Ag Line: Winter feeding tips
By Wade Parker

As I write this news article, we are in our second day of winter. Even though we had two or three days of very cold weather, overall it has been a mild winter. However, let’s not get too excited, February and March have yet to come.

As we endure the wintertime, I would like to discuss a few winter feeding tips that will help our beef producers survive the winter.

Limit hay feeding losses

I try to stress the importance of limiting hay feeding losses every chance I get. The best way to eliminate waste is to store hay under a cover. If hay is not stored properly, one can expect losses of 20-30% for hay that is stored outside for six months prior to feeding. Feeding hay in rings results in losses of 5-6% compared with losses of 10-15% when using trailers or rolling out a one day supply. Using rings can save $10 to $15 per cow over a 150- day feeding period.

Forage Test

In my opinion, forage testing is just as important as testing your soil for available nutrients. Testing forages for nutrient content can reduce feed costs by supplementing only the nutrients that are deficient in the forage, maintaining acceptable performance, and planning ahead for purchasing supplements. A nutrient analysis will determine the crude protein, TDN, and relative forage quality (indicator of digestibility) of hay. These numbers can be used to determine what supplement, if any, is required.

A lactating cow requires about 11% protein and 60% TDN. A dry cow needs only 8% protein and 55% TDN. The cost for a forage test is $13, and we have the auger that is used to pull a sample at the county Extension Office.

Winter Pasture Grazing

Winter annual pastures are very high protein and highly digestible forages. Limiting grazing to approximately four hours per day will provide about 30% of the nutrients a cow needs each day. However, at some point during the winter, your grazing will be down to nothing. The best quality hay should be fed at this time along with any available supplements.

Monitor Hay Intake

As a rule of thumb, the hay intake for a dry cow is 1.9 to 2.0%

of their body weight. A lactating cow will consume 2.4 to 2.5% of their body weight on a daily basis. Cows will quickly increase or decrease hay consumption when different quality hays are fed. A quick drop in consumption is a good indicator that lower quality hay is being fed and supplementation is required.

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and will have a prosperous New Year!

The winter meetings, as well as the Farmer Appreciation Supper, are in the process of being planned and will be announced soon.

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