Utilizing Corn Residue or Fall Double Cropped Forages for Winter Backgrounding of Calves

Th e impact of three backgrounding systems: grazing corn residue with distillers supplementation at 0.86% BW/d, grazing an oats- brassica forage, or feeding a grower ration in a drylot were evaluated. Calves grazing oats- brassica forage had a greater average daily gain (2.25 lb/d) during the 65 d grazing period than calves grazing corn residue (1.77 lb/d). During the entire growing period (end target weight of 800 lbs) which included 21 days of grower ration for the grazing treatments, gains of calves put directly in the drylot and fed a grower ration (3.58 lb/d) were greater than both grazing treatments and the calves grazing oatsbrassica forages had greater gains (2.65 lb/d) than calves grazing corn residue (2.22 lb/d)