Native forage : a guide to getting the most from your grazing operation

Abstract

"For the producer, one of the greatest benefits of using native forages is increased weight gain among livestock during late spring and throughout summer. Most pastures contain introduced coolseason grasses (CSG), and it is a challenge to keep them actively growing during the summer to maintain livestock weight. Native warm-season grasses (NWSG) grow well during summer, and they will improve average daily gain on stocker cattle by one pound per day compared to tall fescue (Figure 1). Spring calves on cows will gain 60 to 80 pounds more on NWSG than on CSG by the end of the summer grazing season. Management of the grazing system with proper stocking rate and rotation is critical."--First page.