Livestock/Feeding Considerations in Drought Risk

Management

Rick RasbyBeef Specialist

University of Nebraska

Drought Management Plan:

• Primary objectives for the cow/calf enterprise:

– Minimize negative impact on the grazed forage resource

– Keep productive cows in the herd

– Stay profitable

Drought Management Plan:• Develop and write down a plan

– Keep some flexibility in the plan• Weather change: full implementation not needed

– Identify dates for implementation• If w inches of rain by x date then y amount of forage will be produced and feed z AU

– Include options:• Destocking/Depopulate• Relocate

– Don’t have a plan• Hoping for the best• Wait to long to react

Sequential Step-wise Management Approach to Drought• Decrease the need for pasture:

– Destock/Depopulate• Early weaning (all/part of the calves)• Cow/calf:Yearling Operations• Cow Culling• Relocate all or part of the herd:

» Pasture off-location» Drylot – off or on location

• Securing Feed

Early Weaning the Calf:• Forage available for grazing

– Non-lactating cow: 4.6 - 5.9 lb decrease (1996 NRC Model)

– Forage intake by the calf: 5.3 lb

• Each 2.5 days the calf is weaned supplies forage for 1 day of grazing.

• Consider retaining calves – efficient• Consider creep feeding before weaning

• Teaches the calves to eat out of a bunk

Decrease the need for pasture• Depopulate/Destock:

– Sell cows that were ID’ed as culls– Identifying “productive” cows to cull

• Keep only pregnant cows and pairs– Pre-check early

» 40 to 45 days after the end of the breeding season

–Using 2 to 4 years of individual cow records» Identify cows that ranks in the bottom ¼ to

1/3 consistently in that 2 to 4 consecutive years in a row

– Sell before everyone else does

Relocate:• Pasture:–Who’s responsible?

•Check on the cattle•Check water•Check and feed mineral/salt•Check and repair fence•Doctor sick cattle

–Biosecurity•Quarantine from rest of herd when returned to your location

Relocate:• Feedlot for spring/summer:

–Understand costs:•Feed costs•Yardage•Health treatment•When payment is due:

– Feed to a body condition score 5–Biosecurity plan

Relocate:• Relocate all or part of herd

–Dry lot at your location:–Sacrifice pasture serves as lot

• Pasture that is easily renovated•Drylot – 500 to 800 ft2 per pair

– Feed to a condition score 5–Breeding in drylot

•AI or Natural service–Design an area for calves

Guidelines for Limit-Fed Rations Based on Corn Grain, Oklahoma

State University Amount to be Fed

Stage 38% to 44% Long

of Production Corn Protein Stemmed Hay

Gestating .75% of b.wt. 2 lbs per day .5% of b.wt.

Lactating, Ave. 1.0% of b.wt. 3 lbs per day .5% of b.wt.

Lactating, High 1.1% of b.wt. 3.5 lbs per day .5% of b.wt.

Management Considerations for Limit-fed Rations for Beef Cows

• Feeding considerations when harvested feed supply is limited:– Limit-Fed rations

• Equipment to deliver ration• Need plenty of bunk space (24”-36”/head)• Be consistent with amount delivered daily• If a supplement is fed, include an ionophore• Do not finely grind forage or grain

– Grain: Whole or cracked– Hay: use 5 to 7 inch screen

Feeding considerations when harvested feed supply is limited cont.:

– Limit-fed rations• Hard to balance with grains and low quality forage without including a supplement.

• Easy to balance with by-products and low quality forages.

• Cows will act hungry and appear gaunt.• In lactation ration assume that the calf will eat 1% of their body weight.

• May need to sort young cows from old cows– Salt & Mineral free-choice

• May need calcium– Distiller grains or corn in diet

• Non-pregnant, non-lactating cows• Limit fed 41:59 ratio of bunkered WDGS:cornstalks (1.3% BW)

• Limit fed 41:59 ratio of bunkered CS:cornstalks (1.3% BW)

• Ad libitum 43% bromegrass, 34% cornstalks, 23% alfalfa haylage

Maintaining Cows in Confinement

• Late gestation, multiparous cows

• Limit fed ground alfalfa (17 lb dm, 1.6% BW)

• Limit fed 30:70 WDGS:wheat straw (18.7 lb dm, 1.7% BW)

• Limit fed 20:20:60 WDGS:beetpulp:wheat straw (18.3 lb dm, 1.7% BW)

• Target 11 Mcal/d

Substituting Feed for Grass for Grazing Beef Cows

• Replace grazed forage with feed

• Cows have the capacity to consume a certain amt of feed daily

• 30:70 DM basis– WDGS:straw

• Replacement rate– About 0.75 of grass:1 lb

of feed - DM basis

May want to move bunk to avoid erosion.Cows may want to eat grassand not the feed fed in bunk.

Options for Using Drought Corn for Beef Cattle

• Crop insurance agent• Hay

– Challenge to swath - crimp– Challenge to get dried down – excess heating– Avoid the base of the stalk - nitrates

• Green Chop– Set chopper head at 8” or higher – nitrates– Feed soon after chopped

• Morning so you can watch the cattle• Heating – nitrates to nitrites – 10x more toxic

Options for Using Drought Corn for Beef Cattle – Con’t

• Silage– Don’t let get to dry

• Best at 35% dry matter:65% moisture– Set chopper head up – 4” to 8” inch stubble– 1/3 – 1/2 of the nitrates lost in fermentation– Test for quality and nitrates before feeding

• Grazing– Nitrates a concern– Fill cows up with hay– Perimeter fence and water– Cross fence to reduce losses??– Don’t force cattle to eat the base of the stalk

Pricing Corn Silage• 9 to 10 times the bushel price of corn in the bunker

• Pricing Standing in the field

• 5 x the bushel price of corn (no ears)• 6 to 7 x the bushel price of corn (less than 100 bu/a

•Silage yield• 1 ton silage (35% DM, 65% Water) per 5 bu corn/a• 1 ton silage/acre per foot of stalk(tassel not included) – barren corn

•Nutrient Content•80% to 95% the energy value of regular corn silage

Rations for Gestating and Lactating Cows

Early

Ingredient Gestation Lactation

lbs per head per day

Low Quality Hay 6.0 6.0

Corn Silage 50.0 61.0

Supplement, (36%) 0.0 2.0

Limestone .2 .25Hay = 89% DM, 5% CP, 50% TDN; Corn silage = 35% DM, 9% CP, 60% TDN

Supplement has an ionophore 180 mg/hd/da (100 to 200 mg/hd/da)

1,200 lb cow lactation ration account for calf to eat 1% of their body weight

Gestating:23lb/da DM, 52% TDN, 8% CP, Lactation:28 lb/da DM, 60% TDN, 10% CP

Droughted Soybeans1. Contact insurance person2. Read the label of all chemicals applied3. Don’t get in a hurry4. Harvest as hay

1. Harvest when bottom leaves turn –plant goes fast

2. Crimp – stems dry slowly3. Avoid turning – leaves get brittle4. Test for quality after harvest –

16% CP, 55% TDN5. Silage – use inoculant (alfalfa type) –

CHO

Secure Feeds/Forages• Inventory Home-Grown Forages

– Harvested Forages• Test for quality

– Moisture, Energy (TDN), Crude Protein• Test for nitrates

– Enhancing quality of forages• Forages will be in limited supply• May be some low quality forages – straw, etc

– Ammoniation – only low quality forages – expensive– Combine with by-products

Plan Ahead:

Ammoniation of Low Quality Forages Apply anhydrous based on weight 3% of total weight of the straw

Reaction time is temperature dependent Forage must be covered and sealed Increases digestibility by 10% Increases intake by 15% to 20%

2012 Budget for Making Ammoniated Wheat StrawItem Cost per unit Total

costsWheat straw, $/t 0.00 0.00Baling, $/bale 13.00 1,092.00Labor (move and stack bales, 6 hrs 10.00 60.00Machine time and repair, 6 hours 12.00 72.00Plastic sheeting, 40’ by 100’ 6 mil 280.00 280.00Labor (cover, seal, application), 6 hrs 10.00 60.00Anhydrous ammonia, 3% rate, $/t 800.00 1,008.00Miscellaneous 15.00 15.00Total cost, $/stack 2,587.00Cost, $/t 61.59

Ammoniating one stack of straw containing 84, 1,000 balesArranged 14 bales long, 3 bale base, 2 bales second level, one on top

Changes in Forage Digestibility, Intake, and Crude Protein after

Ammonia Treatment

ForageDigestibility

%, Untreated

Digestibility %,

Treated

Crude Protein %, Untreated

Crude Protein

%, Treated

Increase in Intake,

%

Wheat Straw

39 48 3.7 9.7 18

Corn Stover

48 56 6.2 11.0 22

Milo Stover

46 61 5.4 12 NA

Soybean Straw

41 47 4.9 14 16

Nutrient Quality of Baled Crop Residues

% Energy % Crude Moisture (%TDN) Protein

Corn Field Baled in July 82-85 38-53 7.0-8.5

3 Rows Stalks +Tailings 82-85 47-53 4.5-5.5

Husk and Leaf 82-85 52-56 5.0-6.5

Stalk, Husk, Leaf 88-90 38-42 2.8-3.5

Soybean Stubble 82-88 37-40 3.8-4.0

Plan Ahead:Grazing Corn Stalk Residue

• Residue yield related to grain yield– 16 lb of dry leaf and husk per bushel of corn– Pounds of husk and leaf per acre (DM)

• ([bu/acre corn yield x 38.2] + 429 x 0.39• 150 bu/acre corn = 16 lb of l&h x 150 = 2400 lb DM/acre

– Assume 50% available to graze (trampling etc losses)

Wilson et al., 2004 NE Beef ReportCorn Stalk Grazing Calculator http://beef.unl.edu Learning Module

Forage Feeding Systems

Beef Extension Pagehttp://beef.unl.edu

Beef Reports

2012Beef Cattle

Report