ChileanJAR

During the years 1974 and 1976, an experiment was carried out at Human Subexperiment Station, Los Angeles, to develop a beef production system, using 6.5 month old European x American Holstein autumn-born calves. Feeding regime depended exclusively on a irrigated pasture mixture of Ladino white clover, perennial ryegrass and orchardgrass, used for grazing as well as for hay harvesting.
It was shown the feasibility to produce a slaughter steer (500 Kg of liveweight) at 24 month old with a feeding regime based exclusively on grazing and hay from the same pasture.
Steers reached liveweights of 132; 255; 315 and 493 Kg at 6.5 - 14 -17.5 and 24 months of age, respectively. This means that the daily gains should be 0.55; 0.52 and 0.87 Kg/steer, during the first grazing, second winter and second grazing, respectively. Liveweight output per hectare reached a value of 772 Kg/year and the average stocking rate, in terms of 500 Kg liveweight-animal units, was 2.5 A.U/ha/year.