Forage Fiscal Fitness

July, 2020
 Laura Bennett, UF/IFAS Pasco, Sumter and Hernando Counties, Dader City

All of us are trying to spend less with the expectation that we will create more money in our accounts.  HOWEVER, it could backfire on you when raising cattle by cutting expenditures where you shouldn’t.  With the idea of “moving on”, the 2021 Florida Cattlemen’s Institute and Allied Trade Show (scheduled for January 21) will be covering this topic.  The overall theme will address the consequences of cutting too much from forage, health, and nutrition budgets.  For the immediate time being, having less mouths to feed will have an immediate reduction on expenses going out.  Additionally, it can quietly improve your production of the cattle you have left by improving reproductive efficiency, calf weights, cow body condition, etc.  That is accomplished, in part, by the unique grazing habits of cattle.  Research has shown that cattle are able to select a diet 5-50% higher in quality than what is available to them in the pasture, as a whole.  The higher percentages are gained when there is ample forage to choose from.

Forage is the basis of the entire cattle operation.  Getting to an optimal stocking rate is more important now than ever.  The health of your forage stand will require fewer inputs when it is stocked lighter.  Additionally, hay purchases will decline which is expensive and not an efficient way to supply forage to cattle (largely due to waste).  Yes, there are gaps during certain times of the year.  These may have to be filled with hay supplementation or winter forages (if you are in an area suitable for that).  Ultimately, feeding hay should be kept to a minimum (but not at the cost of lowering the plane of nutrition).  Nonetheless, lowering stocking rate will minimize these gaps.

How do you determine if you have the right amount of forage?

Ultimately, our greatest tool to determine if cattle are at a proper level of nutrition is Body Condition Scoring.  Training yourself to evaluate your cattle is a very important step to efficiently manage your herd.  There are online tutorials/training available at the Range Cattle Research and Education Center website (https://rcrec-ona.ifas.ufl.edu/virtual-classroom/#training).  During this time of reduced social activity this would be a noble project to undertake.

Observation of grazing patterns can indicate if forage is restricted.  Cattle should graze during two major grazing events each day.  Cattle who graze during the heat of the day and those grazing continuously during daylight hours can be an indication of limited forage supply when grass is short.  If cattle are browsing leaves on shrubs or trees, then forage is limited.  Cattle very much prefer grass.

If cattle are eating low quality hay or on quite mature standing forage, short grazing periods can indicate another problem altogether.  If forage is of low digestibility, it will have to reside in the rumen for extended periods of time before it passes.  Optimally, forage enters and leaves the rumen quickly, which indicates it was easily digestible.  If you suspect rate of passage is slow, supplementation will greatly help.  By “feeding” the microbes crude protein, they can proliferate and do a better/quicker job of fiber digestion.  This necessitates having ample forage to begin with.  Keep in mind that there is no selective grazing going on with hay; the cow gets what she gets.  This makes forage testing of your hay so very important.

Estimating gut fill can also give you a glimpse into forage supply.  The rumen is the largest of the four stomach compartments.  This fermentation chamber houses the mirobes that break down the fiber in the forage.  Located on the left side of the cow, it will occupy the space between the last rib and hip when it is full.  A sunken or hollowed appearance between the last rib and hip along with a shallow body cavity can be indicators of restricted forage availability. 

Back to the theme of the next Institute - the consequences of cutting from forage, health, and nutrition budgets can be problematic.  Our forage health (or quantity or availability) needs to be priority.  This will keep the health and reproductive status of the cattle optimized; also, do NOT omit a vaccination program (that is yet a whole other discussion.)  While tempting to cut way back on expenses, it can be detrimental to your herd for a long time to come.  It seems counterintuitive to spend money to make money, but that is necessary in the cattle business.

 

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