Feeding Programs/Systems

Knowledge Nuggets

• Stored feeds make up a large part of the yearly cost of cow calf production and can be significantly reduced when cow calf producers evaluate their need for stored feed.

• The most significant factor affecting the amount of stored feed needed is the length of the feeding season. Fall grazing can be extended with the use of crop aftermath and stockpiled pasture. Cows can graze through snow up to 20 cm deep.

• Matching the nutrient requirements of the cow with the nutrients available in pasture will efficiently utilize pasture. In doing this, the cow should receive most of her nutrients from the pasture with minimal supplementation.

• If crude protein content falls below approximately 7.5 - 8 %, dry matter intake declines making it difficult for the cow to consume enough forage to meet energy requirements because of low feed passage rates.

• Protein requirements increase as winter temperatures decline and pregnancy advances.

• The condition of the cow going into the winter has a dramatic effect on feeding costs. Cows in body condition score of lower than 3 have reduced tolerance to cold and wind than cows with body condition score of 3 or more. Extra body fat is available as insulation and acts as an energy reservoir that cows can draw from when needed.

• Time of weaning has a dramatic effect on fall body condition. Cows of early weaned calves gain more condition during the winter and weigh more at breeding time than cows of late weaned calves.

• Swath grazing during the winter months enables cattle to harvest their own feed.

• Cows consume barley swaths at rates similar to the amount of silage and straw consumed by daily fed cows. Swath grazed cows consume more digestible energy than cows fed daily but gain less weight. This indicates that cows grazing swaths require about 20% more energy to offset the energy costs needed for digging through the snow.

• Swath grazing requires 44% less labor and costs 47% less than traditional daily feeding. Also swath grazing requires 28% less labor and costs 42% less than alternate day feeding.

• Cattle are able to resume grazing early in the spring on dormant carryover growth from the previous year.