What are the considerations for combining pasture grasses for cattle farming?

Cattle prefer grasses (Poaceae) and tall-stemmed plants, followed by legumes. Pasture grass varieties suitable for feeding cattle include Sudan grass, alfalfa, and rye.

Beef cattle generally need 30-50 kg of green fodder per head per day; for a mixed herd including young cattle and calves, the average daily green fodder requirement is 30 kg per head. To achieve an uninterrupted year-round supply of green fodder, planting should focus on combining annual pasture grasses with perennial pasture grasses, and tropical-type pasture grasses with temperate-type pasture grasses, using a combination of single-species planting and intercropping as much as possible per unit area.

The seasonal allocation of pasture grasses is as follows: from March to June, choose temperate-type pasture grasses, such as perennial red clover, white clover, alfalfa, and annual ryegrass as the main planted varieties; from June to October, plant tropical-type pasture grasses, such as Sudan grass; during the lean period from November to early March of the following year, mainly feed silage succulent feed and some hay. Crops suitable for making silage include corn, sorghum, barley, and Italian ryegrass. Legume pasture grasses such as alfalfa, red clover, and white clover are not suitable for silage on their own.

A reasonable combination of pasture grasses for feeding can effectively reduce the incidence of digestive system diseases, also reduce the consumption of concentrated feed, and effectively achieve maximum benefits in fattening and raising.