Oat forage and grain supplements for the production of yearling beef from pasture on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales

Abstract

The use of supplements of oat grain alone, or with silage or hay, to produce marketable yearling cattle ('finished' and >270 kg) in October was assessed at Glen lnnes on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales. The assessment was made over three years. Weaned cattle grazed improved pastures (mainly Phalaris tuberosa and Trifolium repens) from March, with or without forage oats (Avena sativa) from June to October, when the supplements were also given. When grain supplements were given to weaner cattle grazing pasture only, 24 per cent were 'finished' compared with none without grain supplements, but the supplements were not justified economically. When oat grain supplements were given to weaners grazing pasture and forage oats, 60 per cent were 'finished' by October compared with 8 per cent without the grain; the supplements were economically worthwhile when cattle were valued at 37c kg-1 liveweight. There was no apparent substitution by the cattle of grain for herbage over the whole period in the supplemented treatments, with from 5.7-10.8 kg of grain required for every kg of additional liveweight gain. The effectiveness of grain supplements and the efficiency of gain were reduced when grain was partially replaced by either silage or hay.