Lopez-Guerrero, I: Estimation of Forage Mass, Dry Matter Int

Forage mass is required to estimate important attributes in grazing studies, e.g., total amount of available nutrients, effect of management practices on the pastures, crop growth rate, and forage production, utilization, and degradation. Dry matter intake and digestibility represent the most important and useful estimates of the forage nutritive value. Unfortunately, in trials under grazing conditions, forage mass is difficult to measure because the crop cannot be harvested without affecting both animal and pasture performance. Likewise, the actual feed intakeand nutritive value of the forage consumed are also unknown. In this work, the author reports results from different methods to estimate forage mass of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea, Schreb) pastures, and dry matter intake, fecal output and digestibility in beef steers under indoors and grazing conditions. Anybody related to animal production under grazing conditions could benefit by reading this essay.