Project Number: 6209-31630-002-24
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 01, 2007
End Date: Sep 30, 2010

Objective:
The objectives of this cooperative research project are to evaluate the effects of supplementing stocker cattle grazing summer native range with varying quantities of dried distiller's grains on animal performance and pasture carrying capacity.

Approach:
Native pastures composed of Blue grama, buffalograss, and tobosa grass will be used. Seventy-two steer calves and 3 pastures, each divided into 4 paddocks with electrical fencing, will be used with 6 steers per paddock. Four treatments (3 paddocks & 18 steers) will be used in each of 2 consecutive years as follows: 1) no supplement, and dried distiller's grains plus solubles at 2) 0.2, 3) 0.4, or 4) 0.6% of body weight (dry matter basis). Supplements will be provided to each paddock group at 0900 h each day. Supplement not consumed will be weighed and sampled each day. Each experiment will be conducted for 56 days during the months of June to September. Steers will be weighed on 2 consecutive days at the start and end of the grazing period. All steers will have free access to salt and fresh water. Samples of dried distiller's grain and pasture forage will be analyzed for dry matter, ash, fiber, crude protein, crude fat and sulfur. Data will be analyzed by analysis of variance with paddock as the experimental unit. The study will be conducted at the Clayton Livestock Research Center, Clayton, New Mexico.