Figure 2. Second grazer heifers topgrazing residual crabgrass forage after first grazer steers grazing.

Figure 3. Second grazer heifers finishing crabgrass residue just before cereal rye planting in this double crop syndrome.

First grazer steers' initial weight was 361 pounds. They gained 2.90, 2.90, and 2.42 pounds per day during the first month, second month, and final fifteen days, respectively, on good crabgrass pasture. Certainly there was some initial fill involved, but the second and third periods would not have been influenced by it. There were seventy-five grazing days in total. Without initial fill, the ADG during the last two weighing periods was 2.63 pounds, which was good, considering the last month or more was on drought-stricken or maturing crabgrass. The overall pasture gain basis was 2.75 pounds of ADG. The overall ADG (buy weight to sell weight) was 1.81 pounds per day. We made no effort to manage against market-shrink losses. These ADGs are further testimony to 'Red River' crabgrass's forage quality and the grazing techniques we used.

Twenty percent of the steers had an ADG of over 3.0 pounds per day. One steer, Hero, had a whopping 3.57 pounds of ADG. Seventy percent of the steers had over 2.5 pounds of ADG and 100 percent produced over 2.0 pounds. The lowest individual ADG was 2.32 pounds. All of these gains are on a pasture-gain basis.

Second grazer crossbred home-raised replacement heifers were grass fat and weighed 968 pounds per head initially. The target ADG for them was about 0.66 to 1.00 pound. Second grazer heifers' ADG was 0.77 pound for the entire trial. We believe they shrank somewhat the last few days while grazing dried crabgrass residue to ready the field for the next rye planting. Overall performance of the second grazers was acceptable but not their best.

We initiated grazing on high-quality 'Red River' crabgrass about two weeks late because of other commitments, so we missed using the crabgrass at its optimum. In other words, we missed 16 percent of the whole season, which would have been ninety days long.

Remember, we used only a four-paddock grazing cell, which means with two herds we were, in effect, using two, two-paddock grazing cells. Such a use detracted from our grazing management, as illustrated below, and is something we hope to correct.

The first grazer steers had an average grazing period of ten days, with a range of one to fifteen days; second grazer heifers, seven days, with a range of one to fifteen. We would like grazing periods, especially for first grazers, to be three to four days or fewer. The same is true for second grazers, but because of lower performance goals, somewhat longer grazing periods are tolerable. In order to shorten and have more control over grazing periods, more paddocks are necessary. Shorter grazing periods equal higher ADG.

Since grazing periods of first and second grazers sometimes overlapped on a given paddock, the actual grazing period on a paddock basis was even longer. Average grazing period per paddock was thirteen days, with a range of one to twenty-six days, which is too long.

Recovery periods on a paddock basis averaged ten days, with a range of five to seventeen days, which is a little short, but in a topgrazing program, there is usually residue consisting of stockpiled forage plus regrowth. In general, we would like to have about three-week recovery periods from a relatively minimal residue of three to six inches.

Grazing days per acre (GDA) is a measure of production, stocking rate, and carrying capacity. These data can be converted to estimated figures for any stock herd as well as estimated per-acre forage use.

The first grazer steers were the lighter stocking rate and therefore used the least total forage. They produced 34 GDA, whereas second grazer heifers produced 54. Average weight of steers was 464 pounds per head per day and average weight of heifers was 989 pounds per head per day for the entire grazing time.

We estimate the first grazer steers ate 14 pounds of grass per day, or 476 pounds per acre, or 26 percent of the total grazed. For second grazer heifers, estimated consumption per day was 25 pounds per head, or 1,350 pounds per acre. Total estimated forage consumption per acre was 1,826 pounds. Residue left and disked under for rye was estimated to be 1,020 pounds per acre. Total crabgrass yield was about 2,846 pounds per acre. During some summers, double-cropped crabgrass produced over 6,000 pounds per acre. Overmaturity caused by a late start in June and drought the last two months no doubt suppressed this year's forage yield: overmature crabgrass "shuts down."

It is interesting to juggle data and convert it to "equivalent figures." If we assume the heifers were steers that weighed the same as ours, then the crabgrass would have carried about 150 GDA. A poor ADG, 1.50 pounds, on crabgrass would have been a beef yield of 225 pounds per acre or, at 1.75 pounds of ADG, 263 pounds per acre. At 2.00 pounds of ADG, it would have been 300 pounds per acre.

Our crabgrass production cost us $43.43 per acre for fertilizer, fertilizer application, and herbicide spraying (not usually done). The first grazer steers used about 26 percent of the forage, or $11.29 per acre, or $0.12 per pound of gain. The nitrogen cost could be about 30 percent less with anhydrous ammonia as a source. Urea nitrogen is also usually less expensive than ammonium nitrate, our source. Heifers were grazed for $0.59 per maintenance grazing day, or $0.77 per pound of gain. All of these figures are on a pasture-cost basis, with no variable overhead or fixed costs included.

Part of being a grazier aggie is looking back, taking stock of what we perceive as errors or less than our best management, and making plans to adjust and try to do better the next round. We never get it all together because something always changes the plans. The remainder of this article is a summary of what we perceive were weaknesses in this trial and how we could have strengthened them.

We received the steers one day after purchase, processed them, and put them to pasture. Our objective was to receive, process, and pasture the steers the same day or receive and process them the day of purchase and put them to pasture the next day. The idea is that the quicker they go to good pasture, the less stress and sickness and the quicker the cattle gain.

Because of other commitments, we started grazing the first grazer steers two weeks later than crabgrass pasture was optimum, missing the best two weeks of forage availability, or 16 percent of the total season.

The quantity and style of our work prevented our managing against cattle shrink syndromes, buying and selling. We hope to correct some of those weaknesses and capture more salable gain.

The four-paddock grazing cell is much better than three or fewer. However, we know from experience that more paddocks provide much more stock and forage control. We would like to have twelve or more paddocks, but the layout of the field makes that goal somewhat unrealistic. We hope to subdivide to have at least eight paddocks.

Limited paddock numbers, especially with two-herd management, automatically dictate poor control of grazing cycles and periods and recovery time. In effect, when we have only four paddocks and two herds, we must operate each herd, in our form of grazing, as if it is on a two-paddock cell. We need more paddocks so we can have more grazing cycles, shorter grazing periods, and more control over recovery periods. Eight paddocks or more are beneficial.

In this trial, the first grazers needed only a small portion of the highest quality and quantity of crabgrass, which was probably satisfactory for upper-level ADG, but if we had been interested in beef yield per acre, more first grazers would have been needed. However, because second grazer replacement heifers needed only maintenance and low ADG, the system still worked. About two-thirds of our crabgrass pasture is judged upper-level steer feed.

The stock performance was satisfactory to excellent, but we think if we adjust our management somewhat, we can do better in a decent season. First grazer steer pasture gain (2.75 pounds of ADG) was good, but possibly not maximized. Second grazer bred heifers' ADG at 0.77 pound was satisfactory, but 1.00 pound of ADG would be better. Stocker steer quality for ADG potential could have been better. We hope to correct that deficiency, within the bounds of what the market allows.