Increasing Cattle Herd Size or Density in C Grass-Legume Meadows Reduces Dietary Quality.

Animal density is a grazing management decision implemented by managers that may reduce animal diet quality. Over three years, we collected herd-level cattle samples with varying animal numbers and densities across C grass-legume meadows near Powell, WY, USA. Paddocks ranged in size from 3 to 72 ha, cattle groups ranged from 80 to 370 animals, animal units (AUs; defined as heifers = 0.

Sward characteristics, herbage accumulation and nutritional value of elephantgrass based mixed with or without pinto peanut.

Elephantgrass stands out for its high potential for forage production in different tropical and subtropical regions. In most properties, it is cultivated intensively with high doses of mineral fertilizers, mainly nitrogen, which makes production expensive and less sustainable. In this context, the mixtures of elephantgrass with forage legumes can make the system more efficient and with less environmental impact.