MIDWEST BEEF COW HERD MANAGEMENT

By

David R. Hawkins

Michigan State University

Principles of Least Cost Feeding Programs

• Match the available feeds with the cow’s nutrient requirements.

• Overfeeding wastes money but underfeeding results in lower conception rates, lighter calves at weaning and less value on cull cows.

• Use high quality feeds during early lactation and rebreeding.

• Maximize use of pastures and crop residues that have little or no alternative value and minimize use of harvested feeds.

Annual Energy Requirements

Divide Herd Into Nutritional Groups

• Dry mature cows in good body condition.

• Lactating mature cows.

• Dry thin cows and two year olds.

• Lactating thin cows and two year olds.

• Bred heifers.

• Weaned heifer calves.

• Herd sires (mature vs young)

Develop a Feeding Plan for Each Group by Periods

• Each period should be no longer than 100 days and have specified targets for each group of cattle.

• Maintenance vs. growth vs. lactation.

• Maintain BCS versus change BCS.

General Guidelines

• Fresh clean water should be available at all times.

• Minerals including salt are usually provided “free-choice”– Mature cows will usually consume 0.1 lb. per

cow per day ( 3 lb/hd/mo)

• Pasture will usually provide adequate energy and protein.

Macro Minerals

• Salt ( Sodium & Chlorine) Required for acid base balance & digestive enzymes.

• Calcium – forages are a good source. Required for skeletal growth, blood clotting, muscle contraction, lactation & reproduction.

• Phosphorous – grains contain high levels. Required for energy transfer, skeletal growth & reproduction. Could be deficient with all forage diets.

Macro Minerals cont.

• Potassium – required for muscular contraction & acid base balance. Forages are high and grains tend to be marginal.

• Magnesium – related to calcium and phosphorous metabolism.Required for muscle activity. Forages can be low in early spring and fall. Deficiency is “grass tetany”.

Trace Minerals

• Great Lakes region is deficient in cobalt, iodine & selenium and it is marginal in copper

• Usual source is trace mineral [T.M.] salt (red colored).

• Some T.M. salt also contains higher levels of selenium.

• Sulfur is usually only supplemented when NPN is used in the ration.

Vitamins A & D

• Vitamin A found as carotene in green growing forages & stored in liver. Poor quality forages and crop residues are low. Required for maintenance of epithelial tissue (vision & reproduction).

• Vitamin D is required for Ca & P metabolism. Sunlight irradiates skin oil & absorption occurs.

Vitamins E & K

• Vitamin E is an antioxidant that facilitates absorption & storage of vitamin A. It is closely linked to selenium status. Deficiency results in “white muscle” disease of newborn calves.

• Vitamin K is involved with blood clotting. Deficiency is rare.

B Vitamins

• These water soluble vitamins are normally synthesized in adequate quantities by the rumen microorganisms.

• Calf normally gets adequate levels in milk.

Permanent Pasture

• Permanent pastures are usually bluegrass or quackgrass.

• They vary in productivity. It may require 2 to 10 acres per cow unit for the summer.

• They usually grow in the spring, go dormant in July & August and then grow again in September & October.

Improved Pasture

• Usually grasses & legumes are reseeded every few years.

• Grasses include: orchardgrass, bromegrass, timothy, reed canarygrass and tall fescue.

• Legumes include: alfalfa, red clover, white clover, ladino clover and birdsfoot trefoil.

• Carrying capacity of improved pasture may range from 1 to 3 acres per cow unit.

Pasture Management Guidelines

• Bluegrass should be 4” high before grazing.• Tall grasses should be 8” to 10” high before

grazing & tall legumes should be 10” to 12” high before grazing.

• Cattle should be removed from pastures when it is grazed down to 2” in height.

• Grasses need 25 to 35 days to recover & legumes require 35 to 45 days to recover.

Pasture Mgt. Continued

• Soil test to determine nutrient needs.

• Clip pastures to remove seed heads and old growth.

• Control brush by herbicides or burning.

• Manage grazing to maximize yields.

Continuous Grazing

• Turn cattle into one field for the entire grazing season.

• Low labor cost

• Up to 40% of forage may be wasted by trampling, etc.

• Difficult to keep legumes in stand.

Rotational Grazing

• Requires several paddocks and cattle are rotated every 10 to 15 days.

• Allows plants time to recover between grazing.

• More labor and fence required than with continuous grazing, but get about 20% more productivity.

Strip Grazing

• Use electric fencing to allow cows access to a 10 to 20 ft. strip of new pasture each day.

• More labor intensive to move fence each day.

• Expect about 35% more productivity than continuous grazing.

Harvested Forages

• Allows recovery of entire plant minus harvest & storage losses.

• Requires more labor and mechanization than grazing.

• Hay is most popular forage for beef cows in Michigan, but corn silage and haylage are also utilized.

• Quality of forage is highly variable due to stage of maturity at harvest & storage conditions.

Hay Guidelines

• Some improved pastures will be managed to make 1 cutting of hay and then graze the regrowth when the permanent pastures are dormant.

• Average hay yields are 2.5 T. per acre but can be as high as 6 T. per acre if well fertilized and multiple cuttings are made.

Land Required Per Cow

• This varies according to productivity, length of wintering period, etc.

• If a dry cow needs about 25 lb. of hay per day and a lactating cow needs about 35 lb. of hay per day, winter hay needs will vary from 1.9 to 3.2 T. depending on when she calves.

• Land for pasture and winter feed ranges from 1.5 to 5 acres per cow with improved pastures and up to 12 acres per cow on permanent pastures.

Extending The Grazing Season

• Small grains (barley, oats and wheat) can be grazed early without significantly reducing grain yields.

• Thousands of stocker cattle graze wheat pastures in Kansas & Oklahoma.

• Corn stalks and other crop residues can be grazed after the grain is harvested.

Grazing Corn Stalks

• One acre of corn stalks will carry one cow for 40 to 50 days, if properly supplemented.

• In addition to calcium, phosphorous, protein is critical after the first 30 days.

• Some producers will feed hay in addition to the cornstalks.

• If hay is worth $50/T., then cornstalks are valued at $12/cow/month.

Supplemental Feeding of Cows

• If overstocked or drought conditions, supplemental feeding of hay or silage may be required.

• Cows prefer green succulent forage to dry hay.• If hay is expensive, grain can be fed (4 to 6

lb./cow/day), but a minimal level of roughage is critical to maintain rumen function.

Drylot Feeding of Beef Cows

• Increases the # of cows that can be fed per unit of land – 5 T. of corn silage/cow for summer or 8 T./year. If yields are 15 to 16 T per acre, then land required is 0.3 to 0.5 acres per cow unit.

• Requires feed storage and mechanization.• Higher labor requirement but lower land cost than

pasture system.• Flies and disease challenges are greater with

drylot.

Summary

• There are many options to consider when formulating rations for beef cows.

• The goal is to meet the cow’s nutrient requirements for her stage of production as economically as possible.