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Clipping vs. Grazing by Dairy Heifers as Means of Estimating Yield of Bluegrass Pastures^1,2

Dairy Section, Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station

ABSTRACT

Yield of a Kentucky bluegrass pasture in terms of TDN per acre was calculated from clipping with a lawnmower and from grazing with dairy heifers during five seasons, 1940–1944 inclusive, the grazing season ranged from 168 to 210 days in length.

Yield calculated from grazing was higher than that calculated from clipping in each of the five seasons. The calculations from clipping were 50.1, 48.1, 56.4, 91.1, and 82.1 per cent of those from grazing in 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943 and 1944, respectively. The average calculated yield from clipping was 68.5 per cent of that from grazing.

The maximum, minimum and average yields of TDN calculated from clipping were 2218, 889 and 1578 pounds per acre respectively, and from grazing 2615, 1849 and 2305 pounds.

The average daily amount of TDN furnished by the pasture for an entire season ranged from 4.88 pounds to 12.36 pounds per acre as calculated from clipping, and from 10.16 pounds to 13.59 pounds as calculated from grazing.

The trend of the curves representing calculated yield obtained by clipping and grazing with heifers were in general quite similar, although a pronounced change in yield usually occurred in the grazing curve two to three weeks later than in the clipping curve.

The data obtained in this experiment indicate that the clipping method of measurement may be used in a preliminary way to evaluate variables in experimental management of Kentucky Bluegrass pastures.

¹ The investigation reported in this paper is in connection with a project of the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station and is published by the permission of Thomas P. Cooper, Director of the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station in connection with Bankhead-Jones Project No. 6.

² The project was conducted cooperatively by the Dairy Section and the Agronomy Department. Yields of dry matter from which TDN in the harvested herbage was calculated were obtained by the Agronomy Department and are used with the permission of that department.