The objectives of this study were to compare methods of parasite control and to get an indication of the magnitude of parasite infections in organic and conventional dairy herds in Sweden. In February 1997, a questionnaire with mainly multiple choice alternatives was distributed to 162 organic and 162 conventional dairy farms in central Sweden. The response rates were 84% and 72%, respectively....

Two experiments were conducted to compare the effects of a progesterone-estradiol implant (PEI) with no implant (NI) and 20 g of copper oxide needles (CuON) with no CuON on grazing, subsequent feedlot performance, and selected serum constituents of steers. In Exp. 1, 114 Limousin crossbred yearling steers (317 kg average initial BW) were stocked continuously on Acremonium coenophialum-infected ...

There is substantial concern that microbial and nutrient pollution by cattle on public lands degrades water quality, threatening human and ecological health. Given the importance of clean water on multiple-use landscapes, additional research is required to document and examine potential water quality issues across common resource use activities. During the 2011 grazing-recreation season, we con...

The nutrient quality of forage, particularly perennial warm-season grasses, is often lacking in trace mineral content to supply the requirements of most all classes of grazing cattle. Since forage is the most significant contributor to the trace mineral nutrition of grazing beef cattle, it is important to consider these deficits and how they may impact the performance of the cattle consuming th...

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate effects of corn dry distiller grains plus condensed solubles (DDGS) supplementation level on performance digestion characteristics of steers grazing native range during the forage growing season. In the performance study, 72 (206 ± 23.6 kg; 2008) and 60 (230 ± 11.3 kg; 2009) English crossbred steer calves were used in a randomized complete block design...

Theoretical models predict that drylands can cross critical thresholds, but experimental manipulations to evaluate them are non-existent. We used a long-term (13-year) pulse-perturbation experiment featuring heavy grazing and shrub removal to determine if critical thresholds and their determinants can be demonstrated in Chihuahuan Desert grasslands. We asked if cover values or patch-size metric...

Cattle and sheep grazed together and separately from April to October during 3 yr. Initial forage composition was 29% Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.), 11% white clover (Trifolium repens L.), and 60% weeds. There were six Angus cow-calf pairs or six ewes (1/2 Dorset x 1/4 Finn x 1/4 Rambouillet) with 11 lambs per each of three pasture replications for single animal species. Six cow-calf pa...

Goats (Capra hircus hircus) offer an opportunity to more effectively convert pasture nutrients to animal products as milk, meat and fiber which are currently marketable and in demand by a growing segment of the US population. With the introduction of the Boer breed and the upgrading of meat-type goats with Boer genetics, research focusing on forage evaluation, feeding strategies and the develop...

A grazing study was undertaken to examine the effect of maintaining three levels of pre-grazing herbage mass (HM) on dairy cow performance, grass dry matter (DM) production and output from perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) pastures. Cows were randomly assigned to one of three pre-grazing HM treatments: 1150 - Low HM (L), 1400 - Medium HM (M) or 2000 kg DM/ha - High HM (H). Herbage accumula...