Top-down effects of predators on prey behavior and population dynamics have been extensively studied. However, some populations of very large herbivores appear to be regulated primarily from the bottom up. Given the importance of food resources to these large herbivores, it is reasonable to expect that forage heterogeneity (variation in quality and quantity) affects individual and group behavio...

Alfalfa is one of the most important legume forage crops in the world. In spite of its agronomic and nutritive advantages, alfalfa has some limitations in the usage of pasture forage and hay supplement. High rapid degradation of protein in alfalfa poses a risk of rumen bloat to ruminants which could cause huge economic losses for farmers. Coupled with the relatively high lignin content, which i...

Extensive range livestock production systems in the western United States rely heavily on rangeland forages to meet the nutritional needs of grazing livestock throughout the year. Interannual variation in the quantity and quality of rangeland forage in the Northern Great Plains, as well as throughout much of the western United States, may play a pivotal role in how well grazing ruminants seques...

An in situ study (Exp. 1) using 4 ruminally cannulated steers (343 ± 11 kg of BW) in a completely randomized design was used to compare ruminal degradation characteristics of low-quality cool-season (C3; Kentucky bluegrass straw; Poa pratensis; 6.3% CP; DM basis) and warm-season (C4; tallgrass prairie; 5.7% CP; DM basis) forage. Four ruminally cannulated steers (252 ± 8 kg of BW; Exp. 2) and 4 ...

in order to estimate the relationship between forage quality and preference value of plant species for raini goats(capra aegagrus hircus), a field study was carried out on raini goats’ grazing behavior in some desert habitats.crude protein (as the most important factor affecting forage quality) of all plant species was measured at twophenological stages (spring and summer, 2010) in the dry rang...

Birdsfoot trefoil is a high-quality forage recommended for irrigated perennial pastures, either in mixtures with grasses or in pure stands. In this bulletin we report on the forage nutritive value of pure stands of birdsfoot trefoil harvested at 6week intervals, and compare it to alfalfa harvested at the same intervals. We found that the digestibility of the two forages was similar, but that al...

Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) is an important forage grass with high yield and superior quality in temperate regions which is widely used in parks, sport field, and other places. However, perennial ryegrass is moderately tolerant to salinity stress compared to other commercial cultivars and salt stress reduces their growth and productivity. Aspergillus aculeatus has been documented to par...

A nationally accepted standard hay test for alfalfa hay has included measurement of Acid Detergent Fiber (ADF), Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF), Dry Matter (DM) and Crude Protein (CP). Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN) has typically been calculated directly from a fiber measurement, usually ADF. However, this is likely to change. While there are a range of points of view on forage testing, it is l...

Extending grazing into the winter, as opposed to feeding of harvested forages, can increase the sustainability of ranching in the western US. This study was conducted to determine the economic value of grazing stockpiled forage kochia (Kochia prostrata [L.] Scrad.) and crested wheatgrass (Agropyron desertorum [Fisch. Ex Link] Schultes) during the fall and winter. Changes in cow body weight, bod...