Cattle performance and production when grazing rye and pearl millet cover crops in cropland. Franzluebbers, Alan^*,, Stuedemann, John,

ABSTRACT- Integration of crops and livestock could provide benefits to both crop and livestock production systems, as well as provide economic opportunities and environmental protection. We collected animal, crop, and soil data during the first two years of a multi-year study to evaluate the impacts of tillage, cover crop management, and timing of grazing. With soil organic matter at a high level following termination of perennial pasture, we determined crop yield and animal production of two cropping systems (sorghum/rye and wheat/pearl millet) managed under conventional tillage or no tillage and whether cover crop was grazed by cattle or not. Crop grain yield was typically not different between tillage systems. Ungrazed cover crop biomass production tended to be greater under no tillage than under conventional tillage during most seasons and years, suggesting greater soil retention of water and nutrients under no tillage for subsequent utilization by plants. In springtime, rye supported 70 days of grazing by an animal unit/acre. In summer, pearl millet supported 127 days of grazing by an animal unit/acre. Cattle live-weight gain averaged 256 lb/acre on rye in springtime and 374 lb/acre on pearl millet in summer. For both forages, average daily gain was 2.9 ± 0.5 lb/day under conventional tillage and 3.4 ± 0.7 lb/day under no tillage. Rotation of spring cereal with summer annual forage appears to be a viable crop and animal production system in the Southern Piedmont, especially under no tillage where the negative effects of animal trampling can be minimized by (1) protection of the soil surface with accumulated organic matter and (2) occurrence during a drier season of the year.

KEY WORDS: pasture rotation, conservation tillage, average daily gain, alternative forage