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.:. 4;fi " - Uh1YER51TT tewrj ~ e+oe+a tw~ea ccxma*e rCa+ toaPESa~iv~ EX7Etll~Otl FORAGE KOCHIA FOR FALL/WINTER GRAZING D.R. ZoBell, B.L. Waldron, X.C. Olson, R.D. Harrison, and H. Jensen Utah State University and USDA-ARS, Logan, UT August 2003 AG-2003-07 INTRODUCTION Winter feeding costs have often been cited as one of the most expensive aspects of beef cattle production in the Intermountain West. Research and rancher experience suggests that using forage kochia for fall/winter grazing may help reduce these costs. Forage or proshate kochia (Kochia prostrata) is native to the heavily grazed rangeland regions of Central Eurasia. It is a long lived, semi-evergreen half-shrub that averages 1 to 3 feet high. It is drought, saline, and alkaline tolerant, and grows on a wide range of soils in areas receiving 5 to 20 inches of yearly precipitation. It is well adapted to marginal rangelands, out-competing cheatgrass and halogeton and stabilizing disturbed soils. Forage kochia is different than the weed annual kochia (Kochia scoparia) in that forage kochia is a perennial semi-shrub, will not spread into perennial plant stands, and does not have nitrate or oxalate toxicity. Forage kochia can be used for (1) forage for livestock and wildlife; (2) food and cover for upland game birds, small mammals, reptiles, insects, etc., (3} prevention of erosion and stabilization of disturbed soils; (4) competition against cheatgrass, russian thistle, medusahead, and halogeton; and (5) greenstrips to reduce the spread of wildfires. Because of its high nutritional value, the Utah Division of Natural Resources has planted areas of forage kochia in north-central Utah for winter forage for deer and elk. The Nevada BLM also reports sage grouse and antelope utilization of forage kochia for forage and habitat. BEEF COW STUDY Materials and Methods An 84-day study was conducted in Box Elder County in cooperation with the USDA Farm Service Agency and the Salt Wells Cattle Company with the objective of determining the potential of grazing Forage kochia for over-wintering beef cows compared to feeding alfalfa hay. In mid-November, 42 late-gestation Black Angus beef cattle (average age 7 years) were divided into six groups to provide three replicate groups of each feed treatment. Treatments were a control fed alfalfa hay in drylot and a treatment grazing pastures planted to a mixture of kochia and crested wheatgrass. The three kochia/crested wheatgrass pastures were each about 40 acres. Pastured cows received no supplement for the duration of the experiment. Cow body condition