Caution required when using alternative forages

Palladium Item

Wooster, Ohio - Farmers who are looking at alternative forages must be sure they’re providing feed sources with enough protein and energy.

Farmers who are feeding corn stover or soybean stubble bales as a primary feed will need to supplement with a readily digestible protein source, said Francis Fluharty, and Ohio State University animal sciences researcher.

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Maintaining high-energy feed this winter

MARK MECHLING

Zanesville Times Recorder

For livestock producers facing hay shortages this winter, finding alternative forages is not as much of a challenge as providing feed sources with adequate protein and energy for overall ruminant health.

Francis Fluharty, an OSU Extension animal sciences researcher, said that maintaining a high-protein, high-energy combination can be achieved. It just takes a bit of juggling to get the right nutrient balance.

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Sorting Cows In The Fall For Efficient Winter Feeding

Cattlenetwork.com

Sound sorting concepts of the spring-calving beef cow herd in the fall should improve the efficiency of the feeding program throughout the winter. Before we divide up the herd, it makes some sense to inventory the cows to be divided. How many cows of each age group do we have? Every herd will be a little bit different, but a Research Station Herd in North Dakota can give us data to use as a guideline. Data from the North Dakota State University Dickinson Research Extension Center reported recently on the average percentage of cows in their herd (by age group) over the last 20 years.

This data points out that 17% of this herd over the years was in the “first-calf heifer” category. They also noted that 11% of the herd was 10 years of age and older. Fifteen (15%) percent of the cows were 2nd calf 3 year-olds. From this data, one could formulate three logical groups of cows to be pastured together for feeding efficiency.

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Scarcity of hay bales leading to concerns over cattle

Jim Suhr

Springfield News-Leader

St. Louis — On his southern Illinois spread where some 450 cows and calves look to him for food, Dale Moreland finds disappointment the only thing that seems to be growing these days.

And his headaches are over hay.

The 55-year-old cattleman, like so many others in the Midwest and elsewhere, lament that the one-two punch of a spring freeze and months of drought has savaged his hay crops and kept pastures from greening, forcing producers to tap hay stockpiles months earlier than usual.

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Midwest cattlemen battling hay shortages

By JIM SUHR

The Wichita Eagle

ST. LOUIS - On his southern Illinois spread, where some 450 cows look to him for food, the only thing that seems to be growing these days are Dale Moreland’s headaches over hay.

The 55-year-old cattleman, like others in the Midwest and beyond, has been hurt by a one-two punch of a spring freeze and months of drought. They have savaged hay crops and kept pastures from greening, forcing producers to tap hay stockpiles months earlier than usual.

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Reduce Losses When Feeding Hay

Cattlenetwork.com

This winter, hay supplies will be extremely tight on most farms across the state. The 2007 spring freeze followed by prolonged drought led to a 30 to 50 percent reduction in hay production in the state this year. Therefore, it is important not to waste this valuable commodity when feeding it to cattle. Reducing hay losses during feeding decreases waste, so cattle consume most of it, said Garry Lacefield, forage specialist with the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture. Hay losses can be the result of trampling, leaf shatter, chemical and physical deterioration, fecal contamination and simply the animal’s refusal to eat it.

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Effect of Hay Feeding Methods on Hay Waste and Wintering Costs

Compiled by Glenn Selk, Oklahoma State University

Michigan State University animal scientists studied four hay feeder design types: cone, ring, trailer or cradle. All feeder types allowed approximately 14.5 inches for each animal. Dry matter hay waste was 3.5%, 6.1%, 11.4% and 14.6% for the cone, ring, trailer and cradle feeders, respectively. There were differences in the behavior of cows at the feeders that may be involved with the differences in wastage. Cows eating from the cradle feeder had about 3 times as much butting and displacement behavior as other feeder types and four times as many entrances compared to cows feeding at the other type of feeders. The researchers determined that slanted bar designs encourage animals to keep their head in the feeder for longer periods while eating. Source: Buskirk, et al. 2003.

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Farmers Continue to Deal with Drought as Weather Cools

Hallie Jackson

WBOC.com

LEWES, Del. - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says Delmarva’s drought could last at least through January.

Some farmers must find ways to cope with the dry weather.

Bar Farms’ Bob Raley raises cattle for beef. Because of the drought, Raley said he is getting smaller cuttings of hay from his alfalfa fields. To deal with the shortage, he has begun using cornstalks for hay. While more readily available, Raley said hay made from cornstalks has less protein than alfalfa hay.

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With hay supplies low, farmers resort to cutting down trees for cattle food

BY Debra McCown

Bristol Herald Courier

Without grass or hay, some Washington County farmers have resorted to cutting down trees to feed their cows.

They say that while many young people have never heard of such a thing, there have been droughts before – and as long as there are leaves on the trees, they can delay the need to feed scarce supplies of hay.

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How to Extend Pasture Days

Ropin’ the Web

Each pasture season has its challenges - periodic drought or cool weather can slow or halt forage growth, cattle numbers can go up as more beef producers try to create a larger income and overhead costs always seem to be on the rise. In facing these challenges, producers strive to find ways to create more profit.

To increase profit, the best way is usually to keep down the cost per pound of animal raised. Pasture is cheaper than feeding mechanically harvested hay or silage systems. High pasture production is needed for all grazing animals and for a cowherd the ability to extend the grazing season is particularly important. Pastures can only meet these goals if they are managed with some planning. A plan for a grazing season starts before cattle are turned out on grass. In a perfect world, ongoing and spring decisions are based on the information gathered from a fall assessment of pastures. Just as a winter feed inventory is done in fall to determine if there are enough bales or silage to last the winter, the same should be done with pastures in winter time before spring turnout arrives.

“To start, first look at the big picture,” says Grant Lastiwka, pasture specialist/extension with Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development/Western Forage-Beef Group, Lacombe. “It’s easiest to look at percentages and compare them to normal. If your cattle numbers are 10 per cent more, you will need 10 per cent more grass. If some pastures were hurt by drought and grasshoppers or hammered with overgrazing, they could be for example, 30 per cent less productive. If this is the case, it means that there is going to be a 40 per cent shortage of grass.

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Feeding alternative forages raising concerns

by Dave Russell

Brownfield Network

Dave Redman, Extension Educator in Lawrence County tells Brownfield those livestock producers in southern Indiana heading in to winter with less than half of the needed hay supplies are turning to alternative forages.

“And those alternative feeds are things like corn stalk bales, soybean stubble bales, even some of the CRP grass hay bales and that’s what farmers are going to relying on this winter to try to get them through,” said Redman.

But Brad Shelton, Washington County Extension Educator says that with those alternative forages come some concerns.
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Hoosier Livestock Owners Facing Feed and Forage Shortage

by Gary Truitt

Hoosier Ag Today

Indiana cattlemen are finding themselves running short on feed and forage sources. Poor hay yields and drought ravaged pastures have left many producers with few alternatives. Keith Johnson, Purdue Extension Forage Specialist, told HAT there are some alternatives. It‘s possible to substitute some lesser used feeds, such as corn silage and soybean hay, but farmers must make sure they use these properly, said Johnson, “You have to make sure that you‘re using substitute feeds in the most efficient and effective way possible,” he said. “In hard times, you can use nontraditional measures, but you have to take into account the type of animal and the animal‘s stage of production and feed accordingly.” For instance, a horse that is a gelding and an “easy-keeper” will do better with properly made corn residue as part of its ration. But a mare in foal will need a ration with better nutritional value.

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Be Careful Before Releasing Cattle into Damaged Cornfields

Wallace’s Farmer

Due to heavy rainfall and strong winds in August, 10% to 15% of Iowa’s corn crop has suffered moderate to heavy lodging, according to an Iowa State University Extension specialist. For cattle producers, this means more corn left in the field for feed.

Cornfields in northern and southwest Iowa were hit especially hard by weather, says Roger Elmore, ISU Extension corn specialist. So, it’s wise to think about turning beef cows out into those fields to use the downed corn. “This is a good year to glean some of that for livestock,” says Elmore.

However, farmers should take some precautionary management steps in order to help prevent cattle from overloading on corn, which can result in health problems, says Russ Euken, an ISU Extension beef field specialist who works with the Iowa Beef Center at Ames.

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Using alternative cattle feed requires study

By Mike Surbrugg

The Joplin Globe

MOUNT VERNON, Mo. — Before writing that check to buy an alternative cattle feed, a beef-cattle producer needs to know how to feed it and how its costs and nutritional values compare with corn.

That is the advice of speakers during a beef tour that was part of Field Day held last month at the University of Missouri’s Southwest Center near Mount Vernon.

Such feed can be in dry, cake, wet or syrup form, and include the byproducts of fuel production.

Costs to haul the feed to the farm and storage also need to be considered, said Justin Sexton, state beef extension nutritionist.

Providing such feed should include a goal to reduce forage consumption, especially during a drought.

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Analyze hay to reduce feeding costs

High Plains Journal

Feed cost is the major expense in beef cattle production. Overfeeding or underfeeding results in inefficient beef production and reduced profit, according to the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.

“The goal of all beef production systems should be to meet nutrient needs of all classes of animals at a level which optimizes performance at the lowest cost,” said Mark Keaton, Baxter County Extension staff chair.

Properly identifying energy and protein needs of a particular class of livestock is the first step. For example, requirements of a dry cow are considerably less than those of a nursing cow. Likewise, those of growing replacement heifers are different from those of a bull in the off season.

Since the requirements vary so much, it only makes good “cents” to group cattle according to nutrient needs, Keaton said. Any extra time spent separating cattle during the hay-feeding season will more than offset economic benefits realized next spring. The next step is to determine the nutrient content of hay to see if any supplementation will be required. Keaton advised producers not to estimate the quality of hay from book or visual evaluation since this will lead to errors in feeding.

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Corn residue an option if forage supplies are short

Ag Professional

COLUMBUS, Ohio — With livestock forages, especially hay, still in short supply, feeding corn residue may help extend the grazing season. But, like other feeds, management is important.

“Corn harvest has started and the residue that is left in the field is not a bad feed for about 60 days after harvest,” said Jeff McCutcheon, an Ohio State University Extension educator for Knox County.

One acre of corn residue can supply enough forage to sustain a 1,000-pound animal for as long as two months.

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Cattle Feeding: Grazing Corn Residues Makes Cents

Cattlenetwork.com

Grazing corn residues is one way to reduce the cost of wintering beef cows in the upper Midwest, a North Dakota State University cattle expert says.

“With the increase in corn acres in North Dakota and the surrounding region this year, availability of corn residue also has increased, making this practice even more attractive,” says Greg Lardy, NDSU Extension Service beef cattle specialist.

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Nutrient Value Of Corn Stover

Cattlenetwork.com

Some animal operations are interested in corn stover as a feed leading many crop producers to ask - what is the nutrient value of my corn stover?

From a pure fertilizer value, corn stover contains a little phosphorus (P2O5) and moderate amounts of nitrogen (N) and potassium (K2O). The actual amounts of N, P2O5, and K2O contained in a ton of corn stover are 16, 6, and 25 pounds, respectively. A 160 bushel per acre corn crop will produce 4.5 tons of stover per acre removing 72 pounds of N, 25 pounds of P2O5, and 113 pounds of K2O. Thus stover does have some fertilizer value especially with regard to potassium that may require some additional fertilizer input in subsequent years, but soil testing should be conducted to validate the need for additional nutrients.

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Considerations For Drought Stressed Pastures This Fall

Cattlenetwork.com

Now I am worried. From measurements various graziers have been taking on a weekly basis the forage growth for September was flat. On several farm visits I came away with the impression that we were drier now than mid summer. The worry comes from knowing you need feed and knowing what the forages are doing this fall.

Fall is a critical time for our cool season perennial forages. In the cooler temperatures, leaf growth is slower while photosynthesis does not slow down. This increases the reserve carbohydrates in the plant. Cool season forages in the fall store reserve carbohydrates and use them to develop new tillers and roots. Carbohydrate storage, new tiller and root development can only happen if there is enough leaf area for photosynthesis. These three things are accomplished with little additional leaf growth. Making management decisions that negatively impact this development will hurt survival over winter and growth next year.

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