Forage Testing Is Important

stance can be used primarily as a supplement, for the older cows, to augment a lowerquality diet of winter grazing, straw, or poor-quality hay.

Knowing the nutrient levels of hay can save money on feed, or influence future health of your calves, or weaning eight and percent of your next calf crop. In years past, some producers lost calves to what was termed “weak calf syndrome” and University of Idaho studies eventually showed that the primary cause was shortage of protein in diets of cows, especially the younger cows. Calves born from protein-deficient dams were more likely to su er cold stress and/or succumb to calfhood illnesses.

feed your grandmother the same diet or amounts as a growing teenager,” she explains. Even though some of the nutrient requirements are similar for any pregnant cows, their age and whether they are still growing will make major di erences.

Minerals are also important for proper fetal development. “The only way to know nutrient quality (levels of various nutrients, including minerals) of your forage is to have it analyzed,” says Williams. Even if it’s hay from the same field as last year, it may have had di erent growing conditions. Variations in water, average temperatures, rate of growth, stage of maturity when cut, and weather conditions at harvest can make huge di erences in quality.

“If you cut hay a week earlier or later in terms of bloom stage, protein level will be di erent. Doing a nutrient analysis enables you to use your hay more efficiently and know when or if you need to add a supplement,” she explains.

“This saves money in the long run because you know which hay is best to feed your yearling heifers, 2 and 3 year olds. You can feed lower quality hay to the cows. Or, you can use less expensive forage like straw for filler,” says Williams. High-quality alfalfa, for in-

Are You A New Breeder?

“Local extension programs are a good source of information, and can answer feed questions. For instance, I have a program in which I can create rations for producers, especially if they have a hay analysis. I can determine how many pounds of protein those cows need, and tweak it to fit that producer’s situation. This gives them a starting point. They can look at their cows and monitor them to make sure they are not losing weight,” she says.

“The important things are to feed cattle appropriately for their age – and stage of gestation – and make sure they have good feed during not only the last trimester but also the first 60 days after they calve.” Their demands increase tremendously at that time.

“They can rob a little from their backfat if they were in good flesh at calving, but you may pay for this later if you don’t catch the weight loss soon enough,” says Williams. They may lose too much weight and not breed back quickly.

Older, thin cows do best if you put them with your young cows—or even with your weaned heifers if you don’t have a separate group for young cows. This might enable those cows to have a healthier calf for their final calf, and breed back again for one more calf, and they also serve as role models for the young heifers.

If you have been a TLBAA member for four years or less, you can do a FREE Meet Our Members editorial to introduce yourself to our members. It’s a great way to let people know you are building a breeding program and make it easier for people to recognize you at sales and events. For the questions to answer please email myra@tlbaa.org. If you have questions you may call 817.625.6241 or email myra@tlbaa.org