Released September 19, 2008
BATESVILLE, Ark. - 300 Days of Grazing is a program designed by Animal Science Extension faculty of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture to help Arkansas livestock producers evaluate their forage practices and attain 300 days of grazing with only 65 days of hay feeding annually.
A few farms throughout Arkansas will be selected to demonstrate how recommended management practices can be implemented cumulatively to achieve 300 days of grazing.
Although the deadline to apply to be a part of one of the demonstration projects is Oct. 1, the Livestock and Forestry Branch Station at Batesville has already begun its own project, which has three goals:
- To have a minimum 90 percent calving rate
- To wean 550 pounds average of calf from each cow
- To reduce the supplemental hay needs for the herd to 60 days or less.
"We don't believe that our work stops when research is completed," said Don Hubbell, resident director in charge of the division's Livestock and Forestry station in Batesville. "We believe that we need to 'practice what we preach' and put our work into practice at the station."
The Batesville station's project will include 38 fall-calving cows housed on 135 acres. Pasture acres consist of 40 acres of common Bermudagrass and 95 acres of cool-season forages.
In the cool-season area, there are 23 acres of novel fescue, Ark Plus, 23 acres of small grains pasture and 45 acres of endophyte-infected KY 312 tall fescue.
"The information gathered from these projects will give us a better handle on production costs and where we make - or save - money and where we need to improve management to reach our goals," said Hubbell. "A project of this nature is vital to help state livestock producers respond to the challenges of $5 diesel fuel, $4 gasoline and everything else that has recently skyrocketed in price."
The project has seven components that will examine the recommended forage management techniques to see how cost-effective they are:
- Stockpiled Bermudagrass
- Stockpiled fescue
- Improving grazing management
- Legumes in forage systems
- Cool-season annuals
- Warm-season annuals
- Minimizing hay storage loss
With rising costs, producers are challenged to determine what management adjustments are right for their operations.
For example, some producers have chosen not to purchase expensive fertilizer while others have reduced the amount of fertilizer used. Others have adjusted their livestock numbers.
Because the deadline to apply to be a part of the program is October 1, 2008, contact your local county agent if you are interested in participating in one or more of the program demonstrations.
For more information about the project, visit http://www.uaex.edu and search for 300 Days of Grazing.
---30--
http://www.uaex.edu/news/september2008/0919300days_grazing.htm
Contact: Lamar James, (501) 671-2187, ljames@uaex.edu
