Evaluations of systems for growing and finishing steers on pasture

The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate systems of growing and finishing steers on pasture. The systems included a winter grazing phase, next a spring-summer grazing phase with supplemental feeding and finally a finishing phase. During the winter, the steers grazed orchard grass or fescue pasture. As the pastures became short, a good quality mixed hay was fed ad lib. The spring-summer grazing phase consisted of four treatments. Treatment number 1 was the control treatment and received no supplementation during the spring-summer grazing phase. Steers on treatment 2 were supplemented at the rate of 1.0 lb. of corn per animal CWT from May 14 to August 30. Treatments 3 and 4 began supplementation on July 1 and ended on August 30. These cattle were supplemented at the rate of 0.5 lb. and 1.0 lb. of corn per animal CWT, respectively. Summer grazing was followed by a finishing phase in which half the steers that were formerly on fescue were fed outside and half were fed inside. Steers formerly on orchard grass were fed in a similar manner; half were fed inside and half outside. Results of this study showed that gain, condition and fat thickness were significantly affected by supplemental feeding of grain on pasture. The effect of former pasture type and inside or outside feeding did not significantly affect gain, ADG or final fat thickness.