The performance of beef cattle on different sequences of Townsville lucerne and native pasture at Katherine, N.T

Abstract

From August 1963 to May 1965, six groups of Shorthorn weaner steers were maintained on different sequences of native pasture and Townsville lucerne sown pasture at Katherine, N.T. The group maintained on Townsville lucerne continuously from weaning reached slaughter weight at 30 months of age, in May 1965. After this date, the remaining groups were maintained continuously on Townsville lucerne until they also reached slaughter weight. There was an approximately inverse linear relation between the period on Townsville lucerne for the first two years after weaning and the total period from weaning to slaughter. Groups that had spent half of the period to May 1965 on Townsville lucerne reached slaughter weight in the 1966 dry season (average age 43 months), and those that had spent a quarter of this period on Townsville lucerne did not reach slaughter weight until the 1967 dry season (average age 53 months).