A Comparison of Native Grass and Triticale Pastures during Late Winter for Growing Cattle in Semiarid, Subtropical Regions

Abstract

Forage-based beef production is one of the most productive agricultural systems, especially in semiarid, subtropical environments, yet it is temporally variable due to climatic factors. Dormant native perennial warm-season grasses are available for grazing from autumn through spring; however, their protein concentration is inadequate to support growing cattle. Winter cereal forages, such as triticale [×Triticosecale Wittm. ex A. Camus (Secale × Triticum)], can fill fall through spring forage gaps with sufficient protein concentration. Triticale productivity was evaluated, and beef stocker performance on triticale was compared with supplemented native grassland for late winter pasture in each of three years at New Mexico State University’s Rex E. Kirksey Agricultural Science Center in Tucumcari, NM USA. Study results indicated that triticale pasture forage mass varied over the three years due to precipitation and different triticale planting dates each year, influencing the length of grazing period. Triticale provided late winter average daily gain approximately twice that of cattle grazing dormant native grass with protein supplementation (0.70 vs. 0.36 kg hd−1 d−1, p < 0.0001). Therefore, triticale can be utilized to provide adequate growth of young calves without the added costs of supplementation.