SUMMARY Winter maintenance experiments were conducted with 1,034 steer calves at the Spur station ing the 14-year period from the fall 0f 1941 to the spring 0f 1955. Results 0f these comparative tri in most instances, were based on 3 or more years of work. Roughages used in wintering steer calves weighing 325 to 400 pounds were wheat pasture, nat grass, sorghum silage, bundle feeds and stalk fields. Protein supplements were fed with sorghum Q age and chopped bundles in the drylot, and 0n native grass and stalk fields. ' Calves wintered on wheat pasture in 10 of the 14 years made the second highest average win gain, third highest summer gain and the highest total winter and summer gain. When stocked at ~ same rate, almost identical gains were made by calves grazed on all wheat and wheat-sorghum past combinations. The winter-grazing season averaged 84 days. ; Lightly grazed or summer-deferred native grass supplemented with cottonseed cake provided ; most dependable method of wintering calves. In 12 of the 14 years, calves wintered on lightly g .7 ed or deferred native grass with 1 to 2 pounds of cottonseed cake per head daily, made the low winter gain, highest summer gain and the third highest total winter and summer gain. The graz'_ season on native grass averaged 105 days. Calves wintered on native grass supplemented with 2 pounds of cottonseed cake gained 20 pou , more during the winter, 9 pounds less during the summer and 11 pounds more during the winter i‘ summer period than calves fed only 1 pound of cottonseed cake. The amount and quality of winter forage on native grass pastures in different seasons greatly ‘ fluenced the gain of calves fed 1 and 2 pounds of cottonseed cake per head daily. . Calves fed 2 pounds of 41 percent cottonseed cake, 2 pounds of 20 percent range feed or 2 pou; of cottonseed meal in a salt mixture on native grass made approximately the same gain. Calves made fair to good gains on sorghum fields during an average grazing season of 64 days.‘ 8 out of the 14 years. The highest gains were obtained from grazing drouth-stricken, immature : ghum crops during the late fall and early winter. The highest winter gain was made by calves fed Sumac silage, 2 pounds of cottonseed meal a r pound of alfalfa hay in drylot. They made the lowest summer gain on native grass, but their t_ winter and summer gain was second highest. Calves fed Sumac silage and 1 pound of cottonseed mf during the winter made the lowest total winter and summer gain. i Gains on well-headed grain sorghum silage or fodder were markedly higher than those for Sui roughage when 1 pound of cottonseed meal was fed daily per head. a There was little difference in winter gain between first-cross Jersey x Hereford calves and Gd to Choice Hereford calves. First-cross Aberdeen-Angus x Hereford calves produced slightly higg gain than Hereford calves. a Light calves with an initial weight of 376 pounds made approximately the same gain during winter as heavy calves averaging 466 pounds. ; Wheat pasture provided the lowest cost of winter maintenance for calves. Sorghum fields and tive grass supplemented with cottonseed cake were intermediate ‘in cost, while winter maintenan A drylot was the most expensive. f The price of stocker calves at Kansas City was higher in May than in the preceding Novem during 15 of 19 years from 1936 to 1954. _ COVER PICTURE A group of steer calves wintered on lightly grazed native grass supplemented with cotto ‘ cake. This was the most dependable method of wintering calves. The calves gained an averag 83 pounds in 105 days during the winter and 250 pounds on native grass in the spring and summi Other methods of wintering included wheat pastures and stalk fields, and silage and bundles at in drylot. l Picture courtesy of Southwestern Crop and Stock, Lubbock, Texas. -, f. ING WEANED BEEF CALVES during the fall ‘winter usually affords an opportunity to in- f=- farm income on the Rolling Plains of Tex- ‘ j'?It provides a practical and economical means ilizing and marketing small grain pasturage, 7 grass, stalk fields, sorghum silage and = e feed. During drouth years, beef calves Iiprovide an opportunity to salvage immature Feeder calves of Commercial to Choice grade ll"’pI'0(ll1C€d on local ranches and are available l weight range of 300 to 500 pounds. The _Y - of these calves normally is lowest in the fall heavy marketing occurs and is highest in spring when there is a strong demand for ; red calves or short yearlings. In 15 of 19 from 1936 to 1954, prices of stocker cattle jithe Kansas City market were higher in May v in the preceding November, Figure 1. This orable price situation and the economical util- _'on of cheap roughages usually provide a good rtunity to obtain profitable returns With .' ty beef calves. " Wintering calves is well suited to farms that '_- uce such crops as sorghums, cotton and and which have native grass available. wintering, the calves may be sold as stock- retained for summer grazing or finished in Plot for slaughter. This flexibility of manag- l beef calves provides an excellent opportunity make adjustments in line with crop prospects. OBIECT OF WORK i. '[‘he main problem of wintering calves is to in economical gains on low-value roughages. p erimental studies conducted from 1941 to 1955 Substation No. 7 at Spur were designed to eval- 5- locally available roughages for wintering ‘y calves, evaluate methods of feeding various plements and to determine practical levels of plemental feeding consistent with economical z PLAN OF WORK f Wintering experiments were conducted with Yto 120 beef calves each fall from 1941 to 1955. ithods of wintering calves and numbers used nded on growing conditions for wheat pas- - and reserves of native grass, sorghum sil- yspectively, associate animal husbandman and superin- dent, Substation No. 7, Spur, Texas; and professor, partment of Animal Husbandry, College Station, Tex- intering Steer Calves at the Spur Station - P. T. MARION, C. E. FISHER and J. H. JoNEs* age and bundle feed. Comparative wintering trials usually began about December 15 and ex- tended to March 31, but varied considerably for different roughages from year to year. In most instances, experimental results were based on re- cords of 3 years or longer. The records obtained included gains in weight, amounts of supplement fed, length of the’ feeding or grazing period and economy of gain. Following wintering, the usual procedure was to graze calves on native grass from April 1 to October 31. Then fall weights were obtained to determine the influence of different wintering treatments on summer gain and total gain. In one instance, calves that made exceptional gain on wheat pasture were fed an additional 60 days in drylot and were sold for slaughter. In another instance, some of the calves were sold following wintering because drouth reduced the amount of native grass available. In most years, however, the calves were wintered for about 112 days, graz- ed on native grass during the spring and sum- mer for 180 days and then were finished in dry- lot for slaughter in 100 to 140 days. CONTENTS Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Cover Picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Object of Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Plan oi Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Cattle Used . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Pastures and Roughages Used . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Wheat Pasture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Native Grass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Sorghum Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Silage and Bundle Feeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Experimental Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Wheat Pasture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Supplemental Feeding on Wheat . . . . . . 6 Native Grass Pasture . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . 6 Amount of Cottonseed Cake Fed . . . . . . . 6 Cottonseed Cake, Range Cubes and Cottonseed Meal and Salt . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Sorghum Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Silage and Bundle Feeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 7 Gain oi Light and Heavy Steer Calves. . . . 9 Effect of Winter Treatment on Summer and Total Gain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Crossbred Steer Calves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Cost of Wintering Treatments . . . . . . . . . . . .ll Flexibility of the Steer Calf Program . . . . . . ll Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ll Literature Cited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ll Cattle Used Good to Choice grade steer calves Were re- ceived in October and November. A total of 1,034 head, averaging 325 pounds at purchase, were used in wintering trials from 1941 to 1955. These calves Were delivered directly from local ranches and no trouble was encountered. with shipping fever. Upon delivery the calves were vaccinated for blackleg and malignant edema and were num- bered individually. During the weaning period of 10 to 30 days, the calves were fed chopped sor- ghum bundles and 1 pound of cottonseed meal. After the calves were weaned in drylot, they were weighed, graded and divided into experi- mental groups of 10 head or more as needed for comparative wintering trials. Individual weights were taken on 2 consecutive days at the begin- ning and close of the major trials and at monthly intervals. Pastures and Roughages Used Wheat pasture, native grass and sorghum stalk fields, and sorghum silage and bundle feeds fed in drylot, were used in the wintering trials. Wheat Pasture Approximately 1,500,000 acres are seeded to wheat annually in the Rolling Plains area. VJith few exceptions, the entire acreage is grazed to some extent. Wheat furnished good to excellent grazing for 6 of the 14 years of this study. No Figure 2. A typical group of steers ready for following wintering, summer grazing and fattening in p at the Spur station. The average gain of calves I- treatments from purchase was 176 pounds during the p 231 pounds on summer pasture and 320 pounds on a ‘ ration in drylot, a total gain of 727 pounds per head; grazing was available for 3 years and poor to, grazing was encountered in 5 years. The length of time Wheat was grazed } the amount of forage produced was dete i largely by moisture conditions. Terracing, spreading, summer fallow and stubble mulch age are water conservation practices that inc J ed the production of wheat pasture at Spun; w 35, _ ,\ \ I / ‘\ 1 cottonseed cake and range cubes were on alternate days and the mixtures of d cottonseed meal were self-fed. During "eather and with hard water, a mixture of lsalt to 6 parts cottonseed meal limited the 1 ption of meal to 2 pounds daily per head. armer weather, the calves drank more wa- w showed a higher tolerance for salt. Un- "se conditions, the mixture was changed to ,.;salt and 4 parts meal. The calves had ade- ative grass and the self-feeder was lo- the watering place. No ill effects were d from the salt-meal feeding and the f. saved labor. Sorghum Fields ilk fields were grazed for an average of 64 ring the fall in eight trials. The average g ‘ronszsn MEAL PELLETS on nzrnvs GRASS TABLE 6. SUMMARY OF A 3-YEAR COMPARISON OF 20 PERCENT PROTEIN RANGE CUBES AND 41 PER- CENT PROTEIN COTTONSEED CAKE HAND-FED. AND COTTONSEED MEAJ, AND SALT SELF-FED. FOR WINTER MAINTENA CE ON NATIVE PAS- TURE. 1951-53 41 percent S lem nt n native 20 percent rotein Cottonseed “pp e o protein. p ' meal and grass pasture range cubes cottoricseed salt ca e Total number of steers 35 35 35 Average number o! days 102 102 102 Average per steer, 1b.: Initial weight 423 429 429 Final weight 51 9 - 518 515 Gain 81 88 86 Daily gain .77 .84 .82 Supplemental feed: Protein . 211 211 1861 Alfalfa hay 65 65 65 Feed cost? $10.78 10.57 9.31 Charge ior pasturage 4.20 4.20 4.20 Labor charge 1.40 1.40 .30 Total charge 16.38 16.17 13.81 Cost per cwt. gain 20.22 18.37 16.06 1Steers would not eat 2 pounds oi the cottonseed meal when mixed 4 to 1 with salt. Mixture was changed to 6 to 1 ratio at the start of the last two tests and reduced to 4 to 1 by end of tests. 2Feed prices per ton. 3-year average: 20 percent protein range cubes, $87: 41 percent protein cottonseed cake, $86: 41 percent protein cottonseed meal. $84: pasturage $2 per acre per year. 7.5 acres per head for 102 days. $4.20. gain per steer was 58 pounds, Table 7. Because of the large variation in amount and quality of forage on stalk fields from year to year, steer gains ranged from a low of 12 pounds for 87 days to a high of 111 pounds for an 85-day grazing period. The highest gains in most years were made on drouth-stricken, immature sorghum crops. Field grazing seldom lasted more than 60 days. Further use tended to reduce gains and increase the hazard of wind erosion following the removal of protective cover. It appeared desir- able in most instances to feed calves a protein supplement, especially during the late fall and early winter when sorghum stalks usually de- creased in nutritive value. Silage and Bundle Feeds Winter maintenance studies with calves in drylot were conducted in 13 trials. Forage and grain sorghum silage and fodder were full-fed twice daily with limited amounts of concentrates. The average gain of 204 calves fed 103 days in AVERAGE WEIGHT AND GAIN OF STEER CALVES FED VARYING AMOUNTS OF 41 PERCENT PROTEIN COT- 1953-54 l942-43 1947-48 1954-55 3-year average "nt None 1 1b. 1 1b. 2 1b. 1 lb. 2 1b. 1 1b. 2 lb. ' 1 1b. 2 1b. a 21 2s 2o 20 11 10 14 14 1s 1s 112 112 91 91 122 122 1:19 19s 111 111 119m. lb. 402 s99 sss » sss 412 411 464 40s 404 40s fight. lb. 490 490 414 499 s1s s26 54s s10 490 s11 '11. 1b. 1a a1 a1 10s 101 109 19 10s as 10s daily gain. lb. .10 .12 .99 1.1s .as .99 . .51 .1s .14 .91 J Figure 5. A group oi calves fed 2 pounds of cottonseed cake per head daily while grazing sorghum stalk fields. These fields provided grazing for an average oi 64 days and the calves gained 58 pounds at a cost of $10.80 per hundredweight. drylot Was 148 pounds for a daily gain of 1.44 pounds, Table 8. The rations fed over a period of years are not directly comparable since all were not used duri11g the same feeding experiments. Neverthe- less, the data indicate the feeding values of rough- ages and supplements. Calves fed Sumac silage and 1 pound of 41 percent protein cottonseed meal made an average gain of 112 pounds per head, or a daily gain of 1.09 pounds in four trials averaging 103 days. When the silage was supplemented with 2 pounds of cottonseed meal and 1 pound of alfalfa hay in three trials averaging 85 days, the steer gain in- creased to 157 pounds With a daily gain of 1. pounds. Although these trials Were not mi during the same feeding period, the addition alfalfa hay and larger amounts of cottons; meal greatly increased the weight gains. In a 2-year trial when grain sorghum fed With 1 pound of cottonseed meal, the aver steer gain was 152 pounds, or 1.43 pounds da' for 107 days. This silage contained less than percent moisture While Sumac silage avera, 72 percent. The high rate of gain resulting fr the use of comparatively dry grain sorghum age suggests that some dry roughage should if added to Sumac silage rations for 300 to l; pound calves. In other studies, Jones, et. al. ( reported near equal gain for yearling steers f- grain sorghum and forage sorghum silage for fa tening. Chopped Sumac fodder fed with 1 pound l cottonseed meal to calves in two trials produc FIELDS. 1942-54 No. Average Average gain. pounl t Year steers days grazed Per head Daily 194s 2s as 111 1.31 " 1944 56 50 34 .68 1945 34 63 67 1.06.1 1946 43 6O 26 .43 j» 1947 25 87 12 .14 I 1948 15 60 61 1.02 p 1953 60 63 98 1.56 i 1954 29 60 52 .86 Total 28s 18.327 16.735 Average 36 64 58 a slightly lower gain than Sumac silage. In 0 feeding trial, Well-headed, chopped Hegari fod . produced a much higher gain when fed Wllills‘ pound of cottonseed meal per head daily th either Sumac or Hegari silage. Figure 6. Calves wintered in the feedlot on silage and bundle feeds made high winter gains. but their cost of gain the highest of any oi the tour methods of wintering. These calves made the lowest gain on native grass pasture d ' the following summer. 8 TABLE 7. SUMMARY OF GRAZING TRIALS ON ST 2 gure 7. During storm periods when snow and ice y, ed pasture vegetation, these calves were fed alfalfa for sorghum bundles in addition to the regular protein ement. of Light and Heavy Steer Calves Some 1,034 steer calves used in the wintering friments from 1941 to 1955 averaged 385 “ds. For any given year, however, the initial ht of the individual calves varied 60 to 90 ids per head. In five trials where calves received identical A ment, two groups of 49 head each averaging ;.and 466 pounds made approximately equal ,1 in an average period of 116 days, Table 9. flower initial cost per head of the lighter cal- jwas advantageous with low-cost feeds. The ier calves, however, developed into heavier pings and attained slaughter grade in less ‘ I Figure 8. The highest total winter and summer gain. 411 pounds. was made by steers that gained 206 pounds on wheat pasture during the winter and 205 pounds on native grass during the summer. Effect of Winter Treatment on Summer and Total Gain Calves wintered on wheat pasture, native grass supplemented with 1 and 2 pounds of cot- tonseed cake and in the feedlot on two rations with silage from December 1 to April 1, were grazed together on comparable native grass pas- tures from about May 1 to November, 1. The data in Table 10 are based on the average gain adjusted to a 120-day wintering period and a 180- day summer grazing season. These data do not include gains or losses during a 15 to 30-day pre- liminary grazing season in April that were in- fluenced by differences in fill from previous win- ter rations. TABLE 8. SUMMARY OF GAINS ON VARIOUS RATIONS IN THE DRYLOT. 1942-51 Y . d _l _ No. No. Average Average gain. pounds gfge m Y rahon trials steers days fed Per head Daily silage plus 1 lb. cottonseed meal 4 s1 100 112 1.09 silage plus 2 lb. cottonseed meal 1 lb. alfalfa hay 3 38 85 . 157 1.85 Q-"ilage plus 1 lb. cottonseed meal 2 24 107 152 1.43 M fodder plus 1 lb. cottonseed meal 2 20 84 88 1.02 1 fodder plus 1 lb. cottonseed meal 1 10 99 164 1.66 fysilage and fodder (1 to 1) plus 1 lb. " fa hay plus 2 lb. cottonseed meal 1 51 121 201 1.66 1a 204 20922 00097 e 16 a 103 148 _ 1.44 ‘L. fjlTABLE 9. SUMMARY OF GAIN OF LIGHT AND HEAVY CALVES DURING THE WINTER. S-YEAR AVERAGE No. Average Average weight. lb. Average gain. lb. Initial cost steers no. days Initial Final Per head Daily per head _ ‘ 49 116 376 514 13'8 1.19 $78.96- 49 116 466 610 144 1.24 97.86 00 as - s .05 1s.e0 Summer gain Winter gain 4ll 400 _ lb ‘O C 5 g 300 ._ c. '8 Q _ 200 _ 0 f.’ w I00 _ 0 Native Native Silage Wheat Silage 919;; grass 2 lbs. meal I lb. cake Zlbs. cake llb. meal I lb. alfalfa Figure 9. Effect of winter treatment on summer gain. Average steer gain, ‘Cost per cwt. gain, pounds dollars I 9 83 l- ________ _. 4 .. . ‘i’ 5s s9 s ' ' U) J3 ‘I. (DLL 3 Figure 10. Average steer gain and cost of gain for 14 wintering seasons on wheat and native grass pastures. stalk fields and in drylot. 1941-55. TABLE l0. EFFECT OF WINTERING TREATMENT ON SUMMER GAIN ON NATIVE GRASS AND ON TOTAL G l 1 The highest summer gain, 250 pounds 7 head in four trials, was made by calves that g1‘ ed only 86 pounds per head during the winter; a ration of native grass supplemented wit pound of cottonseed cake. These calves mad total gain of 336 pounds per head for the i, bined winter and summer treatments. - the amount of cottonseed cake was increasedf . 1 to 2 pounds per head, winter gain was 20 pou‘ higher, summer gain was 9 pounds lower and total gain was only 11 pounds higher per h Similar results were reported by Mcllvain, e - (Zl- l The lowest summer gain on native grass, ' pounds per head in two trials, was made by ~ ves that had the highest winter gain, 220 pou, per head. These calves had been wintered in v lot on a ration of Sumac silage, 2 pounds of ' tonseed meal and 1 pound of alfalfa hay per -». Even though the summer gain was low, the I1 gain for both winter and summer was 387 pou per head, the second highest of all treatments. The lowest total gain, 317 pounds per h, was made by calves fed silage and 1 pound of L tonseed meal during the winter. These cal gained 137 pounds in the winter and 180 pou during the summer. " The highest total gain, 411 pounds per h in four trials, was made by calves wintered"; wheat and then grazed on native grass du y the summer. These calves gained 206 pounds d ing the winter and 205 pounds during the s 2 mer. . The influence of winter treatment on I" mer gain and on total gain is shown in Figur These results indicate that low calf gain in winter was followed by high gain in the sum ii Treatments which resulted in high gain du g the winter also were followed by low gain d g the summer. The gain of calves on wheat t, ture and on summer grass was intermediate‘ both periods. Apparently calves may be wint i too well for the most efficient use of native 1 during the spring and summer. l’ Crossbred Steer Calves Comparisons were made between Here calves and first-cross Jersey x Hereford and i; deen-Angus x Hereford calves, Table 11. In é, Total winter and summ W_ t No. Wintering, 120 days Summer grazing, 180 days 300 days Inter treatmen steers Average gain, lb. Average gain. lb. Average gain, lb. g Per head Daily Per head Daily Per head Dailyf Wheat pasture, 4 years 44 206 1.72 205 1,14 411 1,37; Native grass, 4 years: 7 1 lb. cottonseed cake 36 86 .72 250 1,39 335 1,12 j 2 lb. cottonseed cake 40 106 .88 241 1.34 347 1.16 A Feedlot. 2 years: . Silage and 1 lb. j cottonseed meal 17 137 1.14 180 1.00 317 1.05 Silage and 2 lb. ' cottonseed meal. . 1 lb. alfalfa 18 229 1.91 158 .88 387 1.28» l0 FORD CROSSBREDS - ll. SUMMARY OF GAINS OF HEREFORD STEER CALVES. IERSEY X HEREFORD AND ABERDEEN-ANGUS X HERE- i; _ Y Total Average Average weight. lb. Average gain. lb. i teedmg ears no. steers no. days Initial Final Per head Daily d 1945-48 30 116 404 479 75 .65 x Hereford 1945-48 30 116 401 475 74 .64 - d 1948-51 32 104 416 541 125 1.20 en-Angus x Hereford 1948-51 32 104 461 600 139 1.34 ‘y on native grass with 1 pound of cottonseed and one trial on stalk fields and wheat, the y x Hereford crossbreds made approximate- ; same gain as the Hereford calves. The teen-Angus x Hereford crossbred calves - an average daily gain of 1.34 pounds and the lord calves 1.20 pounds in the three trials. w first trial, the calves were fed Sumac sil- =2 pounds of cottonseed meal and 1 pound of a hay. The calves were fed 2 pounds of cot- ' d cake on native grass the other two win- Cost of Wintering Treatments The efficiency of wintering calves is depen- jlargely on the use of low-cost roughages and in supplements to obtain profitable gains "a minmum of labor and equipment. Table ummarizes the wintering trials conducted $911941 to 1955 with 1,034 head of calves on gprincipal roughages. Average prices for feed asture for the period of study were used in gating the cost per 100 pounds of gain. Calves Wintered on wheat pasture showed the F. cost of gain, $5.97 per 100 pounds, Figure _ This was due to the high rate of gain and OW requirement of labor. The next lowest ‘of gain, $10.80 per 100 pounds, was obtained ilk fields and was followed closely by the yof gain on native grass. The advantage for l 12. SUMMARY OF WINTERING TREATMENTS FOR 3‘ 1.034 STEER CALVES OVER A 14-YEAR PERIOD. A 1941-55 reatment glitz‘: 1:35;: (Si: Feedlot number of steersl 283 428 288 204 or of years 10 12 8 9 i-ge number of days 84 105 64 103 ge gain per steer. lb. 139 83 58 148 “e daily gain. lb. 1.65 .80 .92 1.44 edge ration per steer. 1b.: onseed meal. cake or cubes 147 101 155 1 a hay 28 18 103 ihum bundles or age (dry) 156 56 67 824 k nseed hulls 206 cost per head? $1.40 $6.21 $4.51 $16.22 _ = or feedlot charge 6.72 2.76 1.86 6.00 er cwt. gain 5.97 11.21 10.80 15.01 W: used early on stalk fields sometimes were used later ptive grass or wheat pasture. ge prices of feeds and pasturage: cottonseed meal. per ton.- cottonseed cake. $71 per ton.- alfalfa hay. $35 ton.- sorghum bundles. $18 per ton: sorgo silage, $7 k n: cottonseed hulls. $16 per ton.- wheat pasture $2.50 Yllead per month: native grass pasture and stalk fields. nts per head per month; feedlot labor and rent. $1.75 ead per month. stalk fields was due primarily to the utilization of drouth-stricken sorghum crops from 1951 to 1954. The highest cost of gain was $15.01 per 100 pounds gain for calves Wintered on silage and fodder in drylot. Increased labor involved in feed- ing and harvesting was the principal factor that increased the cost of wintering in the feedlot. In these studies, the cost of wintering treat- ments and gain of calves apply only to the com- parative trials. These data do not include the cost of vaccination, weaning, shrink in market- ing and death losses. Flexibility of the Steer Calf Program A reserve of native grass, silage or fodder is essential 1n a successful calf-wintering program. In most years, several sources of roughage usu- ally are available on farms and ranches and may be utilized efficiently and economically for win- tering calves. When supplies of feed are on hand, a flexible program can be used to take advantage of feeds when they are most valuable. Stalk fields should be grazed as early as possible to uti- lize the feed before it weathers and looses qual- ity. Wheat pasture may beused alone or in com- bination with stalk fields or native grass. Lack- ing wheat and stalk fields, silage, fodder or na- tive grass should be available. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors wish to make acknowledgment to the late R. E. Dickson, formerly superinten- dent of Substation No. 7, for the development of early phases of the livestock program; to James L. Owens, former cattle feeder, for his valuable assistance and suggestions; and to Earl Burnett, associate agronomist, for assistance with certain phases of these studies. Acknowledgment also is made to support re- ceived from the Animal and Poultry Husbandry Research Branch, Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture. LITERATURE CITED 1. Jones, J. H., R. E. Dickson, J. K. Riggs and J. M. Jones. Silage and cottonseed meal for fat- tening yearling-steers. Texas Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 622. 1942. 2. Mcllvain, E. H., A. L. Baker, W. R. Kneebone and Dillard H. Gates. Range improvement studies at the U. S. Southern Great Plains Field Station, Woodward, Okla. Woodward Progress Report 5506. 1955. 11 M sents a coordinated effort to solve the many problems relating to a common objective or situation. A j State-wide Research The Texas Agricultural Experiment Station . is the public agricultural research agency i; oi the State oi Texas, and is one oi nine j- Location oi iield research units in Texas main- t ' d b th T A ' lt l ' t f “me Y e ex“ gm“ “m Eipenmen parts oi the Texas A6=M College System Station and cooperating agencies IN THE MAIN STATION, with headquarters at College Station, are 16 subject-matter departments, 2 serv". departments, 3 regulatory services and the administrative staff. Located out in the major agricultural é of Texas are 21 substations and 9 field laboratories. In addition, there are 14 cooperating stations ow _ by other agencies, including the Texas Forest Service, the Game and Fish Commission of Texas, Tel Prison System, the U. S. Department of Agriculture, University of Texas, Texas Technological College the King Ranch. Some experiments are conducted on farms and ranches and in rural homes. RESEARCH BY THE TEXAS STATION is organized by programs and projects. A program of research rep search project represents the procedures for attacking a specific problem within a program. THE TEXAS STATION is conducting about 350 active research projects, grouped in 25 programs which i clude all phases of agriculture in Texas. Among these are: conservation and improvement of soils; c servation and use of water in agriculture; grasses and legumes for pastures, ranges, hay, conservation improvement of soils; grain crops; cotton and other fiber crops; vegetable crops; citrus and other subtro cal fruits, fruits and nuts; oil seed crops——other than cotton; ornamental plants—including turf; brush - weeds; insects; plant diseases; beef cattle; dairy cattle; sheep and goats; swine; chickens and turkeys; mal diseases and parasites; fish and game on farms and ranches; farm and ranch engineering; farm if ranch business; marketing agricultural products; rural home economics; and rural agricultural econom' Two additional programs are maintenance and upkeep, and central services. RESEARCH RESULTS are carried to Texas farm and ranch owners and homemakers by specialists and co y agents of the Texas Agricultural Extension Service.