Project Number: 1932-21630-002-02
Project Type: Specific C/A

Start Date: Feb 01, 2000
End Date: Jan 31, 2005

Objective:
Develop and analyze innovative beef-cattle production systems appropriate to Appalachian resources. Determine effects of soil amendment and pasture management on forage and beef production based on land resources on a typical Appalachian farm. Evaluate timing and type of supplementation to beef cattle to enhance efficiency of utilization under grazing conditions. Compare systems of post weaning, stocker and heifer development. Determine costs and environmental consequences of production systems.

Approach:
Pasture experiments will be conducted comparing different regimes of soil fertility (pH, available P and K). Effects of different treatments on pasture production and quality will be measured. Various supplements will be fed to grazing animals. Timing will be varied and pasture intake, pasture and starch digestibility, grazing time, pasture production and quality will be measured. Off-site movement of nutrients will be monitored. Post-weaning managements will be compared using data obtained from soil fertility and supplementation experiments. These results will be applicable to weaning and backgrounding, heifer development and stocker systems. Production systems will be developed from previous and on-going experiments and analyzed economically for application to Appalachia. Much of the pasture experimentation will be applicable to all beef-cattle systems.

Project Team

Clapham, William Turner, Kenneth Belesky, David W Bryan - Scientist (304)256-2857

Project Annual Reports

FY 2003   FY 2002   FY 2001   FY 2000

Related National Programs

Food Animal Production (101)   Rangeland, Pasture, and Forages (205)