Get reliable science

A 7.3 ha study site at the Agricultural Research and Development Center near Mead, NE was used to compare forage and animal production between fertilized smooth bromegrass pasture and smooth bromegrass-legume pasture. The site was divided into six pastures, with three smooth bromegrass and three smooth bromegrass-legume (alfalfa, red clover, and birdsfoot trefoil) treatments being randomly assigned to the pastures. Each pasture was subdivided into paddocks to allow for rotation through the pasture, and groups of 3-4 steers were rotationally grazed within each pasture from early May to early October in 2012, 2013, and 2014, except that steers were removed early in 2012 because of drought. Steers were weighed at the beginning and end of the study, and at regular intervals during the grazing season. Five exclosures (1 m2) were placed in each paddock prior to the initiation of grazing each year. The vegetation in the exclosures was clipped at ground level in mid-June and late September to estimate forage production each year. Vegetation was also clipped at ground level in 10 quadrats (0.25 m2) within each paddock immediately before each grazing period to allow assessment of forage availability. Overall, there was no difference in weight gains between the two pasture types, but the smooth bromegrass-legume pastures provided greater grazing days than the fertilized smooth bromegrass pastures. Forage availability was often higher in the fertilized smooth bromegrass pastures during the time between fertilizer application and seed production, but was often higher in the smooth bromegrass-legume pastures after the smooth bromegrass finished seed production.