Forage choice in pasturelands: Influence on cattle foraging behavior and performance

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Forage Ecology
• Ruminant Nutrition

Background:

• Monoculture pastures can limit nutrient intake and animal performance.
• Forage diversity may offer complementary benefits, improving diet quality and animal behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of mixed-species pastures on beef calf behavior and performance.
• To compare animal performance and behavior in diverse pastures versus monocultures.

Main Methods:

• Beef calves were strip-grazed on monocultures of tall fescue (TF), alfalfa (ALF), sainfoin (SAN), or a choice (CHOICE) of all three.
• Animal behavior (grazing bouts, activity), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), fecal composition, body weight (BW), and herbage biomass were monitored.

Main Results:

• Calves in CHOICE pastures grazed a mix of forages, were more active, and had fewer grazing bouts than those on legume monocultures.
• Tall fescue monocultures resulted in lower BUN and fecal crude protein (CP) but higher fecal NDF and ADF concentrations.
• Animals grazing sainfoin, alfalfa, or CHOICE pastures gained more body weight (BW) than those on tall fescue.

Conclusions:

• Pasture herbage diversity can lead to performance comparable to legume monocultures.
• Incorporating diverse forages into pastures supports animal well-being and maintains pasture species diversity.