The Effect of Wintering Plane of Nutrition on Subsequent Gains of Beef Yearling Steers on Irrigated Pastures

Abstract

Weaned beef calves wintered at three levels of nutrition were subsequently placed on six kinds of irrigated pastures. There was a significant difference between the pasture gains of the steers wintered at the low level and those wintered at medium and high levels. A significant negative correlation was found between winter gains and subsequent pasture gains. Cattle grazing the grass-legume mixtures gained significantly faster than those grazing the pure stands of grasses. Wintering treatment had no significant effect on feedlot performance of the cattle following the grazing season.