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A 3-yr experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of swath grazing forage barley (Hordeum vulgare; cv. Ranger) or foxtail millet (Setaria italica; cv. Golden German) compared with grass-legume hay fed in drylot pens on beef calf performance during backgrounding and finishing phases. Annually, 120 spring-born Angus-cross stocker calves (60 steers, 60 heifers; BW = 227.6 ± 3.5 kg) were randomly allocated to 1 of 3 replicated (n = 2) backgrounding (BG) systems. Backgrounding systems were 1) swathed barley grazing (BAR), 2) swathed millet grazing (MILL), and 3) ground hay bunk fed in drylot (DL). All calves were supplemented with a 16% CP range pellet (2.5 kg/d). Swath-grazed calves were limit grazed using electric fencing in 4-ha paddocks with a 3-d grazing period for 96 d each year. Following BG, calves were placed in a feedlot, separated by BG treatment, and fed a similar finishing diet for 155 d …