Influence of season on dietary composition, intake, and digestion by beef steers grazing mixed-grass prairie in the northern Great Plains.

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (6) ◽  
pp. 1682 ◽  
Author(s):  
J A Johnson ◽  
J S Caton ◽  
W Poland ◽  
D R Kirby ◽  
D V Dhuyvetter
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Dietary Composition ◽  
Beef Steers ◽  
Mixed Grass Prairie ◽  
Mixed Grass

Long-term agroecosystem research on northern Great Plains mixed-grass prairie near Mandan, North Dakota

2015 ◽  
Vol 95 (6) ◽  
pp. 1101-1116 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Sanderson ◽  
M. A. Liebig ◽  
J. R. Hendrickson ◽  
S. L. Kronberg ◽  
D. Toledo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Dakota ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Beef Steers ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Mixed Grass Prairie ◽  
Long Term Experiment ◽  
Mixed Grass ◽  
Livestock Productivity

Sanderson, M. A., Liebig, M. A., Hendrickson, J. R., Kronberg, S. L., Toledo, D., Derner, J. D. and Reeves, J. L. 2015. Long-term agroecosystem research on northern Great Plains mixed-grass prairie near Mandan, North Dakota. Can. J. Plant Sci. 95: 1101–1116. In 1915, a stocking rate experiment was started on 101 ha of native mixed-grass prairie at the Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory (NGPRL) near Mandan, ND (100.9132N, 46.7710W). Here, we document the origin, evolution, and scientific outcomes from this long-term experiment. Four pastures of 12.1, 20.2, 28.3, and 40.5 ha were laid out and stocked continuously from May until October with 2-yr-old or yearling beef steers at four rates [initially 0.98, 1.39, 1.83, and 2.4 animal unit months ha−1]. The experiment generated some of the first information on the resilience of mixed-grass prairie to grazing and drought and relationships of livestock productivity to soil moisture for predictive purposes. After 1945, the experiment was reduced to the light and heavy stocking rate pastures only, which have been managed and grazed in approximately the same manner to the present day. The pastures were used to assess responses of vegetation to fertilizer in the 1950s and 1960s, develop grazing readiness tools in the 1990s, and assess remote sensing technologies in the 2000s. The long-term pastures currently serve as a unique resource to address contemporary questions dealing with drought, soil quality, carbon dynamics, greenhouse gas emissions, invasive species, and climate change.

scholarly journals Grasshopper populations respond similarly to multiple moderate intensity livestock grazing treatments

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-69
Author(s):  
David H. Branson
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Moderate Intensity ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Mixed Grass Prairie ◽  
Continuous Grazing ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Mixed Grass

Livestock grazing frequently affects grasshopper populations, but no prior studies have simultaneously examined a wide range of moderate intensity livestock grazing treatments in the Northern Great Plains. Grasshopper densities varied significantly between years, but five moderate grazing treatments, including both rotational and continuous grazing treatments, did not differentially affect grasshopper densities or species composition. Grasshopper populations appear resilient to different types of moderate grazing at this Northern Great Plains mixed-grass prairie site.

scholarly journals 263 Interaction between stocking and supplementation rates on the performance of steers grazing mixed-grass prairie during winter

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 90-90
Author(s):  
Stacey A Gunter
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Body Weight Gain ◽  
Average Daily Gain ◽  
Random Variable ◽  
Experimental Unit ◽  
Beef Steers ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Mixed Grass Prairie ◽  
Mixed Grass ◽  
Stocking Rates

Abstract To evaluate the effects of stocking and supplementation rates on steers grazing mixed-grass prairie during winter, 16 pastures (10 to 21 ha each) were selected and treatments were arranged in a 3 x 2 factorial design; the first factor was an stocking rate of 39.4, 33.2, and 29.7 animal-unit-d/ha harvested over 88 d of grazing; the second factor was supplementation at 0.9 or 1.4 kg/d. Steers were fed a 43% CP cottonseed meal-based pellet. Pastures were stocked annually in late January (2009, 2010, and 2011) with British x Continental crossbred beef steers (body weight = 202 ± 6.7 kg; n = 137 steers/yr) at stocking densities described above. Data were analyzed by ANOVA with pasture as the experimental unit and year as a random variable; least-squares means were separated with linear and quadratic contrast. From late-January to mid-March, average daily gain (ADG, kg) did not differ (P = 0.13) among stocking rates, but ADG differed (P = 0.01) between 0.9 and 1.4 kg of supplement/d. From mid-March to late-April and over the entire grazing period, ADG responded to stocking rate and interacted (P < 0.01) with supplementation rate; ADG tended to respond quadratically (P ≤ 0.09) to stocking rate at 0.9 kg/d of supplementation, but with 1.4 kg/d of supplement ADG was not affected (P ≥ 0.18). Body weight gain per hectare tended (P < 0.08) to interact between stocking and supplementation rates. With 0.9 kg/d of supplement the BW gain per hectare increased quadratically (P < 0.01) in response to increasing stocking rate, where supplementation at 1.4 kg/d resulted in BW gain per hectare increasing linearly (P < 0.01). Optimal supplementation rates with high-protein feeds is related to stocking rate. At lower stocking rates, less supplement seems to be most beneficial. At higher stocking rates, more supplement is justified.

Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia esula) Affects Vegetation More Than Seed Banks in Mixed-Grass Prairies of the Northern Great Plains

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 416-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dustin F. Haines ◽  
Diane L. Larson ◽  
Jennifer L. Larson
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Exotic Plants ◽  
Seed Banks ◽  
Leafy Spurge ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Invasion History ◽  
Living Plant ◽  
Mixed Grass

AbstractExotic plants have the ability to modify soil seed banks in habitats they invade, but little is known about the legacy of invasion on seed banks once an exotic plant has successfully been controlled. Natural areas previously invaded by leafy spurge in the northern Great Plains typically have one of two fates following its removal: a return of native plants, or a secondary invasion of other exotic plants. It is unknown, however, if this difference in plant communities following leafy spurge control is due to seed bank differences. To answer this question, we monitored seed banks and standing vegetation for 2 yr in mixed-grass prairies that were previously invaded by leafy spurge but controlled within 5 yr of our study. We found that native plant seed banks were largely intact in areas previously invaded by leafy spurge, regardless of the current living plant community, and leafy spurge invasion history had a larger impact on cover and diversity of the vegetation than on the seed banks. Differences in plant communities following leafy spurge control do not appear to be related to the seed banks, and soil conditions may be more important in determining trajectories of these postinvasion communities.

scholarly journals PSXI-14 Effects of pen cleaning on feedlot performance and carcass characteristics of beef steers fed during the winter in the northern Great Plains

2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (Supplement_4) ◽  
pp. 388-388
Author(s):  
Bryan W Neville ◽  
Rebecca L Moore ◽  
Wayde J Rodehorst
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Average Daily Gain ◽  
Dry Matter Intake ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Beef Steers ◽  
Marbling Score ◽  
Final Body Weight ◽  
Quality Grade ◽  
Similar Density

Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate the impacts of winter pen cleaning on livestock performance of beef cattle fed to finish in the Northern Great Plains. One hundred fifty-six mixed-breed beef steers (284 ± 14 kg) were assigned to one of 12 pens. Treatments were assigned randomly to pen and consisted of: 1) Control - no cleaning, 2) Apron - bunk aprons (approximately 3 m behind the bunk) cleaned twice throughout the study, and 3) Full - entirety of the pen cleaned twice throughout the study. Full pens or bunk aprons were cleaned on two occasions at 56-day intervals. Pens were stocked at a similar density, approximately 26.9 m2 of pen space per steer. Steers were adapted to and finished a common finishing diet. Cattle were provided fresh bedding weekly, with an estimated 2.5 kg cereal straw·steer−1·d−1 used as bedding during the study. Pen cleaning did not influence (P ≥ 0.48) final body weight (628 ± 12 kg), or average daily gain (1.8 ± 0.03 kg/d). Dry matter intake (10.6 ± 0.24 kg) and feed efficiency (0.167 kg gain:kg dry matter intake) were similar (P ≥ 0.55) across treatment. Hot carcass weight, ribeye area, back fat and yield grade of carcasses were not affected (P ≥ 0.44) by pen cleaning treatment. Increasing extent of pen cleaning increased marbling score (P = 0.03; 444, 463, and 484 ± 11.1 for control, apron, and full, respectively). Quality grade was greater (P < 0.05) in carcasses resulting from steers managed with either pen cleaning strategy compared to control. Further, increasing extent of pen cleaning increased (P = 0.03) quality grade of carcasses. Pen cleaning did not improve animal performance in this study, which was unexpected. Further research on the accumulation of marbling over time with different pen cleaning systems is warranted.

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