Aalfalf-Oat-Clover Pasture for Dairy Cattle


 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
 Irrigated and unirrigated pasture mixtures of alfalfa, oats,
and clovers grown on Scranton loamy fine sand were grazed with
separate groups of dairy heifers during two years. Unirrigated
pasture mixtures were grazed during two additional years. Total
digestible nutrients obtained annually per acre averaged 4,617
pounds for the irrigated pasture, which was 1,520 pounds above
that obtained from the unirrigated. Total digestible nutrients
obtained per acre from the unirrigated pasture during four years
averaged 4,585 pounds and ranged from 1,670 to 7,098 pounds
per year.
 Grazing was begun 14 and 51 days earlier on irrigated pas-
tures than unirrigated during the two years, but grazing ter-
minated on the same dates. Distribution of feed supply was
more uniform on irrigated pasture, but there was no improve-
ment in average daily gains of animals grazing this forage.
 Annual body weight gains per acre for the two pasture sea-
sons averaged 701 pounds for heifers grazing irrigated pasture
and 438 pounds for those grazing unirrigated. Growth rate of
the animals, expressed as percentage of the Missouri Standard,
was 128 percent for those on irrigated pasture and 142 percent
for those on unirrigated. During the four grazing seasons on
unirrigated pasture the heifers made annual average gains of
637 pounds per acre, and their growth rate averaged 128 per-
cent of the Missouri Standard.
 Feed replacement value of the unirrigated pasture was cal-
culated as $206 per acre and the net return as $135.50 per acre.
Total production cost was calculated at $70.50 per acre. Pro-
duction cost of total digestible nutrients from the unirrigated
pasture averaged 1.54 cents per pound.
 Average annual applications of 17.7 inches of water during
two years, in which precipitation was subnormal, increased the
calculated feed replacement value of the pasture $70 per acre.
This average increase in value of $3.95 per acre inch of water
applied was considered to be in the profitable range for low-cost
sprinkler-type irrigation operations.
 Alfalfa supplied most of the forage in the pasture mixture
during fall and winter and practically all during spring and sum-
mer. Oats furnished a minor portion of the forage during fall
and winter. Clovers produced very little forage due to over-
shading by alfalfa and oats. For pasture purpose, it is sug-
gested that alfalfa be grown alone or in combination with a re-