A four-year trial was initiated in January 2000 to evaluate forage production, basal cover, and persistence of endophyte-infected tall fescue (IF; Festuca arundinacea Schreb.), endophyte-free tall fescue (FF), or orchardgrass (OG; Dactylis glomerata L.) overseeded into dormant common bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] for spring-calving cows. The FF and OG pastures were managed with eit...

Trade-offs between predation risk and forage fundamentally drive resource selection by animals. Among migratory ungulates, trade-offs can occur at large spatial scales through migration, which allows an "escape" from predation, but trade-offs can also occur at finer spatial scales. Previous authors suggest that ungulates will avoid predation risk at the largest scale, although few studies have ...

One of the challenges to increase milk production in a large pasture-based herd with an automatic milking system (AMS) is to grow forages within a 1-km radius, as increases in walking distance increases milking interval and reduces yield. The main objective of this study was to explore sustainable forage option technologies that can supply high amount of grazeable forages for AMS herds using th...

Silage is not a replacement for good pasture management, but it is a means of making the most of a sound grassland programme. It is an effective method of preserving surpluses of immature forage for use when pasture is in short supply or completely lacking. While quality silage is an excellent feed it is still a substitute .for the original product-pasture herbage. The problem in making silage ...

The research presented here is the result of a collaboration of government, industry and private non-profit organizations that formed in 2002 as the Consortium for Alfalfa Improvement. Scientists from the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center/ARS-USDA, Forage Genetics International, Pioneer HiBred and The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc., have been conducting a focused biotech research effort ...

Factors affecting forage production, quality, marketing, and utilization include urbanization; availability of crop production resources; approaches to environmental stewardship; and other social and economic forces. Two factors of particular interest are 1) availability of pesticides for use in alfalfa and other forage crops; and 2) new laboratory procedures for predicting forage nutritional v...

The nutrient status of grazing beef cattle from four selected soil order regions of Florida was examined. Liver, blood, hair and feces samples from 14 heifers and 14 cows, plus forage samples, were collected during two periods of the year from nine ranches located in four different regions. Soil samples were collected during one period. The soil order regions were the Histosol (southeast), Spod...