Sampling Requirements of the Water-Intake Method of Estimating Forage Intake by Grazing Cattle

Abstract

The water-intake method of estimating forage intake by grazing cattle can permit a valuable extension of research on semiarid grasslands, but eventually we shall require a wider applicability and greater assurance of accuracy than can be attained at present. This method requires the measurement of water drunk, mean air temperature, and moisture content of forage. Sampling requirements of each measurement were evaluated in 1966 and limits of application were defined in terms of mean air temperatures and moisture contents of forage.