Integrating silvopastures into current forage-livestock systems
Abstract
Prior research has demonstrated that grazing forage within tree stands can be a viable production practice. Most studies to date have compared whole systems of silvopasture practice to systems where livestock have no access to silvopastures. A more likely scenario is that a portion of the farm would be converted to silvopasture practice and the rest of pasture acreage remain under traditional management. Our objective was to determine the impact of introducing silvopasture as part of an integrated forage-livestock system. This experiment had two treatments. In one treatment, cow-calf pairs grazed traditional "open" pastures and in the other they were grazed in a system where approximately 25 [percent] of the land area was under silvopasture practice. The silvopastures included a 10 to 12 year old pine-walnut plantation and a 6-year old mixed hardwood plantation. Angus crossed fall-calving cows and their calves rotationally grazed a mixture of tall fescue, alfalfa and red clover in a year-round systems trial. Cow body condition and weights were collected at breeding, at weaning, and in mid-summer. Calf weights were measured at birth and at weaning. Cows in the integrated silvopasture system lost approximately 10 [percent] less weight over winter, and were 12 [percent] less likely to experience calving difficulty. In addition, calves in the integrated silvopasture system were 25 kg/hd heavier at weaning compared to their counterparts in the traditional system. By integrating silvopasture practice into traditional pasture systems, cow-calf producers could lower winter feeding costs, decrease calving problems and produce heavier calves.