Effects of Allocation Frequency on Cattle Performance and Forage Utilization when Swath Grazing a Sorghum-Sudangrass Hybrid in Eastern Nebraska

Authors

Thomas E. Aquino, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Mary E. Drewnoski, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Pedro Henrique J. Fernandes, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Citation

2025 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report, pages 15-17

University of Nebraska Extension, 2025

Comments

Copyright 2025, Board of Regents, University of Nebraska. Used by permission

Abstract

Summary with Implications

A sorghum-sudangrass hybrid was swath grazed by growing steers (529 ± 18 lb) from November 2023 to January 2024. Treatments were offering new forage once (1X) or twice (2X) per week to determine the effect of allocation frequency on animal performance and forage utilization. Average daily gain was not impacted by treatment (1X = 0.45 ± 0.1 lb/day, 2X = 0.45 ± 0.1 lb/day). Pre-and post-graze biomass samples were collected to estimate forage utilization, which was not different between treatments (1X = 57.1 ± 3.6%, 2X = 61.1 ± 3.6%). However, there was a difference in carrying capacity with the more frequent allocations having greater carrying capacity compared to the less frequent allocation (6.8 vs 5.8 AUM/ac for 2X vs 1X, respectively). In other words, cattle allocated new forage 1X used more acres than 2X when grazed for the same number of days. For producers considering swath grazing as a winter-feeding strategy, the management practice of allocating new forage more frequently had the ability to increase the carrying capacity of the field by 17%. This is likely due to decreased trampling loss when cattle were allocated new forage more frequently.