Most cattlemen in the Southeast are in the cow-calf business and sell calves at weaning. The extra cost of shipping feeder calves for finishing and then shipping the carcasses back to the East adds to the price of meat. This practice also takes away a potential source of profit by farmers who could finish these calves. Economically, it is difficult for states in the East to compete with grain producing states for the production of slaughter cattle in the feedlot. The alternative of using forages native to the areas of the Appalachians with a minimum of high energy grains should increase the economic potential for producing market animals in this area. / Ph. D.