Despite many in the Great Plains region receiving a few inches of snow this past month, the past several months of drought and a forecasted dry summer are likely to reduce grass production in many areas. Making a drought management plan before summer will help producers be proactive in decision making as opposed to reactive as drought forces management changes.
Making Culling Decisions Early
The cull cow market has started its seasonal trend upward and is showing promise of being favorable to the cow-calf producer again this year. Therefore, producers facing loss of grass due to drought may want to designate older cows, cows with bad quarters on their udders, those who produce a lower than average calf, or have disposition issues for an early weaning program to reduce grazing pressure and take advantage of the seasonal peak in the cull cow market. High-risk cows such as 2 and 3 year old cows with young calves might be culling options as they could be sold as pairs prior to breeding to producers with more stable feed resources.
Stretching the Grass with Supplemental Feed
Those fortunate enough to have equipment for mixing and feeding total mixed rations (TMR) may want to consider feeding a TMR in a pasture area to stretch the grass available. Research conducted at the University of Nebraska showed that mixing wet distillers grains and poor quality roughage such as ground crop residue could replace 0.22 to almost 1 pound of dry matter intake of pasture grass. While this does not prevent overgrazing of a pasture, it can buy producers a little time allowing delayed turn out and recovery for other drought stricken pastures. However, just supplying 1-2 pounds of a protein supplement on pasture will not reduce forage intake; in fact, it will increase it by increasing digestion.
Feeding Pairs in Confinement
Housing cow-calf pairs in a drylot, on a pivot corner, fallow ground, or sacrifice pasture and feeding a TMR can also be a way to manage cattle through a drought. Although a TMR is often the easiest way to do this, producers can also be creative in how they feed in confinement. Those who do not have a means of grinding, mixing, and delivering a TMR or procuring wet distillers grains can also roll out hay, use a bale processor, and supplement a protein and energy source such as dried distillers or soybean meal and corn gluten feed or soyhulls in a bunk or on top of the forage fed out. There are three important things to remember when feeding pairs in confinement:
- Lactation requires almost double the protein and energy that late gestation does. Therefore, supplying protein, energy, and a mineral and vitamin supplement that meets the demands grazed grass will not must be included.
- A 3 month old nursing calf will be consuming about 1.5% of his body weight on a dry matter basis of the feed provided.
- The feed needs to be spread out to provide about 2 feet of feeding space for cows and 1 foot per calf, especially if dry matter intake is somewhat limited.
Early weaning
Removing lactation from the cow can decrease her dry matter intake by roughly 20%. Removing the calf from the pasture also reduces the grazing pressure on the pasture. The calf can then be sold or can be grown in a drylot setting until a more traditional date for selling. However, producers will likely want to calculate the value of the calf at early weaning vs. the value of the calf sold at a later date minus the feed and labor associated with maintaining the calf for the extra time to see if it is financially beneficial.
Summary
Making management decisions for drought mitigation are never easy. However, having a plan in place early in the grazing season is likely to result in a more positive outcome than taking a wait and see approach and being forced to be reactive. Culling some less productive cows, stretching pasture, feeding in confinement, and early weaning are all options to consider when developing a drought mitigation plan. The University of Nebraska has beef focused educators and specialists available to assist with ration balancing and decision making.
