Beef Cattle Production
- Cow-calf, Bull and Heifer Nutrition and Management
- Breeding, Genetics & Reproduction
- Backgrounding, Yearling and Feedlot Nutrition and Management
- Forage, Pasture & Range Management
- By-Product Feeds
- Beef Forage Crops Systems
- Herd Health
- Beef Product and Quality Assurance
- Marketing and Livestock Budgets
- Drought
Additional University of Nebraska Beef Cattle Resources
Q: We ranch at Bartlett, NE and are interested in winter grazing. Do you have to leave pastures sit empty in the summer to be able to winter graze? We have subirrigated meadows that we hay, if we winter graze can we supplement w/that hay instead of cake? (August 2011)
A: For winter grazed upland range pastures, the quality of available forage does decline through that October to March period. In October and November for example, there are still cool-season grasses that are green and very slowly growing, As the winter progresses, the grasses do begin losing leaves which are an important factor of quality. Pastures that were lightly to moderately grazed during the summer could be grazed in the winter as well. However, the key is to watch the available forage in the winter and move to different pastures as needed.
Supplementation with meadow hay during the winter could b possible, however it would be necessary to have the hay tested to determine its quality. With the hay test, one could then determine if, and how much would need to be fed in order to use it as a supplement. Protein will be the most limiting nutrient during the winter.
