Early- and late-season grazing of orchardgrass and fescue hayfields overseeded with red clover

Low-cost alternatives to hay feeding for wintering the beef herd (Bos taurus L.) are needed to design sustainable production systems for northern Appalachia. This study was conducted to compare forage production, quality, and botanical composition of hayfields overseeded with a legume when grazed by beef cattle in early spring and late fall. Four management systems were applied to fields containing either tall fescue [Festuca arundinacea Schreb.] or orchardgrass [Dactylis glomerata L.], each overseeded with red clover [Trifolium pratense L.]: (i) early spring grazing, one hay cutting, late fall grazing (GHG); (ii) two hay cuttings (HH); (iii) early spring grazing followed by two hay cuttings (GHH); and (iv) one hay cutting followed by grazing in late fall (HG). Total dry matter (DM) was highest for the HG management. Early spring grazing (GHH and GHG) reduced spring hay yield; quality, however, as indicated by crude protein, acid-detergent fiber, and in vitro dry matter disappearance, was higher than for hay not grazed in spring (HH and HG). Fall grazing increased quality of forage grazed in early spring. Tall fescue produced more DM than orchardgrass, primarily in spring hay yield. Red clover contributed 50% of the DM of spring hay in the first year after seeding. Fall grazing extended the life of the red clover by one year; however, almost no red clover persisted into the fourth year after seeding. Results suggest that fall grazing after a single hay cutting has the potential to be a viable alternative to exclusively relying on hay for wintering the beef herd.