The lamb production potential and forage quality of a forage system consisting of AU Triumph fescue and Tifton 44 bermudagrass was studied over a period of two consecutive years. Each spring, 60 yearling Suffolk ewes and 40 wethers were divided into two groups and allowed to graze two replicated 1ha AU Triumph paddocks continuously. At the end of the spring grazing season, both groups were tran...

Growing pearl millet and cowpea in combination with raising ruminant livestock is widely practised in the Sahel. In this farming system, livestock feeding depends mostly on rangeland, fallows and cropland grazing. Nutritional constraints to grazing ruminants stem primarily from feed scarcity and seasonal fluctuations in feed supply associated with low rainfall and poor soil fertility. Low feed ...

the reproductive activity is influenced by environmental conditions in most animal species. the aim of the present study was to determine the seasonal changes of seminiferous tubules structure and spermatogenic activity in khouzestan arabian rams. for this propose 30 adult rams were reared under closed grazing conditions. four rams were randomly selected in each season and their live weight, te...

Extending grazing into the winter, as opposed to feeding of harvested forages, can increase the sustainability of ranching in the western US. This study was conducted to determine the economic value of grazing stockpiled forage kochia (Kochia prostrata [L.] Scrad.) and crested wheatgrass (Agropyron desertorum [Fisch. Ex Link] Schultes) during the fall and winter. Changes in cow body weight, bod...

Vernal pools in the Sacramento Valley are essentially islands of native flora among a grassland composed primarily of exotic annual species. In managing the vernal pool landscape to sustain these islands of native flora, the integrity of the landscape’s hydrology must be maintained. One management decision that may indirectly affect hydrology is complete rest from grazing. Although the native v...

Seed germination plays an important role in determining the composition and regeneration of plant populations (Stipa breviflora). However, the influencing factors and strategies employed for seed germination in desert grasslands under grazing remain unknown. Therefore, in this study, the reproductive allocation, seed density, seed properties, and corresponding seed germination rates of S. brevi...

The relationship between intensity and timing of cattle grazing on changes in the size and composition of the soil seed bank were investigated in a 3-yr study in a Mediterranean grassland in northeastern Israel. Treatments included manipulations of stocking rates and of grazing regimes, in a factorial design. The retrieved soil seed bank community was rich in species, with 133 species accountin...

Prescribed fires are used to manipulate and manage rangelands, but effective monitoring techniques are needed to ensure that management goals and objectives are being met. The application of an effective fire program on rangelands is not a simple task. Overgrazing by livestock since the early development of the livestock industry has altered the vegetative complex on most rangelands with an inc...

Heifer rearing is one of the largest production expenses for dairy cattle operations, which is one reason milking operations outsource heifer rearing to custom developers. The cost of harvested feedstuffs is a major expense in heifer rearing. A possible way to lower feed costs is to graze dairy heifers, but little research exists on this topic in the mid-south United States. The objectives of t...

Postweaning heifer development systems were evaluated at 2 locations in a 4-yr study for their effect on performance and subsequent adaptation to grazing corn residue as a pregnant heifer. In Exp. 1, heifers were blocked by BW and randomly assigned to graze winter range (WR) or graze winter range and corn residue (CR). In Exp. 2, heifers were assigned to graze winter range and corn residue (CR)...