Grazing of Alfalfa Varieties and Observation on Bloat

Abstract

Cattle grazed four alfalfa varieties grown on dryland at Swift Current, Saskatchewan, from 1963 to 1965. No severe symptoms of bloat occurred in any year and there was no evidence that any one variety had a greater tendency to cause bloat than another. The variety Rambler yielded the most forage and provided the most cattle days of grazing per acre, followed by Siberian, Grimm and Alfa. The stands of Grimm and Alfa were considerably thinner than those of Rambler and Siberian indicating that their persistence was poorer.