborFirst-Last Rotational Grazing:•Rotational grazing system with 2 groups of animalsThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.-higher-requirement cows (1st/2nd calf females; body score <4) go first through a pastureand lower-requirement cows (5-8 years-old; body score >4) follow them one pasture behind•need to know when to rotate•for higher-requirement cows  more leaves = high digestibility = more nutrients = higher protein•need cross-fencing, water in every pasture, and more laborStrip Grazing:•Graze strips of property at a time; similar to rotational•need electric or temporary fence-move the strip slowly as old strip becomes grazed downLimit Grazing:•keep cattle in a low-quality pasture for most of the time and let them graze high quality forage for limited amounts of time a day.•Stock-pull Forage: mature grass not grazed over summer; produce saves to be grazed in winter•two different foragesCreep Grazing: type of limit grazing•monoculture pastures  one species of pasture•utilizes a creep grate and an electric fence•good for nursing animals-calves get to better quality forageStocking Rate:•found by cows per acre•low stocking rate -less cows/acre-higher gain per animal•want to look at gain per acreHaymaking Systems•Hay: forages that are harvested during the growth period and preserved by drying for subsequent feeding-objective is to reduce moisture content of fresh forage to a level low enough to inhibitthe actions of plant and animal microbial enzymes-moisture content of most plants is 60-85%-to be successfully stored as hay, moisture must be reduced to about 15% ***-hay will burn if moisture content is too highLoose Hay Stacks:•hay is piled up into field•downside  a lot of hay wasted because cows burrow into itBaled or Stacked:•when hay is cut, dried, and then gathered into bales to be fed to livestockPellets or Cubes:•after hay is cut and dried it is pelleted to beefed to livestockField Hay Losses:•Metabolic Losses: respiration continues until moisture reaches 35%-loss of sugar and starches due to initial respiration losses account for 4-15% of plantDM losses-very hard to avoid•Weather Losses: rainfall between cutting and bailing will prolong plant respiration, leach soluble nutrients from hay, and increase leaf shattering-typically account for 5-15% of plant DM losses-can be as high as 60% of plant DM losses•Field Losses: Leaf shattering losses in the field are approximately:-2-5% for grass hay-3-35% for alfalfa and clover hays-leaves have more starch and less fiber (want more leaves)Strategies to Reduce Field LossesMower-Conditioner at Time Forage is Cut:•mower-conditioner will decrease the drying time from cutting to bailing•stems are dried faster relative to leaves•minimize potential weather damage•kink stems so leaves will dry quicker-minimizes leaf shattering-get to bale quickerDrying Agents at Time Forage is Cut:•drying agents can be used to speed up the loss of plant water after cutting•drying agents are applied at the time of cutting•most common example is potassium carbonate ***-applied when forage is cut-help reduce metabolic lossesPreservatives at Time Forage is Harvested:•preservatives can be used to allow aerobic storage of hay at higher moisture contents (25-30%)•preservatives are applied during bailing process•most common example is propionic acid ***-applied when hay is baled-can be harvested @ a higher moisture