The suitability of tall wheatgrass (Agropyron elongatum) as an early spring to late summer cattle forage was determined by exposing this plant to different clipping frequencies and measuring it's forage quality and growth during this period. Plants clipped every four weeks had higher annual yield than plants clipped every one or two weeks. Clipping frequency did not affect plant nitrogen but did affect plant mineral content, more frequently clipped plants (every 1 or 2 weeks) had lower potassium and phosphorous contents and higher calcium and magnesium contents than plants clipped every four weeks. The authors recommend that tall wheatgrass pastures should be grazed under rotational grazing to maximize forage yield and that further studies should determine if mineral and nutrient supplementation will be required with this grazing management.
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