Preparing for Winter

Experts weigh in on herd nutrition, forages and management.

By Sarah Hill Photos by Jerod Foster

Drought conditions of the past year have left cattle producers despairing for hay, forages and feedstuffs. Cooler months are traditionally a tough season for cattlemen, and this coming winter will be no exception. Heading into the next season, ranchers have a lot to think about.

“The number one thing cattle producers should be thinking about is maintaining their herd through the winter,” says Vanessa Corriher-Olson, Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension professor and forage specialist. “Right now, cattlemen need to be planning winter pasture and forages, and planting any winter forage.”

PLANNING AHEAD

Dry weather is anticipated to last through fall and into winter, so many ranchers will be feeding hay. CorriherOlson says sourcing hay, and determining supplements to go with it, is going to be challenging.

“Most cattle producers aren’t thinking long-term about the impact of the drought on existing warm-season perennial forages, but those concerns will show up next spring,” she says. “Cattlemen need to be prepared and aware that how they manage forage systems and fertilizer decisions during the drought will impact how well the forage system recovers next year.”

Corriher-Olson notes cattle producers should consider the demands for feed and forage based on the number of animals, the size of those animals, their stage of production, and their nutrient and energy requirements before deciding to maintain herd size.

“How much dry matter those cows are going to consume is based on body weight,” she says. “Ranchers should also consider how many days they’re going to be feeding, the potential number of days for grazing and the potential production of winter pasture if they’ve planted any, compared to what’s needed.”

Producers should lean toward having more forage available than they anticipate actually needing, so they’re not left scrambling at the last minute to find hay or feed, Corriher-Olson says.

“Trying to find hay in the middle of the season when everyone is looking for hay is really difficult,” she notes. HANDLING HAY

Another detail cattle producers need to stay on top of is rotating the location of where hay is fed in a pasture.

“If we do get moisture and hay is fed in the same place, it’s going to cause mucking and damage to the pasture,” Corriher-Olson says. “Rotating where the hay is placed in the field is an opportunity to recycle nutrients by spreading cattle manure and urine across a dormant field or pasture.”

If a cattleman has 70-80% of their herd’s hay and forage supplies accounted for, Jason Banta, Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist, recommends working with their nutritionist to determine supplementation for cattle diets.

“Instead of giving a cow all the hay she wants, maybe she’s fed 10-12 pounds of hay per day, and then you feed

cubes or something else to make up the difference,” Banta says.

If a cattle producer is feeding hay, whether it’s hay they harvested themselves or purchased, CorriherOlson emphasizes the importance of testing for nutrient value. Cattle raisers may want to ask their nutritionist for recommendations on a lab for hay analysis.

“Forage analysis can be done at a lot of university or commercial labs, and price depends on what information you’re looking for,” she says. “We recommend testing hay for dry matter, crude protein and digestibility or energy value.”

Sampling 10% of hay bales at random is CorriherOlson's recommendation to get an accurate representation of the nutritive value.

“Hay should be stored indoors or protected to maintain the nutritional value of the hay,” she adds. “Hay can lose dry matter value when it’s stored outside.”

MANAGING HERD SIZE

When a cattle producer does not have enough feed to maintain the herd, it is time to consider reducing the herd size. Another consideration is whether there are more dry or lactating cows, because lactating cows require significantly more nutrition than dry cows, simply because they are producing milk for their calf.

“You need to look at the next 100-150 days and current prices for feedstuffs, including hay, energy and protein supplements,” Banta says. “You could easily spend more in the next few months than what you may make on that cow’s next calf. You have to have a realistic thought process about the costs.”

Deciding which animals should stay or go depends on each operation’s individual needs, Banta notes.

“Any animals with bad eyes or udders, shorter teeth or temperament issues should be at the top of the list,” he says. “The next group to look at is older cows that would be leaving the herd in the next couple of years anyway.”

Keeping younger females is more advantageous because those cows will be entering their peak production years, Banta says, and will have more value if they would need to be sold for any reason in the future.

Another factor is that cows with low body condition scores have lower pregnancy rates. Reproduction is the first thing affected when cows are fed lower quality forages and hay, according to Banta.

Replacement heifers should be the last group evaluated for culling, Banta says, because they have the potential to be more valuable — even though it may be longer before seeing a return on investment. T C

Sarah Hill is a freelance writer for Grant Company based near Brookings, South Dakota.

U.S. Postal Service Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation

1. Publication title: The Cattleman

2. Publication number: 95000

3. Filing date: Sept. 29, 2022 4. Issue frequency: Monthly 5. Number of issues published annually: 12 6. Annual subscription price: $60 7. Complete mailing address of known office of publication: P.O. Box 101988, Fort Worth, Texas 76185 8. Complete mailing address of headquarters or general business office of publisher: P.O. Box 101988, Fort Worth, Texas 76185 9. Full names and complete mailing addresses of publisher, editor and managing editor: Publisher - Texas & Southwestern Cattle

Raisers Association; Editor – Jaclyn Roberts; Managing Editor – Jena McRell; P.O. Box 101988, Fort Worth, Texas 76185 10. Owner: Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association – P.O. Box 101988, Fort Worth, Texas 76185 11. Known bondholders, mortgages and other security holders owning or holding 1% or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages or other securities: None 12. Tax status: Not applicable 13. Publication title: The Cattleman

14. Issue date for circulation data below: September 2022 15. Extent and nature of circulation. Total number of copies: • Avg. no. copies each issue during preceding 12 months, 16,143. • No. copies of single issue published nearest to filing date: 14,905. • Free or nominal rate distribution: avg. 1,345; single issue, 239. • Total distribution: avg. 17,488; single issue, 15,144. • Percent paid: avg. 92.3%; single issue 98.4%. 16. Paid electronic copies: avg. 0; single issue, 0. 17. Publication of statement of ownership: Nov. 1, 2022. 18. Signature and title of editor, publisher, business manager or owner: Jaclyn Roberts, editor-in-chief, Sept. 29, 2022.