The search for ways to select for improved beef cow efficiency has become the holy grail of the beef cattle seedstock industry. Increases in beef production have often been possible due to enhancements in the reproduction indexes (e.g. calving frequency, age at first calving, calving interval), nutrition concepts (e.g. strategic supplementation, type of forage as well as quantity and quality), ...

Abstract. Information on forage quality in phenological stage could help range managers to choose suitable grazing method to achieve higher animal performance without detriment to vegetation. Vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides) is a non-native perennial grass that was introduced to the Iran in 2008. This plant is a multi use species that could be considered from different viewpoints. Thus, it...

in order to study the effect of planting pattern and nitrogen application on barley and faba bean yield and quality of forage in intercropping, an experiment was conducted on farm of agricultural and natural resources faculty of gonbad kavous university as factorial based on rcbd with three replications in 2012-2013. planting pattern consisted of five levels, i.e. sole barley, intercropping of ...

Digestive physiology has played a prominent role in explanations for terrestrial herbivore body size evolution and size-driven diversification and niche differentiation. This is based on the association of increasing body mass (BM) with diets of lower quality, and with putative mechanisms by which a higher BM could translate into a higher digestive efficiency. Such concepts, however, often do n...

The first rule of supplementation is to use supplements only if needed and when they will enhance the nutritional value of the base forage. Protein supplementation can increase the intake and nutritional value of low quality forages. Grain-based energy supplements that are high in starch and low in protein have a negative effect on forage intake and digestibility. To determine the most cost-eff...

An important asset for the management of wild ungulates is recognizing the spatial distribution of forage quality across heterogeneous landscapes. To do so typically requires knowledge of which plant species are eaten, in what abundance they are eaten, and what their nutritional quality might be. Acquiring such data, however, may be difficult and time consuming. Here, we are proposing a rapid a...

1 Foraging by geese has led to vegetation loss in salt marshes along the Hudson Bay coast and lesser snow geese are increasingly grazing inland freshwater marshes. We determined whether different nutrients limit the growth of forage plants in the two habitats, and whether these differences affect the nutritional quality of vegetation available to geese at La Pérouse Bay, Manitoba. 2 Results fro...

Forages that accumulate excessive molybdenum (Mo) from excessive land application of Mo can cause molybdenosis, a copper (Cu) induced deficiency in ruminants. Limited information is available on the effect of land-applied biosolids, Mo content, and quality of winter wheat forage (Triticum aestivum L.). The objectives of this study were (1) to determine the effect of biosolids application on tis...