Applied Animal Science最新文献

{"title":"Use of fiber recovered from dairy manure as a roughage source in finishing beef cattle diets","authors":"Colton D. Weir,&nbsp;Zachary M. Duncan,&nbsp;W. Cole Ellis,&nbsp;Macie C. Wiegand,&nbsp;William R. Hollenbeck,&nbsp;Evan C. Titgemeyer,&nbsp;Dale A. Blasi","doi":"10.15232/aas.2025-02734","DOIUrl":"10.15232/aas.2025-02734","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>Evaluate the effects of feeding fiber recov-ered from dairy cattle manure (Lignium Fiber, Lignium Corp., Boca Raton, FL) on feed intake, apparent digest-ibility, and ruminal fermentation characteristics in finish-ing beef heifers.</div></div><div><h3>Materials and Methods</h3><div>Eight ruminally cannulated crossbred beef heifers (initial BW = 520 ± 85.5 kg) were used in an experiment with replicated, concurrent 4 × 4 Latin squares with 4 consecutive 15-d periods. How-ever, data from one heifer were not collected due to health complications. Heifers were fed 1 of 4 experimental diets that contained (DM basis) 8.0% warm-season grass hay (HAY), 8.0% wheat straw (WSTRAW), 8.0% Lignium Fi-ber (LIG), or 4% warm-season grass hay + 4% Lignium Fiber (HAY+LIG). All diets contained 46.7% dry-rolled corn, 5.3% supplement, and 40.0% wet-corn gluten feed (DM basis). Individual roughage sources were evaluated using the Penn State Particle Separator. Each period in-cluded 10 d of diet adaptation, 4 d of fecal collection, and 1 d of ruminal digesta collection. Chromic oxide was used as a marker to determine diet digestibility. Ruminal pH, concentrations of ammonia, and volatile fatty acids (VFA) were measured.</div></div><div><h3>Results and Discussion</h3><div>When evaluated using the Penn State Particle Separator, 16%, 23%, and 94% of particles from wheat straw, warm-season grass hay, and Lignium Fiber were &lt;4.0 mm, respectively. Intake and ap-parent digestibility of DM, OM, NDF did not differ among treatments. Intake of ADF tended to be greatest for LIG, intermediate for HAY+LIG and WSTRAW, and least for HAY. Acid detergent fiber digestibility tended to be great-est for HAY, intermediate for HAY+LIG and WSTRAW, and least for LIG. Average ruminal pH and concentra-tions of total VFA and ammonia did not differ among treatments. However, ruminal propionate and isovalerate tended to be greater for HAY, LIG, and HAY + LIG com-pared with WSTRAW.</div></div><div><h3>Implications and Applications</h3><div>Incorporating Lig-nium Fiber into a finishing diet based on dry-rolled corn with 40% wet-corn gluten feed (DM basis) in place of hay or wheat straw did not affect DMI, apparent DM digest-ibility, or ruminal pH.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8519,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Science","volume":"42 1","pages":"Pages 31-40"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146015751","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Call for Submissions","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/S2590-2865(26)00006-6","DOIUrl":"10.1016/S2590-2865(26)00006-6","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8519,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Science","volume":"42 1","pages":"Pages iv-vi"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146015648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synthetic feedlot cattle populations for the High Plains cattle feeding area","authors":"M.L. Galyean ,&nbsp;J.D. Rivera ,&nbsp;K.E. Hales ,&nbsp;B.P. Holland ,&nbsp;T.C. Bryant","doi":"10.15232/aas.2025-02750","DOIUrl":"10.15232/aas.2025-02750","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>Our objective was to develop synthetic mul-tivariate normal populations of feedlot steers and heifers of various types using data from 2 cattle feeding compa-nies and to make these synthetic population data publicly available.</div></div><div><h3>Materials and Methods</h3><div>Close-out data from lots of cattle from 20 feedlot locations owned by Cactus Feed-ers and Five Rivers Cattle Feeding (10 locations for each company) were made available for analysis. Lots that en-compassed 6 groups of cattle were evaluated, including Native steers (3,483 and 2,777 lots for Cactus Feeders and Five Rivers, respectively); Native heifers (2,440 and 1,941 lots); Mexican steers (553 and 456 lots); Mexican heifers (132 and 174 lots); Beef × Dairy steers (474 and 71 lots); and Beef × Dairy heifers (285 and 36, lots). The SIM-NORMAL procedure of SAS was used to create multivari-ate normal populations with the following variables: initial BW, final BW, DMI, dead cattle excluded (deads-out) and dead cattle included (deads-in) ADG, and HCW. The F:G was calculated for each lot from the simulated DMI and ADG values, and DP was calculated from simulated final BW and HCW.</div></div><div><h3>Results and Discussion</h3><div>Means and standard devia-tions for simulated population data were nearly the same as the original close-out data for each group. Considerable variation was evident for minimum and maximum values in the synthetic populations compared with the original data, particularly for the Beef × Dairy and Mexican-origin cattle, reflecting the smaller numbers of observations in these datasets and use of the normal distribution to gener-ate the synthetic data. Indeed, abnormally low (Mexican cattle) and negative (Beef × Dairy cattle) values for initial BW were observed, indicating the need for careful data curation when sampling these synthetic populations.</div></div><div><h3>Implications and Applications</h3><div>Potential applica-tions for these data include economic evaluations, simu-lations related to nutrient requirement recommendations or environmental impacts of cattle feeding, and statistical applications like determining appropriate sample sizes for field experiments. The 6 synthetic populations (10,000 lot-level observations per population) we created are available for download at <span><span>https://www.depts.ttu.edu/afs/burnett_center/synthetic-populations.php</span><svg><path></path></svg></span>. We intend to periodi-cally update these files to provide more robust values, par-ticularly for the Beef × Dairy and Mexican-origin popula-tions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8519,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Science","volume":"42 1","pages":"Pages 75-83"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146015754","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nutritive value and fermentation characteristics of bermudagrass silage treated with propionic acid and microbial inoculant","authors":"Hiran M.S. da Silva ,&nbsp;Joao M.B. Vendramini ,&nbsp;Philipe Moriel ,&nbsp;Jaime E. Garzon ,&nbsp;Victor F.B. Miranda ,&nbsp;Luiz F. Ferraretto","doi":"10.15232/aas.2025-02743","DOIUrl":"10.15232/aas.2025-02743","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of propionic acid and microbial inoculant on nutritive value and fermentative characteristics of bermu-dagrass silage and its intake and digestibility when fed to beef heifers.</div></div><div><h3>Material and Methods</h3><div>The study was conducted at Ona, Florida, in 2018 and 2019. In Exp. 1 bermudagrass (<em>Cynodon dactylon</em> [L.] Pers.) was ensiled with 3 levels of propionic acid (0% [control], 0.5%, and 1.0% of the forage fresh weight), and in Exp. 2 treatments were control or 0.5%, 1.0%, and 0.5% + Early Sile Advance (Micron Bio-Systems Inc.) of the forage fresh weight, distributed in a completely randomized design with 5 replicates. In Exp. 3, Angus × Brahman crossbred heifers (n = 18 heifers per year; 2 yr) were individually fed for 21 d. Treatments were bermudagrass silage treated with 3 levels of propionic acid (control or 0.5% or 1.0% of the forage fresh weight) distributed in a completely randomized design with 6 replicates.</div></div><div><h3>Results and Discussion</h3><div>Propionic acid treatment at 0.5% and 1.0% increased silage CP and TDN while reduc-ing NDF and ADF. Treated silages had lower pH, butyric acid, and ammonia-N concentrations but greater lactic and acetic acid concentrations and aerobic stability com-pared with control. Despite improvements in fermentation characteristics and microbial communities, no differences were observed in DMI and in vivo forage digestibility. Mi-crobial inoculant did not affect bermudagrass nutritive value and fermentation characteristics.</div></div><div><h3>Implications and Applications</h3><div>Treating bermudag-rass silage with 0.5% propionic acid is a feasible manage-ment practice to improve bermudagrass silage preserva-tion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8519,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Science","volume":"42 1","pages":"Pages 9-18"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146015795","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparison between in situ and in vitro techniques to estimate rumen dry matter and neutral detergent fiber digestibility of typical feedstuffs for dairy cow nutrition","authors":"Yoav Shaani ,&nbsp;Lilya Livshits ,&nbsp;Uzi Moallem","doi":"10.15232/aas.2025-02674","DOIUrl":"10.15232/aas.2025-02674","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>The objective of this study was to compare 2 techniques for assessing DM and NDF rumen digestibility of feedstuff: the in situ nylon bag technique and the Daisy^II (Ankom Technology Corporation) incubator technique.</div></div><div><h3>Materials and Methods</h3><div>In this study, we compared the estimated rumen digestibility of DM and NDF be-tween both techniques for wheat silage, corn silage, wheat hay, and alfalfa hay as forage feeds and ground corn, corn gluten feed, dry distillers grains, and canola meal as con-centrate feeds. In total, we compared 96 samples for DM and 85 samples for NDF digestibility at 9, 30, 120, and 240 h of incubation.</div></div><div><h3>Results and Discussion</h3><div>We found a high correlation between the 2 techniques for both DM (r² = 0.90) and NDF (r² = 0.95) digestibility. However, for several feed-stuffs, comparing the 2 methods resulted in no consistent trend in digestibility, mainly for NDF, throughout the in-cubation times. We also analyzed the data by 2 categories: forage versus concentrate. The correlation between the digestibility of DM and NDF using both techniques was greater for concentrate than for forage feedstuffs (r² = 0.94 and r² ~0.90, respectively). We assume that the greater consistency in the texture and chemical composition of concentrate feedstuffs, compared with forages, accounts for the greater correlation observed.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions and Applications</h3><div>In conclusion, the correlation between the estimated rumen digestibility of DM and NDF in situ and with the Daisy^II was high. How-ever, inconsistencies in NDF digestibility were evident between the in situ and Daisy^II techniques across feed fami-lies, individual feedstuffs, and incubation times. These discrepancies highlight the limitations of both techniques and suggest that feed evaluation and ration formulation should rely on a single analytical method rather than mix results from different approaches.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8519,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Science","volume":"42 1","pages":"Pages 1-8"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146015794","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating the effects of feeding management practices and ruminal acidosis on the development of liver abscesses in beef × dairy crossbred steers","authors":"Taylor A. Loeffler ,&nbsp;Kristin E. Hales ,&nbsp;Tiruvoor G. Nagaraja ,&nbsp;Raghavendra G. Amachawadi ,&nbsp;Ty E. Lawrence ,&nbsp;Trent E. Schwartz ,&nbsp;Tommy Perkins ,&nbsp;Nicole C. Burdick Sanchez ,&nbsp;Aubrey C. Thompson-Smith ,&nbsp;Kallie D. Childress ,&nbsp;Colten W. Dornbach ,&nbsp;Blake J. Sitka ,&nbsp;Maddie S. Grant ,&nbsp;Mina Abbasi ,&nbsp;Xiaorong Shi ,&nbsp;Leigh Ann George ,&nbsp;Michael L. Galyean ,&nbsp;Paul R. Broadway","doi":"10.15232/aas.2025-02708","DOIUrl":"10.15232/aas.2025-02708","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>We assessed the effects of feeding manage-ment practices, ruminal acidosis, and inoculant concentra-tions of <em>Fusobacterium necrophorum</em> ssp. <em>necrophorum</em> and <em>Salmonella enterica</em> serovar Lubbock on liver abscess (LA) prevalence in beef × dairy steers.</div></div><div><h3>Materials and Methods</h3><div>Beef × dairy steers (n = 40, initial BW = 88 ± 2.2 kg) were assigned randomly to 1 of 4 treatments: NCON = a high-concentrate diet represen-tative of a standard finishing diet (STD); PCON = a high-concentrate acidotic diet (AD) in which steers were cycled 3-times between AD and a low-concentrate diet (LC) plus 3 intraruminal inoculations of <em>F. necrophorum</em> and <em>S. en-terica</em> (each at 1 × 10⁷ cfu/mL; 100 mL/steer,); STDF = a high-concentrate diet (STD) and 3 intraruminal in-oculations of <em>F. necrophorum</em>; and STDFS = STD and 3 intraruminal inoculations of <em>F. necrophorum</em> and <em>S. en-terica</em>. Steer was the experimental unit. Continuous data were analyzed using mixed models, and categorical data were analyzed using binomial proportions with treatment, time, and their interaction as fixed effects. Hematology was evaluated on d −12 (pre-study), 0 (inoculation), 10, 22, and the day before harvest on d 33 to evaluate signs of systemic infection.</div></div><div><h3>Results and Discussion</h3><div>Prevalences of LA were 0%, 22%, 33%, and 44% for NCON, PCON, STDF, and STDFS, respectively, but did not differ among treatments. No differences among treatments were observed for ru-menitis or lung health scores. No correlation was observed between LA presence and other variables, including feed disappearance, blood hematology, and rumen, lung, colon, or ileum scores. Ultrasonography as a method to detect LA showed increased sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy as days after the intraruminal inoculation increased, sug-gesting the need for further research on detection strate-gies and techniques.</div></div><div><h3>Implications and Applications</h3><div>An important find-ing of this study is the ability to induce LA in steers fed a standard high-concentrate finishing diet followed by in-traruminal inoculation of <em>F. necrophorum</em> ssp. <em>necropho-rum</em> and <em>S. enterica.</em> This experiment confirms that rumi-nal acidosis is not required to induce LA, and the presence of the etiologic agent in the rumen is sufficient to induce LA.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8519,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Science","volume":"42 1","pages":"Pages 41-58"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146015752","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"\"February\" Cover","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/S2590-2865(26)00001-7","DOIUrl":"10.1016/S2590-2865(26)00001-7","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8519,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Science","volume":"42 1","pages":"Page OFC"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146015645","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Case Study: Assessment of nutrient content of Kansas grasslands enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program","authors":"J.M. Warner ,&nbsp;A.G. Schwartz ,&nbsp;B.J. Fraser ,&nbsp;J.W.L. Banks ,&nbsp;J.K. Farney ,&nbsp;J.W. Waggoner ,&nbsp;S.K. Johnson","doi":"10.15232/aas.2025-02730","DOIUrl":"10.15232/aas.2025-02730","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>The objective was to assess nutrient compo-sition of standing Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) forages across Kansas throughout the year in relation to various environmental and management factors affecting forage quality.</div></div><div><h3>Materials and Methods</h3><div>Forage samples (n = 294) from a total of 25 different sites across 16 counties through-out Kansas were collected over 2 yr. Samples were collected monthly and analyzed in a single commercial laboratory for CP, ADF, NDF, calculated energy, and macromineral concentrations to determine nutrient composition changes throughout the year.</div></div><div><h3>Results and Discussion</h3><div>Whereas nutrient compo-sition varied considerably by month, CP, fiber, and sub-sequent energy measurements generally followed typical seasonal patterns for warm-season forages. In May, for-age samples collected from eastern Kansas were greater in TDN and NEg and tended to have increased NEm com-pared with northwestern Kansas samples. Concentrations of most macrominerals appeared to change in response to the growing season, with Ca and K having increased ranges and variation within months compared with P and Mg. Calcium concentrations appeared increased relative to P, and K concentrations increased during the growing season.</div></div><div><h3>Implications and Applications</h3><div>The objective of this case study was to largely report nutrient data and associ-ated variability in such data that exist. Knowledge of nu-trient composition of CRP forages is critical for informed livestock management and policy decision-making, and these data will greatly contribute to helping fill an existing gap in the literature.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8519,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Science","volume":"42 1","pages":"Pages 19-30"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146015796","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Perspective and Commentary: Effects of climate change on long-term resilience of beef cattle production and potential management strategies for producers to overcome these challenges","authors":"P.A. Beck ,&nbsp;M.R. Beck","doi":"10.15232/aas.2025-02719","DOIUrl":"10.15232/aas.2025-02719","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>The North American climate has shifted to a dry cycle reminiscent of the mid-20th century. Drought-related destocking of cow-calf operations reduces feeder cattle supplies. Swings in the beef cattle supply are detri-mental to the long-term profitability and sustainability of enterprises within the beef production chain. Additionally, nutritional and heat stress can result in more intrusive issues and have long-term implications on feeder cattle health and productivity. Our objective was to initiate dis-cussion about the effects of climate disturbances on the feeder cattle supply, potential management strategies to overcome these challenges, and future research needs on this topic.</div></div><div><h3>Sources</h3><div>For this analysis we accessed long-term cli-mate model predictions and historic trends to forecast future climate trends. Effects of climate disruptions on feeder cattle production were demonstrated using data from research projects in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Pertinent literature was used to support opinions and find-ings from primary sources.</div></div><div><h3>Synthesis</h3><div>Producers in cow-calf enterprises with set stocking rates based on the forage production in average to good rainfall years must often destock during years with unfavorable forge production. There are indications in the literature of reduced fertility of replacement heifer offspring of cows subjected to nutritional and heat stress during pregnancy. Mature weight of cows is increasing in all regions of the United States, effectively increasing stocking rates and reducing system resilience. Decreasing body condition and nutritional deficiencies in cows during late pregnancy can lead to long-term health consequences and poorer performance and carcass quality of the off-spring. Producers need to make changes to their produc-tion practices, becoming proactive instead of reactive to climate to remain profitable in the long term. The proac-tive approaches may include intensification of production practices through grazing and forage management or flex-ible stocking strategies.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions and Applications</h3><div>Pasture and live-stock management plans need to be in place in a timely manner to prevent swings in cattle numbers and negative effects on long-term productivity and well-being of feeder calves in response to climate stressors. These areas have not been extensively studied, resulting in knowledge gaps and a need for more research efforts on these topics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8519,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Science","volume":"42 1","pages":"Pages 84-94"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146015755","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Animal and economic performance of alternative bermudagrass-based stocker cattle forage grazing systems","authors":"Katherine L. Welch ,&nbsp;Jon T. Biermacher ,&nbsp;B. Wade Brorsen ,&nbsp;Sindy M. Interrante ,&nbsp;Evan M. Whitley ,&nbsp;Twain J. Butler","doi":"10.15232/aas.2025-02722","DOIUrl":"10.15232/aas.2025-02722","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>Determine animal performance and eco-nomic net returns for 6 bermudagrass-based pasture graz-ing systems in the US Southern Great Plains.</div></div><div><h3>Materials and Methods</h3><div>Animal performance data from a 4-yr split-plot grazing study conducted in south-central Oklahoma were used to evaluate 6 bermudagrass-based stocker cattle grazing systems: bermudagrass forage with 112 kg N/ha (100 lb/acre) and a feed supplement under continuous stocking (BNSC), bermudagrass forage with 112 kg N/ha and a feed supplement grazed in a 28-d rest rotation (BNSR), bermudagrass forage without N fer-tilizer with a feed supplement under continuous stocking (BSC), bermudagrass forage without N fertilizer with a feed supplement grazed in a 28-d rest rotation (BSR), ber-mudagrass forage interseeded with grazing-tolerant alfalfa under continuous stocking (BAC), and bermudagrass for-age interseeded with grazing-tolerant alfalfa grazed in a 28-d rest rotation (BAR). Enterprise budgets and mixed effect models were used to estimate means for measures of animal performance and net returns.</div></div><div><h3>Results and Discussion</h3><div>Total gain was greater in the BNSC system (324 kg/ha) than the BNSR and BAR sys-tems with gains of 307 and 299 kg/ha. Interseeded alfalfa with rotational grazing (BAR) had the greatest net re-turn of $44/ha ($18/acre). The next-best system was BAC with a net return of −$56/ha. The conventional systems (BNSC and BNSR) had low net returns due to fertilizer and supplemental feed costs, and rotational systems (BSR and BNSR) had low net returns due to greater water, fenc-ing, and labor costs.</div></div><div><h3>Implications and Applications</h3><div>The bermudagrass systems with interseeded alfalfa performed better eco-nomically than the conventional bermudagrass systems. The alfalfa rotational system was more economical than conventional continuously stocked systems because giving alfalfa time to recover from preferential grazing, extended its stand life.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8519,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Science","volume":"42 1","pages":"Pages 59-74"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146015753","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}