To determine if summer use enhanced the quality of winter forage in Florida pastures, Long et al. measured diet quality in pastures that were grazed in the winter only or grazed in the summer and winter. Summer diets had greater digestibility and crude protein content than diets in winter-only and summer and winter grazed pastures. Diet crude protein and digestibility tended to be higher in pastures that were previously grazed in the summer, however, the differences were not biologically significant as both winter pastures did not meet the nutritional requirements for cattle. Therefore, the authors conclude that summer grazing does not enhance diet quality enough to eliminate the need for winter supplementation in Florida pastures and that future experimentation should focus on introducing forage species of higher quality in this area.
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