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How do cover crops in row crop ground help improve forage
Posted on: February 24, 2022 at 07:15:48 CT
BH O'bonga MU
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quality for beef? You'll have to explain that one.
One of the main problems with grass fed beef is that forage grasses store proteins within the foliage or blades until the seed head is almost ready to emerge from the flag leaf. At this stage of growth protein content of the foliage drastically decreases and forage quality declines. You can offset this deficiency by implementing rotational grazing into pastures growing other types of grass with varying maturities. The cattleman will need more land per head to maintain consistent protein availability. The other problem is that fat available from a grass diet is minimal and the animal develops 'seam' fat and 'back' fat, but marbling within the cuts is relatively nonexistent, when compared to an animal fed out on a grain supplemented ration. Yield weights are the major drawback to a grass only program. In my experience cattlemen focusing on the grass fed market can't wait for the cattle to reach fat or slaughter weight. It takes at least one extra year to reach market weight without grain. Most grass-fed producers are selling/slaughtering their animals at much lower weights than conventional feeders.
One of the main problems with grass fed beef is that forage grasses store proteins within the foliage or blades until the seed head is almost ready to emerge from the flag leaf. At this stage of growth protein content of the foliage drastically decreases and forage quality declines. You can offset this deficiency by implementing rotational grazing into pastures growing other types of grass with varying maturities. The cattleman will need more land per head to maintain consistent protein availability. The other problem is that fat available from a grass diet is minimal and the animal develops 'seam' fat and 'back' fat, but marbling within the cuts is relatively nonexistent, when compared to an animal fed out on a grain supplemented ration. Yield weights are the major drawback to a grass only program. In my experience cattlemen focusing on the grass fed market can't wait for the cattle to reach fat or slaughter weight. It takes at least one extra year to reach market weight without grain. Most grass-fed producers are selling/slaughtering their animals at much lower weights than conventional feeders.
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How do cover crops in row crop ground help improve forage - BH O'bonga MU - 2/24 07:15:48