Nutrient Content of Summer-Planted Oats after Corn Harvest and Grazing Performance

Annual forages provide producers with an alternative grazing source in the fall. A cover crop grazing study was conducted following corn harvest to evaluate the steer ADG and yield of summer sown oats and turnips planted after either high moisture corn or corn silage production. Th e gain of steers grazing oats aft er silage was 1.29 lb/day, while the gain of steers grazing corn residue and oats aft er high moisture corn was 0.72 lb/day. Average oat forage production aft er silage harvest was 2857 lb/acre, while oat production following corn harvest was 523 lb/ acre. Fall forage production of oats following corn silage harvest provided 133 lb of steer gain per acre, while corn residue plus oats following corn harvest provided 57 lb of steer gain per acre. Utilizing oats following silage harvest provides an opportunity for greater forage production and grazing as compared to following corn grain harvest