Animal Productivity Rhizoma peanut is a popular forage for cow-calf producers on the Gulf Coast. Producers planning to use rhizoma peanut to finish cattle may want to choose a cattle breed with greater genetic potential for tender meat. ARS researchers have adapted medical technology that gives accurate information on body composition while the hogs are still alive.
Scientists now chart changes in a pig's body composition as it grows.
A longer grazing season can be gained by ranchers who graze their animals on switchgrass pastures. After a year, the legume plants provided enough nitrogen to increase growth of switchgrass. In northcentral states, the best switchgrass forage yields come in June through August, while the legumes produce their highest yields in cooler months. By growing legumes such as alfalfa, sweetclover, red clover and birdsfoot trefoil with switchgrass, livestock producers can ensure a good forage supply through a greater part of the year. That's because these cells, called somatotrophs and normally tied to production of growth hormone, can switch function to make a hormone called prolactin.