Grazing of crested wheatgrass, with particular reference to effects of pasture size

Abstract

Utilization of a crested wheatgrass pasture was studied at constant stocking rate (3 cattle/ha) in pastures of 1, 2, 4, and 8 ha, with herd sizes ranging from 3-24 head. Pasture utilization on a perplant basis and estimated forage consumption per head were significantly lower in the smallest pastures by the end of the trial. Complementary trends in overall pasture utilization and live-weight gain were not significant. Variation among replicates for a number of pasture utilization attributes tended to be greatest in 1-ha pastures. Marked differences in animal behaviour were evident among the herds and are hypothesized to account for these differences. Animals selected against the smallest plants of crested wheatgrass and in favor of areas of higher forage production but no significant differences in uniformity of utilization among pasture sizes were demonstrated.