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Grass-fed -- a new post
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<blockquote data-quote="edrsimms" data-source="post: 692034" data-attributes="member: 10970"><p>Since most of us do not have the ability to graze virgin rangeland and instead graze ground that has been farmed or hayed in the past, I think we need to see what we have to work with and a soil test is a place to start. jmho.</p><p></p><p>Thanks again for your extensive post and passion.</p><p></p><p>JimSRBeef </p><p> <strong>To try to get back to your question about high fertility and quality pastures there are many things that are beyond the soil test to understand. I dont want to insult your intelligence, but will just say this in a very fundamental way because there are several others to read this as well. </strong></p><p><strong>In Summary:</strong></p><p><strong>When cattle start to finish things start to get very difficult from a grass stand-point because fat requires the forage to be highly digestible and rich in soluble carbohydrates (sugars). these sugars are not only determined by the plant species, but stage of growth and level of soil mineralization. Ideal protien to soluble carbohydrates is 1:1. Nitrogen fertilizer has little place in a grass finishing program as it artificially elevates the protien of the grasses. While finishing cattle we would rather keep CP and carbohydrates in balance --hence 1:1. This ratio can be easily upset through the use of artificial N fertilizers . Finishing pastures tend to be high in legumes, not only because of their higher digestibilities, but because the soil N they create is in a slow release form that does not cause the plant proteins to spike as artificial N does.</strong></p><p><strong>To finish (to produce intramuscular fat)-- a grass-fed animal must gain at least 1.7 lbs per day to exceed the maintenance threshhold. </strong></p><p><strong>Forages have to be 65% digestible, at least 20% DM, CP that does not exceed 18%, and a soluble carbohydrate content of at least 15%.</strong></p><p><strong>This is why I say that warm season perennial grasses have no place in grass fed finishing and this has to be done with winter and summer annuals</strong></p><p><strong>The problems associated with this process are:</strong></p><p><strong>Your forages have to overlap one another in such a way that there are no ups and downs of quality grazing while on the 60 to 90 day finishing process (a bimodal curve of nutrition is like a roller coaster ride of nutrition and it wont work)</strong></p><p><strong>traditionally everyone in this business sees spring flush as a spike of nutrition which follows a summer slump of lower nutrition and this will kill a grass-fed program.</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p>Ed</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="edrsimms, post: 692034, member: 10970"] Since most of us do not have the ability to graze virgin rangeland and instead graze ground that has been farmed or hayed in the past, I think we need to see what we have to work with and a soil test is a place to start. jmho. Thanks again for your extensive post and passion. JimSRBeef [b]To try to get back to your question about high fertility and quality pastures there are many things that are beyond the soil test to understand. I dont want to insult your intelligence, but will just say this in a very fundamental way because there are several others to read this as well. In Summary: When cattle start to finish things start to get very difficult from a grass stand-point because fat requires the forage to be highly digestible and rich in soluble carbohydrates (sugars). these sugars are not only determined by the plant species, but stage of growth and level of soil mineralization. Ideal protien to soluble carbohydrates is 1:1. Nitrogen fertilizer has little place in a grass finishing program as it artificially elevates the protien of the grasses. While finishing cattle we would rather keep CP and carbohydrates in balance --hence 1:1. This ratio can be easily upset through the use of artificial N fertilizers . Finishing pastures tend to be high in legumes, not only because of their higher digestibilities, but because the soil N they create is in a slow release form that does not cause the plant proteins to spike as artificial N does. To finish (to produce intramuscular fat)-- a grass-fed animal must gain at least 1.7 lbs per day to exceed the maintenance threshhold. Forages have to be 65% digestible, at least 20% DM, CP that does not exceed 18%, and a soluble carbohydrate content of at least 15%. This is why I say that warm season perennial grasses have no place in grass fed finishing and this has to be done with winter and summer annuals The problems associated with this process are: Your forages have to overlap one another in such a way that there are no ups and downs of quality grazing while on the 60 to 90 day finishing process (a bimodal curve of nutrition is like a roller coaster ride of nutrition and it wont work) traditionally everyone in this business sees spring flush as a spike of nutrition which follows a summer slump of lower nutrition and this will kill a grass-fed program. [/b] Ed [/QUOTE]
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