~ a, rt CIRCULAR 196 MARCH 1972 PASTURES FOR BEEF CATTLE IN THE PIEDMONT Serala Sericea Dallisgrass-Re gal Ladino Clover Coastal Bermuda-Yuchi Arrowleaf Clover AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION /AUBURN UNIVERSITY Auburn, Alabama E. V. Smith, Director YUGHI COASTAL FIG. 1. Yuchi orrowleof clover with little barley in Coastal bermudo sod on June 8. Yuchi arrowleaf clover FIG. 2. bermudagrass sod on July 1. in Coastal FIG. 3. Sericeo grazing on July 16, showing good utilization of the forage. FIG. 4. Cottle grazing Regal ladino Photograph mode in August 1971. clover. FIG. 5. This mid-July photograph shows the excellent condition of calves as they continued to graze Yuchi arrowleaf clover along with Coastal bermudagrass. 72 44 4 TL;UWyy A .9 111Wi PBINi ru\ 4\1, \1 xH jI 1972 Si ( ONI) I I(,\1, -1\ c Sri nr\ubI w 197-1 Auunu I H\ iverit\ is~ ani IEtjhil (pportmjiit\ Empfl)oyer Pastures for Beef Cattle in the Piedmont C. S. HOVELAND, W. B. ANTHONY, E. L. MAYTON, and H. E. BURGESS' STURES FOR BEEF COWS and calves should provide low-cost grazing of sufficient quality to support a high level of production. However, many pasture crops do not provide the needed productivity and quality, particularly in the Piedmont area of Alabama. For example, in research at the Piedmont Substation, calf gains were low on both Coastal bermudagrass and Serala sericea, averaging 180 pounds per acre annually (1). Calf daily gains declined sharply on both species in July and August. Highest daily gain on Coastal pastures was made on little barley and other weedy grasses. Winter legumes such as clover and vetch improve beef calf gains on warm-season perennial grass pastures (2,6). Yuchi arrowleaf, an annual winter clover, has shown promise in Alabama trials by remaining productive and high in nutritive quality 2 months longer in spring than crimson clover (3). Productivity of Yuchi was superior to crimson clover on bermuda and bahiagrass sods in Alabama (4). White clover has not persisted nor been highly productive on upland soils of the Piedmont (2). However, Regal ladino clover persists as a perennial in pastures longer than other white clover varieties (5). The research reported herein was conducted at the Piedmont Substation near Camp Hill, Alabama, to compare several grassclover pastures with Serala sericea for beef cows and calves. 1 Professor, Department of Agronomy and Soils; Professor, Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences; Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent, Piedmont Substation, respectively. P EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Performance of beef cows and calves was compared on three pasture swards from 1969 through 1971: (1) Serala sericea (Lespedeza cuneata), (2) dallisgrass (Paspalum dilatatum)-Regal ladino clover (Trifolium repens), and (3) Coastal bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon), with 100 pounds of N per acre, overseeded annually with Yuchi arrowleaf clover (Trifolium vesiculosum). Pasture Management Each paddock was 13/4 acres. There were three replications of each forage species, making a total of nine paddocks. Soils in the hilly pasture area were mostly Lloyd clay loam with lesser areas of Louisa clay loam and Cecil sandy loam. The Coastal bermuda was established in 1964 and had been grazed prior to starting this experiment in 1969. Each October beginning in 1968, a disc harrow was used to scarify the closely grazed bermuda sod before seeding with 8 pounds per acre pound per acre active Yuchi arrowleaf clover. After seeding, diazinon was applied for cricket control. Nitrogen at the rate of 50 pounds per acre was applied in early June and again in late July. Dallisgrass was seeded at 20 pounds per acre in March 1969, followed in October with 5 pounds per acre of Regal ladino clover seed. Serala sericea was broadcast at 20 pounds per acre in March 1969, using 4 pounds per acre vernolate herbicide to control weeds. Lime and mineral fertilizer were applied to all forage species according to soil test recommendations. Management of Grazing Animals Grade Hereford cows bred to Angus bulls were used. Calves, born from October through December, remained with the cows until weaned in late August or early September. Each 13/4-acre paddock was stocked with a cow-calf unit whenever grazing was available. Additional cow-calf units were added during peak periods of pasture growth and after early-weaned calves were removed in August. Weighing was done at 28-day intervals. During the grazing season, additional animals for the [4] test were maintained on Coastal bermuda pastures when not on experimental pastures. After calves were weaned in August or September, cows continued to graze pastures until October. An attempt was made to maintain at least one cow-calf unit per paddock throughout the growing season. No supplements were fed to animals while on pasture. Water, salt, and shade were provided in the paddocks. During late fall and winter, when no grazing was available, animals were removed from the paddocks and fed Coastal hay or sorghum silage and a protein-mineral-vitamin supplement. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Pastures Yuchi arrowleaf clover made possible earlier grazing on Coastal bermuda swards. Clover stands were fair to good in 1969 and generally good the next 2 years. Little barley was an abundant weed and furnished grazing in April prior to heading. Clover provided most of the grazing in May and into June, Figure 1 (page 2). Coastal bermuda makes little growth when night temperatures are below 60°F. At the Camp Hill location, night temperatures averaged 50 to 56°F in May, accounting for the lack of Coastal bermuda growth, Table 1. Yuchi arrowleaf clover furnished grazing through June and into July, Figure 2 (page 2). Cattle continued to graze the stemmy mature clover in July even though ample grass was available. Serala sericea stands were good initially and cattle grazed this pasture well, Figure 3 (page 2). After two grazing seasons, sericea stands were reduced and Coastal bermudagrass made up 20 to 30 per cent of the sward. In this experiment, grass encroached TABLE 1. RAINFALL AND MONTHLY TEMPERATURES DURING SPRING AND SUMMER, PIEDMONT SUBSTATION, 1969-71 Mean temperatures, degree F Month 1969 1970 1971 Maximum Minimum 1969 March.... April .... May June ..... July...... August... September 1970 64 76 84 85 90 88 89 1971 61 75 78 89 86 87 85 1969 32 49 56 64 68 64 58 1970 40 51 55 63 66 68 64 1971 35 44 50 64 66 66 64 -.... 5.0 6.2 5.6 2.6 2.1 3.7 6.3 9.0 4.1 3.6 6.4 7.1 7.6 1.5 12.8 5.5 4.1 2.6 9.8 3.2 4.6 59 76 81 90 92 87 82 [5] on sericea from adjacent Coastal bermuda paddocks. Under farm conditions, this would not likely be a problem. Dallisgrass stands were generally poor. One paddock consisted of 90 per cent or more Regal ladino clover with the remainder being weeds, Figure 4 (page 2). The other two paddocks contained about 30 per cent dallisgrass and only 10 to 30 per cent clover. Better clover growth in 1971 was probably the result of a combination of cooler temperatures and better rainfall distribution than in 1970. (May and July maximum temperatures were 4 to 6°F lower in 1971, Table 1.) Dallisgrass-ladino clover on this type soil is likely to suffer more from drought than bermudagrass or sericea, resulting in greater year-to-year fluctuation in forage production. Cattle Performance Only the Coastal bermuda-Yuchi arrowleaf clover paddocks were grazed in 1969 while the other species were being established. Grazing began April 9 and continued until October 3 (178 days), although calves were weaned August 28. Calf gain was excellent, averaging 314 pounds per acre total and average daily gain of 1.71 pounds, Table 2. On pastures containing considerable Yuchi arrowleaf clover, April to July calf gains were over 2.5 pounds per day. Daily gains dropped to 1.1 pounds during July and August. Calves that grazed until weaned on August 28 gained an average of 240 pounds each. Therefore, not only did the sward proTABLE 2. PERFORMANCE OF BEEF COWS AND CALVES GRAZING COASTAL WITH YucII ARROWLEAF CLOVER AT PIEDMONT SUBSTATION, 1969 BERMUDAGRASS OVERSEEDED Performance measure 1969 result Cow-calf days/acre' ....................................- --170 Cow gain/acre, pounds ........ 219 Cow average daily gain, pounds' ......................... 1.18 C alf gain/acre, pounds ------------------------------ ------- -- 314 Calf average daily gain, pounds"------------------------------1.71 Calf average daily gain/period, pounds April 9-May 6 (Yuchi arrowleaf and little barley)--2.68 May 7-July 2 (Yuchi arrowleaf and Coastal bermuda) 2.36 July 2-August 28 (Coastal bermuda only) ----------------------1.10 SCows were grazed additionally from August 29 to October 3, but they were not weighed after August 28. 2 Average of animals that remained on pastures throughout the season. (See Table 5 for number of days.) [6] TABLE 3. PERFORMANCE OF BEEF COWS AND CALVES GRAZING PERENNIAL PASTURES AT PIEDMONT SUBSTATION, 1970 Coastal bermudaSerala DallisgrassRegal Performance measure Yuchi arrowleaf clover ------- sericea ladino clover 160 Days grazed during season Cows and calves___------------------160 160 194 177 Cows only---------------------------------126 2 23 1 Cow-calf days/acre -------------------------------143 316 Cow gain/acre, lb.-------------------2 0.66 1.56 Cow average daily gain, lb . 250 336 Calf gain/acre, lb.3--------- 2 -----1.92 2.17 Calf average daily gain, lb . Calf average daily gain/period, lb. 2.47 April 1-A pril 28 -------------------------------2.34 2.22 April 28-May 28__--------------------------1.41 2.69 May 28-June 23--------------------------------- 177 119 213 1.38 225 2.40 . .......... ------1.67 2.09 1.85 2.28 June 23-July 21 ----------July 2l-August 11-_---------August 11-September 8 ------------- 2.69 2.26 _----------------- 1.97 1.19 2.92 1.91 3.09 Cows were grazed additionally from September 8 to October 12 on Coastal bermuda; September 8 to 25 on the other two species. 2 Average daily gains of animals that remained on pastures throughout the season. (See Table 5 for number of days.) ' Calf gain per acre on Coastal bermuda-Yuchi arrowleaf was significantly (P<.05) higher than on Serala sericea or dallisgrass-Regal ladino clover. duce a high gain per acre, but individual calves made excellent daily gains. All three pasture swards were grazed in 1970. Cows grazed the Coastal bermuda-Yuchi arrowleaf from April 1 to October 12 (194 days). Sericea and dallis-Regal ladino could not be stocked until April 22 because of limited forage. This is nearly 2 weeks later than obtained in a previous experiment on Serala sericea (1). Cows were continued on sericea and dallis-ladino clover from September 8 to 25. Coastal bermuda-Yuchi arrowleaf clover was the most productive sward in 1970, Table 3. Calf gain per acre was 336 pounds and cow gain averaged 316 pounds per acre, much better than on the other two swards. Calf average daily gain of 2.52 pounds from April to late June reflected the good clover growth. Considerable green clover, maturing and quite stemmy, furnished grazing into July, probably accounting for continued satisfactory gains and condition of calves, Figure 5 (page 2). Calf daily gains remained high throughout the season on dallisRegal ladino but stocking rate was lower than on the other two swards, Table 3. Cow-calf days per acre were highest on Coastal bermuda-Yuchi arrowleaf. Cow gains on Serala sericea-,were only [7] TABLE 4. PERFORMANCE OF BEEF COWS AND CALVES PASTURES AT PIEDMONT SUBSTATION, GRAZING PERENNIAL 1971 Performance measure Days grazed during season Cows and calves------------------------------Cows only---------------------1 ------------- Coastal BermudaYuchi arrowleaf clover 159 201 Serala sericea 131 173 DallisgrassRegal Ladino clover 159 201 Cow-call days/acre ---------------------------------221 161 172 Cow gain/acre, lb.----------------------------------204 133 273 2 Cow average daily3gain, lb. --------............ 1.09 0.90 1.76 Calf gain/acre, lb-. --- 2 280 208 301 Calf average daily gain, lb. ---------------------1.98 1.59 2.32 Calf average daily gain/period, lb. April 1-A pril 29--------------------------------. 2.62-2.38 April 29-M ay 28------------------------------2.50 2.45 2.86 M ay 28-June 23--------------------------------1.80 1.41 2.21 June 23-July 21------------------------ -----2.09 1.79 1.73 July 21-August 11-------------------- -----0.40 0.19 1.39 August 11-September 8 ------0.74 1.49 1.96 ----------------------------- ----------- Cows were grazed additionally from September 8 to October 20. daily gains of animals that remained on pastures throughout the season. (See Table 5 for number of days.) 'Calf gain per acre on Coastal bermuda-Yuchi arrowleaf and Regal ladino was significantly (P<.05) higher than on Serala sericea. 1 2 Average 143 pounds per acre, less than half that on the Coastal-Yucbi arrowleaf clover. High daily calf gains made on all swards in late summer are probably a result of restocking pastures with younger animals when older calves were weaned. Length of 1971 grazing season for cows on both clover swards was from April 1 to October 20 (201 days), Table 4. Calf gain per acre was similar on dallis-Regal ladino and Coastal bermudaYuchi arrowleaf, but cow gains per acre were highest on dallisRegal ladino. Highest average calf gain in 1971 was made on dallis-Regal ladino, 2.32 pounds per day, Table 4. Calves on Coastal bermuda-Yuchi arrowleaf averaged 1.98 pounds gain per day, as compared with 1.59 pounds on Serala sericea. Daily gains of calves remained high all season on dallis-Regal ladino. Some Regal clover was available for grazing even in late summer, Figure 5 (.page 2). Poor daily gains were made by calves on Coastal bermuda alone from late July to' September. The value of clover for continued calf gains in late spring and summer is apparent from these results. Yuchi arrowleaf clover was a valuable addition to the Coastal bermuda sward. The combination produced a 3-year average of 310 pounds calf gain per acre. In contrast, calves on Coastal bermuda alone fertilized with 100 pounds per acre nitrogen [8] at the same location - averaged only 180 pounds gain per acre over 4 years (1). Total live weight gain for calves and their dams for each sward in each year is summarized in Table 5. Calves on Coastal bermuda-Yuchi arrowleaf and dallis-Regal ladino swards made comparable gains. Dams nursing these calves gained approximately 200 pounds during the grazing season. Therefore, both swards proved to be nutritionally adequate for beef cows nursing calves. The 200 pounds cow gain would normally provide adequate body reserves to withstand mild winter stress. In contrast, cows on Serala sericea gained an average of only 64 pounds per head and their calves 189 pounds each. It appears that Serala sericea forage was generally inferior to the other swards for supporting either the beef cow or her calf. TABLE 5. TOTAL ANNUAL LIVE WEIGHT GAIN PER CALF AND FOR DAM SUBSTATION' OF THE CALF GRAZING PERENNIAL PASTURES AT PIEDMONT Item and year Coastal bermudaYuchi arrowleaf clover Gain, Days Serala sericea Serala sericea Gain, Days Dallisgrass-Regal ladino clover Gain, pounds grazed pounds grazed pounds grazed Days 1969 Cow 165 Calf_ 240 140 ...... 1970 Cow_ 207 73 153 Calf 287 132 213 111 267 111 1971 Cow 173 54 240 Calf 260 131 164 103 303 131 'Data and means for calves grazed continuously and weaned about 4 to 6 weeks before end of grazing season. - Number of days grazed continuously. SUMMARY A grazing study with beef cows and calves was conducted at the Piedmont Substation on dallisgrass-Regal ladino clover and Serala sericea over a 2-year period and Coastal bermudagrassYuchi arrowleaf clover with 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre over a 3-year period. Results are summarized as follows: (1) Calf gain for the 2-year period 1970-71 was highest on Coastal bermuda-Yuchi arrowleaf clover, averaging 308 pounds per acre annually. Dallisgrass-Regal ladino clover averaged 263 pounds and Serala sericea 229 pounds. Coastal bermuda-Yuchi arrowleaf clover for the 3-year period averaged 310 pounds of calf gain per acre. [91 (2) Coastal bermuda-Yuchi arrowleaf clover furnished 222 cow-calf grazing days per year, as compared with 145 days for dallis-Regal ladino and 144 days for Serala sericea. (3) Average daily gain of calves was 2.36 pounds on dallisRegal ladino clover, 2.08 pounds on Coastal bermuda-Yuchi arrowleaf, and 1.75 pounds on Serala sericea. (4) The value of clover in the sward was demonstrated. Calf gains ranged from about 2.5 pounds per day with clover in the sward to 1 pound or less when clover was absent. (5) Regal ladino clover was outstanding when adequate rainfall permitted good growth. However, it will probably be difficult to build a dependable grazing program with this clover on droughty upland soils of the Piedmont. (6) Yuchi arrowleaf clover resulted in excellent calf gains from early April until July. This clover is compatible with Coastal bermuda and can be expected to lengthen the grazing season by 1 to 2 months and improve the calf gain per acre over that of grass alone fertilized with nitrogen. Short grass stubble and insecticide for cricket control in autumn are essential for clover establishment. (7) Total 2-year average live weight gain per calf for dallisgrass-Regal ladino clover, Coastal bermuda-Yuchi arrowleaf clover, and Serala sericea was 285, 274, and 189 pounds, respectively. [10 1. LITERATURE CITED (1) HOVELAND, C. S., W. B. ANTHONY, R. R. HARRIS, E. L. MAYTON, and H. E. BURGESS. 1969. Serala Sericea, Coastal Bermuda, Goar Tall Fescue Grazing for Beef Cows and Calves in Alabama's Piedmont. Auburn Univ., (Ala.) Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 388. HOVELAND, C. (2) (3) (4) S., W. B. ANTHONY, and E. L. MAYTON. 1960. Coastal- Vetch-Crimson Good for Cows and Calves. Auburn Univ. (Ala.) Agr. Exp. Sta. Highlights of Agr. Res. Vol. 7, No. 8. HOVELAND, C. S., E. L. CARDEN, G. A. BUCHANAN, E. M. EVANS, W. B. ANTHONY, E. L. MAYTON, and H. E. BURGESS. 1969. Yuchi Arrowleaf Clover. Auburn Univ. (Ala.) Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 396. HOVELAND, C. S., E. L. CARDEN, J. R. WILSON, and P. A. MOTT. 1971. Summer Grass Residue Affects Growth of Winter Legumes Under Sod. Auburn Univ. (Ala.) Agr. Exp. Sta. Highlights of Agr. Res. Vol. 18, No. 3. (5) JoHNSON, W. C. 1964. Regal - New Ladino White Clover. Auburn Univ. (Ala.) Agr. Exp. Sta. Highlights of Agr. Res. Vol. 11, No. 2. (6) W. G. BLUE, G. B. KILLINGER, R. E. L. GREENE, H. C. M. MYERS, A. E. WARNICK, and N. GAMMON, JR. 1961. Beef Production, Soil and Forage Analyses, and Economic Returns from Eight Pasture Programs in North Central Florida. Fla. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 681. KOGER, M., HARRIS, J. [11] Alabama's Agricultural Experiment Station System AUBURN UNIVERSITY WVith ati agr iculturnal in everv x maortt~ soil aread, \tihiit I iv~ersitx' servs th tit researcem c .fit stock, foretstr V, andt hirt produi cers ill eacht regio in \lalbdita. Everiv citizeni of ti cutu tIral --] K a1 r 16 7 - ti i tis State hias a stake in research 1 pirogtrami, since aiiv advantage econiomiical sxay-s of E ptiotltciiig and hatndlitig fairm prodctts ditectly beeft thelonuhiCn Research Unit Identification * 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11 . 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. [Main Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn Tennessee Valley Substation, Belle Mina. Sornd Mountain Substation, Crossville. North Alabama Horticulture Substatton, Cullmar. Upper Coastal Plain Substation, Winfield. Forestry Unit, Fayette County. Thorsby Foundation Seed Stacks Farm, Thorsby. Chiton Area Horticulture Substation, Clanton. Forestry Unit, Coosa County. Piedmant Substation, Camp Hill. Plant Breeding Unit, Talaossee. Forestry Unit, Autauga County. Prattville Experiment Field, Prattv ille. Black Belt Substation, Marion Junction. Tuskegee Experiment Field, Tuskegee. Lower Coostol Plain Substatian, CamdenForestry Unit, Barbour County. Monroeville Expertment Field, Monroeville. Wiregrass Substation, Headland. Brewtan Experiment Field, Brewton. Ornamental Hortic~ulture Field Station, Spring Hill. Gulf Coast Substation, Fairhope.