Missouri Cattle Producers

Beef producers in Missouri can grow large amounts of forage and maintain high stocking rates as long as soil moisture is adequate. When high summer temperatures are coupled with low rainfall, however, forage production decreases rapidly reducing grazing availability and hay production. Learning how to manage forage during a drought will help cow-calf producers remain profitable as the weather and feed supplies fluctuate from year to year.

Forage type. First, remember that Missouri is prone to summer droughts, especially in the Ozark region of the state. Just a couple of weeks of hot, dry weather can completely stop the growth of cool-season grasses, which recover slowly even when the weather improves. Overgrazing cool-season forages during the summer reduces fall growth and may potentially lead to stand loss, especially with fungus-free fescue and orchardgrass.

Most cattle farms in the Ozarks would benefit from adding warm-season forages such as switchgrass, bermudagrass, and caucasian or other warm season grasses to the fescue-clover base that predominates. These warm-season perennial forages also grow slowly in dry weather, but they are not as susceptible to drought as the cool-season forages are. Also, these forages are quick to recover once rainfall does come. Bermudagrass will also tolerate close grazing better than the cool-season forages. In general, having about one-third of available acreage in some type of warm-season forage helps producers manage summer droughts. This year switchgrass seemed to have the highest yield of all the warm season grasses. Alfalfa is a legume that will stand some drought due to its deep roots.

Summer creep feeding. Probably the most profitable time to creep feed calves is during a summer drought. If forage is abundant (but low in quality), feeding about one pound of oilseed meal (cottonseed or soybean meal) will be quite beneficial. Once calves are eating one pound, 5 to 10 percent salt should be added to limit meal intake. If forage is limited, a full feed of a 16 percent protein grain mix is advisable; especially when grain is relatively cheap.

Early weaning. Early weaning should be considered when a summer drought hits. This will allow the producer to provide the high-quality forage that is available to the calves, while the cows can be maintained on low-quality hay or what is left of the pastures. If the breeding season is still under way (in spring-calving herds), early weaning will help get the cows bred back. If the cows are already bred (in fall-calving herds), early weaning will help get the cows back into condition for calving so that rebreeding performance will be good in the next breeding season.

Supplemental feeding. If the drought continues to the point that pastures are grazed close and cows are losing condition, supplemental hay should be provided. A 30-day emergency feed supply (in addition to the winter feed needs) should be kept for such situations. A recent survey showed that only about 25 percent of producers keep such an emergency feed supply--those producers will definitely have a competitive advantage during a drought year.

Cull open and old cows. When feed shortage is a problem, one solution is to pregnancy test and cull any open cows and cows that are over 10 to 12 years of age. This will make the feeding situation better for the younger cows and replacement heifers so that they don't get into poor condition.

Retained ownership. Retaining ownership of calves through the feedlot adds flexibility to your management program. When a summer drought hits, calves can be weaned early and sent on to the feedlot. Also, if the calves are kept around and gains are lower than desired, compensatory gain will be realized during the feedlot phase, reducing profit losses due to drought.

Reevaluate stocking rates. A dry summer is a good time to take a closer look at the farm's stocking rate. If grass runs out rapidly every time there is a dry spell, the farm is probably overstocked. If there is a lot of low-quality forage after a long drought, the farm is probably understocked. A properly stocked farm should be somewhere in between, and should run out of grass in a long drought--the management practices described above should then be used to get through the drought without liquidating productive young cows and heifers.

Alternative feeds. Hay prices are often high following a drought season, and cheaper sources of energy and protein will usually be available. When feed must be purchased to get through the winter following a long summer drought, producers should consider feeding grain, by-products, or commercial mixes to cows and heifers.

Research has shown that feeding high grain rations will work, but a minimum of 4 pounds of hay should be fed to maintain normal rumen function. A ration of about 12 pounds of a 12 percent protein grain mix (92 percent corn and 8 percent soybean meal) and 4 pounds of hay can be used for mature dry cows, and 8 to 10 pounds of a 15 percent protein grain mix (85 percent corn and 15 percent soybean meal) and 4 pounds of hay can be used for developing heifers. Lactating cows will need 4 pounds of hay plus 15 pounds of a 15 percent protein grain mix.

How Much Corn Can You Feed to a Beef Cow? Feeding diets high in grain to breeding females will likely require greater skill and discipline on the part of the herd manager. Acidosis, bloat, founder, etc. are always a risk when high-grain diets are fed to ruminants. These risks can be minimized by the following management practices:

1. When starting on grain, gradually increase the amount fed over a 2-week step-up period.
2. Provide plenty of feeding space to accommodate uniform consumption (30 inches per cow).
3. Whole or coarsely processed grain is less acidotic than finely processed grain.
4. Dry grain is less acidotic than high-moisture grain.
5. Feeding an inophore (example Rumensin or Bovatech) will help prevent acidosis.
6. Feeding at the same time every day will also help prevent acidosis.

Long stemmed hay should be fed at a minimum dry matter level of .5% of body weight and up to .75%. Using the .5% of the body weight rule of thumb, a 1200 lb. cow would need 6 lbs. DM of low quality fescue hay per day or 6.5 pounds as-fed. Other by-products such as soyhulls, cottonseed, or corn Gluten may also be useful.

If using by-products rather than corn, acidosis should not be a problem. The following

Table shows examples of limit fed rations for a 1200 lb. cow in average condition.

Each of these diets would also require around .25 lb. limestone per day because of the high phosphorus level in corn. Keep in mind that these rations were formulated based on cow size, stage of production and milk potential. MU guide 2068 contains Natural Research Council (NRC) recommendations for nutrient requirements of cows considering these factors.

Finally, remember that the idea is to supply a diet highly concentrated in energy. Consequently, the total pounds consumed per day will be less than what the cattle are accustomed to. In other words, they may act hungry for the first few days. Resist the temptation to feed more because they act hungry. Otherwise the advantages of decreased cost and/or decreased hay utilization will be negated.

The following table compares cost per day of three rations for 1200 pound cow with body condition score of 5 during the last trimester of gestation. Feed cost were valued on a per ton basis using average South Central Missouri prices in late September, 1999 (Hay = $60/ ton, Corn = $114/ ton bagged $102 bulk, Soybean Meal 48% = 202.60 bagged $190.6 bulk; Cotton Seed Meal = $171.20/ton bagged $159.20/ton bulk; Soyhulls = $109.20.ton bagged, $97.20/ton bulk Corn Gluten = $113/ton $101.40 bulk, Distiller Grain = $140.66/ton bagged $128.67/ton bulk. The more a feed is processed the higher the price per ton.

Prices were figured on bagged feed prices. A producer would save approximately $.06 per day by using bulk feed rather than bagged feed.

Summary: Producers can manage summer droughts by having a proper balance of cool- and warm-season forages, and by using such practices as early weaning, creep feeding, selective culling, and retained ownership of calves. Getting through without selling young productive cows and heifers will be a key to future profitability.

Sources of information were:

Drought Management on North Carolina Farms by Matthew H. Poore, Extension Ruminant Nutrition Specialist, North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, North Carolina State University

Mizzou Beef News, Vol. 5 No. 2 Limiting Feeding Concentrate Diets To Cows May Be Cheaper Than Hay by David Lalman Extension Beef Specialist Oklahoma State University