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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Booneville, Arkansas » Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #154655
Title: RESEARCH ROUND-UP

Author
item Looper, Michael

Submitted to: Sebastian County Extension Newsletter
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/10/2003
Publication Date: 10/10/2003
Citation: Looper, M.L. 2003. Research round-up. Sebastian County Extension Newsletter. pp 1-2.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Two experiments pertinent to livestock producers are summarized as an update of research at the Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center. One experiment examined management practices for early weaned calves. Calves were either early or normal weaned and grazed bermudagrass. Early weaned calves received either 3 lbs/day per calf of a corn:soybean meal supplement or no supplementation. Within the early weaned group, calves fed the corn:soybean meal diet gained 0.8 lbs/day versus a gain of 0.5 lbs/day for non-supplemented calves. At approximately 7.5 months of age, early weaned calves weighed less than normal weaned calves. Early weaned calves gained 2.8 lbs/day while normal weaned calves gained 2.3 lbs/day grazing rye. Animals were transported to the feedyard to be fed until finished. At the current time, carcass data has been collected on approximately one-half of the calves. The second experiment examined management practices for older cows, typical of those purchased at a sale barn. This study included 42 crossbred cows. Cows grazed stockpiled fescue and were not supplemented or fed diets of soyhulls or corn:soybean meal at 2 lbs/day. Cows that only grazed stockpiled fescue gained an average of 1.2 lbs/day. Cows fed the corn:soybean meal diet gained 1.5 lbs/day, and cows fed soyhulls gained 1.75 lbs/day. Ninety percent of all cows were pregnant. Average income over purchase price and feed costs was $227 for cows fed the corn:soybean meal diet, $212 for control cows, and $208 for cows fed soyhulls. Preliminary results from this study would indicate that cows fed soyhulls while grazing stockpiled fescue gained better than cows fed corn:soybean meal diets or control cows. Furthermore, feeding a corn:soybean meal diet would only slightly increase profitability of cull cows grazing stockpiled fescue.