Project Number: 1932-21630-003-01
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Jun 13, 2005
End Date: Jun 12, 2008

Objective:
Objective 1. Develop forage sequences and combinations for cow-calf, heifer development and stocker and finishing systems to deliver optimal nutritive value for efficient production of cattle for pasture finishing. Objective 2. Produce pasture finished beef and define carcass merit and meat quality as a function of pasture-based systems.

Approach:
Different systems based on pastures will be evaluated for the cow-calf phase. Variables will include stocking density, grazing methods, species of forages, use of legumes, and use of conserved feeds. Variables for backgrounding, heifer development, and stocker cattle will include grazing management and optimizing nutrient levels. Grazing high quality pastures and drylot feeding will be compared for finishing cattle. Calves generated at Steeles Tavern, VA will be set into finishing phases in cooperation with ARS and WVU.