Late-season grazing boosts cow-calf performance in tallgrass prairie.
The study looked at how different ways of grazing cows and calves in the Flint Hills affected their performance. They compared continuous grazing to a rest-rotation system at different stocking rates. After 3 years, they found that there were no significant differences in cow or calf weight based on the grazing system or stocking rate. However, calves tended to weigh more with continuous grazing. The cows' body condition and conception rates were not affected by the grazing system or stocking rate. Overall, using a late-season rest-rotation system can support cow-calf performance similar to continuous grazing at the same stocking rate.