Fall 2000
Balancing Forage is the Key to Winter Feeding
Doug Mayo, Jackson County Extension Fall 2000
Feeding cattle through the winter can be a challenging part of ranch management. Certainly a large portion of the ranch budget goes toward getting cattle through the 4-5 month period, when grass is in short supply, with enough condition or body fat to rebreed soon after calving. This year, ranchers in Jackson County have two alternatives:either you feed hay and supplement alone, or wait on moisture to plant winter grazing to reduce purchased feed. Either way, producers need to design a feeding program to minimize weight loss after calving.
So what should you use as a supplement? Well, the first thing that is very important to know is what is the feeding value of your forage? Most hay, unless it is fertilized and cut every 4 or 5 weeks, will not provide all the protein and energy to maintain body condition on cows with calves. Peanut and fertilized Bermuda hay may be adequate for maintaining mature cows, but it is impossible to balance the cow’s needs without knowing the actual nutritionalvalues. The best way to get this information is with a forage test. Hay samples can be tested for both crude protein (CP) and energy (TDN) levels, so you can determine which and how much supplement to buy to balance the diet of the herd.
| Daily Requirements vs. Forage Nutrients | |||
| Dry Matter Intake | Crude Protein | TDN | |
| Requirement 1000 lb wet cow | 20.2 lbs | 2 lbs 9.6% |
11 lbs 56.6% |
| Requirement 900 lb wet first calf heifer | 19.2 lbs | 2 lbs 10.4% |
12 lbs 62.7% |
| Bahia Hay for cows | 20 lbs | @8% 1.6 lbs |
@50% 10 lbs |
| Bahia Hay for Heifers | 19 lbs | @8% 1.5 lbs |
@50% 9.5 lbs |
| T-85 Bermuda Hay for Cows | 20 lbs | @15% 3 lbs |
@52% 10.4 lbs |
| T-85 Bermuda Hay for heifers | 19 lbs | 15% 2.9 lbs |
52% 9.9 lbs |
| Amount Short for Cows | BahiaT-85 0.4 lb; 0 lb |
BahiaT-85 1.0 lb; 0.6 lb |
|
| Amount Short for Heifers | 0.5 lb; 0.6 lb | 2.5 lb; 3.4 lb | |
As you can see from the table, average bahia hay does not meet the minimum requirements for maintenance of heifers or nursing cows. If a cow is thin, the need for supplementation is even greater. Many different types of supplements are readily available in our area. If you can’t buy feed in bulk there are a number of commercially available supplements such as protein blocks, liquid feeds and of course bagged feeds. The key is to match the system that works best for your labor situation as well as your budget.
Whole cottonseed is locally available and is an excellent balanced feed. Normally the crude protein (CP) is around 24% and the total digestible nutrients (TDN) 94%. Soybean hulls are also an excellent byproduct feed with around 14% CP and 77% TDN. Corn and oats are much cheaper this year and can be utilized as well. One factor to consider when using high energy feeds like corn is to realize that the more supplement fed the less hay or grass that a cow will eat.
Most important, is to have cows in good condition prior to calving, and then have a balanced ration for maintenance or weight gain. All cows will lose weight after calving, but the key is to monitor body condition and minimize this loss so that they breed back in a timely manner. The bottom line, though, is testing your forage to know what to supplement with, and also keep a close eye on the condition of the herd to make sure their diet is adequate. If you would like to have your forage tested, or need help balancing a ration, contact the Extension Office.
Forage Notes
Doug Mayo & Ann Blount, Forage Specialist, No. Fla. REC
Managing Winter Annual Forages
If you have not already planted your winter pastures, "Wait on the rain". The drought, combined with our typical dry period in October, have made getting our winter forages going this year very difficult. If you have not planted, I would advise you to hold off until we get several showers. Once you have adequate moisture, there are several keys to managing winter annual forages. Forage selection, planting methods, fertilization and grazing management are essential to make winter annuals the worth expense and effort.
What to Plant
The first decision to make each year, is which type of winter annuals to plant. Generally the small grains produce the earliest in the late fall and early winter. Ryegrass produces later with more growth in the spring. Clovers are lower yielding but are high in protein and add nitrogen to boost production of winter pastures.
Oats are the most versatile of the small grains. They can be planted one month earlier than other small grains (Sept. 15) because they are more tolerant to warmer nights and are more resistant to seedling diseases. Because oat forage is high in quality and very palatable, animal performance is excellent. Young animals will generally gain better on oats than rye or wheat. Oats are also resistant to Hessian flies, which is a serious problem in early planted wheat. They are not as cold tolerant as other small grains and will suffer some damage during cold spells below 20°F. Oats are the best suited small grain for dual purpose grazing and grain. Top quality hay, haylage and silage can also be made from oats. Plant at a seeding rate of 3 to 4 bushels (96-128 lbs) per acre.
Rye is usually the most productive or highest yielding small grain for grazing. Rye is also very cold tolerant and is well adapted to sandy soils with lower fertility. Rye is also more drought tolerant than other winter annuals. It works well in blends with ryegrass. Rye should be planted later than oats after the cooler weather begins. Rye seed is usually more expensive than other small grains. Plant at a seeding rate of 1½ to 2 bushels (84-112 lbs) per acre.
Wheat can be used for forage, and may be cheaper to purchase than other grain seed. Wheat tends to be less productive than oats or rye because most varieties have been selected for grain production and not for grazing. It is more affected by warm, humid winters, and should not be planted before November 15. Variety selection is very important, because there are a number of diseases and insects that can greatly reduce production in our area. Plant at a seeding rate of 1½ to 2 bushels (90-120 lbs) per acre.
Ryegrass is the most widely used winter forage because of its high forage yields, disease resistance and adaptability. Ryegrass is very versatile and can be planted in combination with small grains and clovers and can be overseeded on dormant permanent pastures. Seed costs for ryegrass are generally lower than for small grains. Ryegrass does require good soil moisture to become established and is not as drought tolerant as rye. Plant at a seeding rate of 20-30 pounds per acre.
Clovers are the highest quality forages we have. Because they are legumes, they produce nitrogen on their own and have lower fertilizer costs. They do have a higher pH requirement, however. Clovers make excellent hay, but getting the hay dry without shattering the leaves can be a challenge. No clover is adapted to dry soils, but Crimson clover is better adapted to sandier sites and produces earlier in the spring. Cherokee Red Clover is better adapted to lower, heavier soils and producers later in the spring. Osceola white clover has excellent quality, but does not produce yields like crimson and red in our area. It is also more susceptible to nematodes. Clover should be planted at a rate of 12-15 lbs/acre for red clover, 20-26 lbs/acre for crimson and 3-4 lbs/acre for white.
Planting
The ideal situation for planting winter annuals is to use a grain drill on well prepared seed beds. No-till drills can be used on established pastures, but it may take longer for the annuals to establish due to the competition for moisture. Seed can be broadcasted with fertilizer or by itself, but a higher seeding rate is needed. Be careful not to plant too deep, especially if you are using a no-till drill. Seed should be planted in moist soil no deeper than 2 inches. Using a heavy roller after planting is essential for preserving moisture and increasing seed germination. Many producers are planting mixtures of rye, ryegrass, crimson and red clovers to extend the total grazing season. For mixtures simply plant half the rates recommended above. Drills with clover seed boxes are recommended.
Fertilization
The most important factor affecting winter annual production, other than moisture, is fertility. Soil tests should be made in mid to late summer so that the pH level can be raised and efficient fertilizer formulations can be determined. Winter annuals will take advantage of residual fertilizers and respond very well to good fertility. Use a complete fertilizer after germination, followed by at least two top dressings of 30-50 lbs per acre of nitrogen plus sulfur during the grazing period. Use the cheapest source of nitrogen available to save costs. You may want to add herbicide to the fertilizer if wild radish is present.
Grazing Management
Do not graze too early. Make sure the plants are fully developed with a good root system before turning the animals in. An old rule of thumb for ryegrass is to wait until the blades lay over and you start to see them shining in the sun. Small grains should not be grazed until they are 10-12 inches tall and ryegrass should be 6-8 inches tall. Animals should be removed once the pasture is grazed to 3-4 inches. Adequate hay must be available to provide feed and allow winter pastures to recover. Using rotational or strip grazing improves forage recovery time. If rotation is not feasible, animals can be limited to just a few hours of grazing per day. Utilize winter grazing for the cattle with the highest nutritional requirements first, such as heifers, thin cows or cows with calves. Winter grazing is very expensive, so dry and open cattle should be sorted out and sold or fed hay in separate pastures.
Varieties
The universities in the Southeast have worked for years to improve winter forage varieties. They are continually developing higher yielding more disease resistant varieties. When you purchase seed, allow enough time to locate the better varieties. If managed properly, the yield differences will be significant, and are normally worth the additional expense. On the following page is a table with the recommended varieties based on trials in North Florida and Georgia.
| Oats | Chapman Harrison Secretariat LA495 ACS LA604 Horizon 314 |
| Rye | Wrens 96 (improved Wrens Abruzzi) Wintergrazer 70 Bates |
| Ryegrass | Jumbo Big Daddy Surrey Rio Jackson Passerel Plus |
| Wheat | AGS 2000 Coker 9835 Coker 9663 GA Gore Pioneer 2684 Stacy |
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