Trial Data
University of Tennessee at Ames Plantation
2004-2005
In 2003, The University of Tennessee's Agricultural Experiment Station planted seventeen 3-acre pastures at Ames Plantation to compare steer performance, forage productivity, and longevity of the cool-season forages available to Tennessee beef producers. Persist orchardgrass was amongst the entries.
Simply put, the steer preferred Persist over KY-31 and had significantly higher gains. In 82 days of grazing, the steer gained 99 lbs on Persist and 127 lbs on Persist with clover, compared to gains of only 59 lbs on KY-31. This data was consistent for the first two years of the experiment. We expect subsequent data from the next few years to reflect more of the same.
2004 Spring Steer Performance - Year One
Ames Plantation, SW Tennessee
| Treatment | Starting Weight | Ending Weight | Average Daily Gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Persist & Clover | 661 | 758 | 1.42 |
| Persist | 665 | 767 | 1.13 |
| KY-31 E+ | 690 | 750 | 0.68 |
| Weight is lbs; 84 days of Grazing. |
2005 Spring Steer Performance - Year Two
Ames Plantation, SW Tennessee
| Treatment | Starting Weight | Ending Weight | Average Daily Gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Persist & Clover | 660 | 794 | 1.68 |
| Persist | 614 | 716 | 1.29 |
| KY-31 E+ | 690 | 744 | 0.75 |
| Weight is lbs; 84 days of Grazing. |
2004 - 2005 Spring Steer Performance - 2 Yr. Average
Ames Plantation, SW Tennessee
| Treatment | Starting Weight | Ending Weight | Average Daily Gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Persist & Clover | 661 | 776 | 1.55 |
| Persist | 640 | 742 | 1.21 |
| KY-31 E+ | 690 | 747 | 0.72 |
| Weight is lbs; 82 days of Grazing. |