A comparison of native tallgrass prairie and plains bluestem forage systems for cow-calf production in the Southern Great Plains

The objective of this study was to compare an introduced warm-season perenn ial grass (plains bluestem, Bothriochloa ischaemum) to native tallgrass pra irie for cow-calf production. Three systems were used, two based on tallgra ss prairie with two different forms of protein supplementation and one base d on plains bluestem as the primary forage. The systems were as follows: 1) native tallgrass prairie with pelleted oilseed meal as the winter protein supplement (native-control); 2) native tallgrass prairie with limited acces s to wheat pasture as the winter protein supplement (native-wheat); and 3) plains bluestem with limited access to wheat pasture as the protein supplem ent (bluestem-wheat). Oilseed meal protein supplements were fed twice weekl y. Cows grazing wheat pasture were allowed 6 h of grazing twice weekly. Nin ety-nine cows per year were used over the 3-yr study. Cows were sired by ei ther Charolais, Gelbvieh, Angus, or Hereford bulls out of commercial Angus- Hereford dams. Calves were sired by Simmental bulls. Calving and weaning ra te increased over time but did not differ among systems or breed types. Sys tem did not influence the size or body condition score of cows or the perfo rmance of calves, but changes in the weight and condition scores of cows we re greater on either native system than on the bluestem-wheat system. Cows from Charolais and Gelbvieh bulls were taller (P < 0.05), and heavier (P < 0.05), and weaned heavier (P < 0.05) calves than cows from Angus or Herefor d bulls. The weight of cows on the bluestem-wheat system tended to decrease over time, whereas cows grazing on the native systems tended to gain weigh t over time. The native-control system was the most profitable system based on cow production. If excess hay produced from the bluestem-wheat system w as sold as a cash crop, then this system was the most profitable. In genera l, we conclude that limit-grazing wheat pasture is a viable alternative to oilseed meal as protein supplement for wintering dry cows. Although the blu estem system had 2.5 times the carrying capacity of the native prairie syst ems, increased productivity was offset by increased production costs. All s ystems were equal on a cow basis for providing nutrients for the cow-calf p roduction system.