Seasonal Hay Feeding for Cattle Production in the Fescue Belt

Abstract

We determined how pasture and grazing management practices affected the number of days hay was fed to cattle by season. Data were collected from a survey of Tennessee cattle producers. Days of cattle on hay varied across seasons because of variations in forage production and weather. The number of days hay was fed to cattle varied with pasture-animal management practices such as rotating pastures, forage mixtures, and weed management strategies. Having mixtures of cool- A nd warm-season grasses reduced the number of days on hay in the winter, spring, and summer months indicating benefits from diversified forages.