Comparison of buffered grazing systems for beef cattle

To evaluate the productivity of a rotational versus continuous grazing system for beef production within a buffer grazing system, thirty crossbred beef cows and their calves were randomly assigned to one of two grazing systems replicated twice over three years of the experiment. Each replication of the rotational system was stocked with 8 cow/calf pairs while the continuous system was stocked with 7 cow/calf pairs. The grazing season was divided into 3 periods to aid in analysis. Period 1 was further divided into grazing cycles consisting of 4 weeks each. Pasture growth during cycle I was found to be higher (P \u3c 0.080) on the continuous as opposed to the rotational grazed buffer system. Change in individual cow weight was not different (P \u3e 0.10). Although there was no difference between systems regarding individual calf gain (P \u3e 0.10), the rotational system had more total gain per treatment (P \u3c 0.001)