Polk County Soils and Crops Conference

Dr. Weston Walker

Missouri State University

February 7, 2006

Resource or Product?

Resource or Product?

Are you a…

Livestock Manager?

or Forage Producer?

Profitable livestock production = efficiently converting forage to meat, wool, or milk.

The most profitable forage management system will:

Match livestock nutritional needs

to forage availability and …

Harvest for optimum quality and maximum utilization.

Does Maximum Yield…

= Maximum Profit ?

≠ Maximum Profit ?

≈ Maximum Profit ?

What does your answer depend on? Seasonal production Forage quality

Average Cow Costs in Missouri

Feed$118

Machinery $31Other Materials& Services $26

Veterinary & Medicine $25

Utilities, Insurance,Repairs, Misc. $15

Operating Interest $10

Vern Pierce, MU Beef Economist (2000)

Livestock Needs Animal Unit = 1000 lbs. of animal

Designed to put all animals on same scale of consumption, acres needed, but more for nutritional needs

Example: 20 gestating beef cows @ 1000 lbs./hd. = 20 animal units, or 20 A.U.

Dry Matter Intake = % of Body Weight Depends upon the life stage and type of

livestock (cattle, sheep, goats, horses)

Life stages of Livestock

Maintenance Growth Gestation Lactation Rule of Thumb = All animals basically

average 3% of their body weight in DM intake Total lbs. of livestock X .03 = needed DM

Simplified Crude Protein Requirements Beef Cows, Bred Heifers & growing feedlot

cattle (2 lb/ADG) never over 12% and usually not more than 10%

Ewes & Does (Nannies) never over 15% and usually not more than 10-12%

When do we need more?... young growing animals or extra heavy producers

Net Energy Lactation (NEL) on Dry Matter BasisMega Calories per Lb. >.60 = Excellent, Dairy Quality .55 - .59 = Good, Beef cows will gain wt. .50 - .54 = Fair, Beef cows will maintain <.50 = Poor, not enough energy even for

maintenance, will lose 1 lb/day

How/What to feed your Livestock?

Hay

4 x 5 round bale = 1000 lbs. DM

Pasture

1 ac. pasture 5” tall = 1000 lbs. DM

Match feedstuffs to animals

Now we know the requirements of our animal Quantity needed Quality required

How do we determine how much we have?

How do we determine the quality of what we have?

Forages• Have we covered the growing season with forages adequately?

• Have we over/under produced in certain seasons?

Spring

Summer Fall Winter

Seasonal Distribution of Forages

3 things needed to determine amount of forage available & # of head it will feed:

1. Lbs. / Acre of forage

2. Utilization rate (%)a) Continuous Grazing = 30%

b) Rotational Grazing = 70%

3. Dry Matter Intake rate (%)a) 3% of Body Weight (BW)

Lbs / Acre of forage - on Dry Matter (DM) basis

Highly variable based on soil type, soil fertility, forage species, stand thickness, etc.

Given as a “moment in time” measurement, not season long

In a grazing situation, sometimes referred to as inches…

Rule of Thumb = 200 lb./ acre inch

Estimated Dry Matter / Acre square inch

Stand Condition

Fair Good Excellent

Bermudagrass 100-250 250-400 400-550

Tall Fescue 150-250 250-350 350-450

Orchard. w/ leg. 100-200 200-300 300-400

T. Fescue w/ leg. 100-200 200-300 300-400

Alfalfa/R. Clover 150-200 200-250 250-300

C. Bluestem 100-200 200-300 300-400

Utilization rate

% of available forage (measured to ground level) consumed by grazing livestock during a grazing period

Higher utilization rates with higher stocking density

Rule of Thumb = Continuous Grazing = 30% Utilization Rotational/Strip Grazing = 70% Utilization

Evaluating Forage Quality

Visual appraisal Can we determine the feed value visually? Understand/Interpret feed analysis reports

Protein NDF/ADF Energy Content (Net Energy Lactation)

Proper Hay Sampling Method

Need a cross-section sample of of entire bale

For square bales take core sample from the end of bale.

Net Energy Lactation (NEL) on Dry Matter Basis >.60 = Excellent, Dairy Quality .55 - .59 = Good, Beef cows will gain wt. .50 - .54 = Fair, Beef cows will maintain <.50 = Poor, not enough energy even for

maintenance (see example next slide)

No matter how much they eat, they will starve to death!

Fescue / Red Clover – 1st cutting

Orchardgrass / Red Clover – 1st cutting

Management of Hay

Feeding Methods of preventing livestock from wasting so

much hay.

Storage Prevention of yield loss due to weathering on

round bales.

Are these the table manners of your livestock?

Storage Method Examples

Not so Good Storage Methods

Another No, No.

Did you know….? A 6’ x 6’ bale will receive about 22 gallons of

water for each inch of rain 30 inches = 660 gallon

Dry matter storage loss Hay stored inside = 5% Hay stored outside = 30% or more

Rule of Thumb – 5% DM loss for every 1 inch spoilage depth

Example: 6 inches spoiled X 5% = 30% reduction in DM 1000 lb. bale originally has 700 lb. of usable product

Management of Forage

Nutrients are in the leaves Grazing Rule of thumb – Take ½, Leave ½ to

maximize plant regrowth potential; root growth stops if >50% forage height is removed

Haying Rule of Thumb – Cut hay in the boot or bud stage and manage the handling process to minimize leaf loss

Nutrients are in the leaves

Yield & Quality in Forages

Quality of Fescue KY 31

Energy (NEL)

MCal/Lb.

Crude Protein

%

Fresh Vegetative

.65 15

Hay Early Bloom

.66 18

Hay Mature .51 11

Straw .41 4

Net Energy Lactation (NEL) on Dry Matter Basis >.60 = Excellent, Dairy Quality .55 - .59 = Good, Beef cows will gain wt. .50 - .54 = Fair, Beef cows will maintain <.50 = Poor, not enough energy even for

maintenance

Fall/Winter Stockpiling• Tall fescue well suited.

- Tall fescue holds its quality and stays greener longer than any other cool season grass for stockpiled winter pasture.

• Some producers are getting into March without feeding hay.

Stockpiled Tall Fescue Crude Protein

1816

1412

10 9

2220

18

1513

11

0

5

10

15

20

25

October November December January February March

Months

Perc

en

tag

es

Table 1

Courtesy of Mark Green, NRCS

Fescue / Red Clover – 1st cutting

2.87

Protein Intake vs. RequirementSeptember Calving Beef Cows - 1100 lb.- Southern Missouri

Months

IntakeRequire

6.575.73

4.91

4.09

3.26

2.3 2.28 2.23 2.17 2.13 2.09

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar

Pou

nd

s

Table 3

Energy Intake vs. RequirementFall Calving Beef Cows - 1100 lb. - Southern Missouri

27.826.16

24.5622.81

20.83 19.86

15.85 15.86 15.79 15.46 15.21 14.89

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar

Months

NEM

(M

cal/

day)

Table 4

Advantages of Stockpile Grazing

• Reduced Labor

• Reduced Costs

• Reduced Time Putting up hay and feeding out hay

• High Quality Forage Usually better than grass hay

Things we have learned• Forage quality in a managed grazing

system can be better than we thought

• Protein is seldom deficient in vegetative pastures

• Quality of tall fescue fall regrowth is very high

• Tall fescue holds quality well into late winter and early spring

Conclusions Realize livestock nutritional needs

Understand what quality forage is

Take proper forage samples

Determine if stored forage will meet nutritional needs of livestock

Understand steps necessary for putting up quality forage

Realizing most economical storage methods

Conclusions continued…

Be aware of possible ways to stretch winter forage supplies

Know management procedures and techniques necessary for quality forage production

Putting Knowledge into Practice…

Utilize forage test information to make the necessary management decisions for livestock nutritional requirements.

Rotational Grazing is the only route to take if sustainable, long-term livestock production is the goal, no other means of production can incorporate so many benefits to land, producer, and environment

Take Home Thoughts…

People don’t Plan to Fail…They Fail to Plan!

and likewise

Good forage & livestock nutrition programs do not just happen… they are Planned.