Grass Yield and Quality Affect Potential Stocking Rate and Milk Production

Emphasis placed on pasture yield may lead producers to disregard the potential influence of forage quality on animal performance. Our objective was to compare yield and quality, and potential stocking rate and milk production of four temperate grasses. Meadow fescue, orchardgrass, quackgrass, and reed canarygrass were each harvested at 10-inch height in the spring, summer, and fall and yield, cell wall concentration, and cell wall digestibility were used to calculate potential stocking rate and daily milk production. Quackgrass and reed canarygrass would support a 40 to 90% greater stocking rate during the spring and summer than meadow fescue or orchardgrass, while cows grazing meadow fescue would produce 5 to 12 lb more milk per day than those grazing the other grasses. Translating forage quality into potential milk production allows producers to assess the potential trade-offs between animal and forage productivity when considering the value of a pasture grass.