Michigan livestock producers are annually faced with a critical choice: to move their livestock from dormant summer pastures to locations where they are fed stored forage, or to allow their livestock to continue grazing, risking damage to the land. Keeping livestock on high-quality pasture is in the economic interest of the farmer and the physical interests of the animal and land. In this study we compare a typical Michigan grazing system with two other grazing systems, each of which integrate one native warm season grass species into a typical Michigan grazing system to provide quality mid-summer forage. The grazing experiment is being conducted at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station and is a completely randomized design with four replications. Treatments for this trial include: 1) typical Michigan cool season grass/legume pasture (typical); 2) two-thirds of the acreage is typical and one-third is planted with switchgrass; 3) two-thirds of the acreage is typical and one-third is planted with big bluestem. A variable stocking rate is used and pastures are rotationally grazed. Grazing generally begins in late April and ends by October 15, depending upon pasture conditions. Pasture performance is generally described in terms of forage dry matter yield, botanical composition, forage quality, number and distribution of animal unit grazing days, average daily gain of animals on pasture, and animal weight gain/hectare. The animals used in this study are Holstein steers, weighing approximately 240 kg at the beginning of the grazing season. Preliminary analysis does not reveal a clear economic advantage of using switchgrass or big bluestem in grazing systems in southwest Lower Michigan. This experiment will conclude after the 2005 grazing season.