Nutritional management of calves grazing wheat and small grain pasture

Small grain forages are a unique and economically important resource in the Southern Great Plains similar areas worldwide. Income is possible from both increasing value of stocker calves grazing during fall winter as well harvested grain. Wheat other small species used this “dual purpose” production system if removed pastures at first hollow stem development stage. As more producers have opted to forgo harvest order graze-out cropped acres, grains (oats, cereal rye, triticale, barley) cool-season annuals (annual ryegrass) often planted mixtures. These alternative mixtures protein digestibility attributes wheat pasture, so management supplementation recommendations similar. Risk factors include forage growth climatic variation bloat provocative nature forage, which impacts performance, death losses economics enterprise. high crude Protein (17 35% DM) highly digestible (up 85% IVOMD), adequate for potential average daily gains excess 2.5 lbs per day. However, these performance levels not achieved practice. Growth impacted by availability, mineral deficiencies imbalances, energy imbalances rumen, bloat. This review focuses on nutritional smallgrain improve predictability maintain economic sustainability.