Role and Importance of Alfalfa in Beef Diets

Alfalfa is often referred to as the “Queen” of forage. Is this because of its high fertility needs and more finicky soil fertility needs along with greater management for optimal growth and persistency? Or is it because of it being on top of nearly all other forages for yield and quality? Truth be told, it is likely a combination of all these factors. Alfalfa is a versatile forage as it can be harvested for hay or silage and also grazed with proper management. For these reasons, this forage can fit well in beef operations

Maximizing Stocker Gains on Pastures

Stocker enterprises by definition utilize pasture forages to add weight to light weight feeder cattle. These operations add value to calves by assimilating small groups of calves and combining them into larger uniform packages. Stocker operators also enhance quality through livestock husbandry practices that “upgrade” feeders which could include castrating bulls, dehorning, improving immunity and other attributes. In an effort to optimize profit margins, stocker operators must manage feeders to ensure high rates of gain while finding a balance in stocking rates that provide adequate gains per acre

Stored Feed Needs: How Much? What Quality?

Feed resources are the largest variable expense in beef production systems outside the initial investment in the livestock. When we look at Standardized Performance Analysis (SPA) information from Texas and Minnesota, states that are at the extreme from an environment stance, the projected costs for maintaining a beef cow are strikingly similar. It is important to note that these costs include all expenses and opportunity costs. Getting back to the SPA information, in 2007 the annual cost to maintain a cow in Texas was determined to be roughly $590 while the Minnesota value was near$610 or only about $20/cow higher. Looking at the costs associated with feed (grazed, purchased, and stored) it should not be surprising that this was approximately 60% of the total costs for the Minnesota herds. Breaking this down further, stored feeds (hay/silage) and purchased feeds (grain/mineral) accounted for roughly 80% of the feed expenses. We would certainly expect this value to be lower for Kentucky due to the fewer days of winter feeding, but it does reemphasize the fact that stored /purchased feed is an expense that impacts the net return of the cattle enterprise and should not simply be brushed aside. The remainder of this paper will focus on estimating the stored feed needs from a quantity and quality aspect for beef operations. These basic concepts apply to all the species and at the end an example hay inventory sheet is attached for meat goats from Dr. Andries

Hay Storage and Feeding: Avoiding Train Wrecks

When looking back at the Standardized Performance Analysis data collected from cow-calf operations, the data clearly illustrates that beyond the actual investment in the livestock, feed costs are the major expense in the cattle enterprise. In a report of 135 beef cow-calf operations with an average number of 80 cows/operation in the FINBIN data set, the cost of production was reported to be an average of $169.54/cwt or$847.70 for a 500 lb calf (Nordquist and Van Nurden, 2019). This includes all costs including land, labor, feed and so forth. The profit margin is narrow when all expenses are included for the cow-calf sector currently. In order to increase profit opportunity, operations must have a high weaning percentage (90%+) and low feed costs. As conserved or stored feed is a costly component of the system, attention should be given to improving efficiency of stored or conserved forages in beef operations. This discussion will focus on storage and feeding losses as a means to provide some consideration within your own operation. Perhaps this will provide some insight on opportunities to reduce losses during storage and feeding to enhance profit margins

Considerations for Making a Profit with Stocker Cattle

The southeast is home to more than 7.3 million beef cows (USDA 2018). At an estimated 80% weaning rate and 20% heifer retention, the southeast region would be expected to produce more than 4.6 million feeder calves that would go to market in 2018. The cow-calf industry in the region provides an opportunity for the stocker and backgrounding operations to co-exist. Much of the land in the region is best suited for forage and pasture production, which at the current moment, provides a low cost feed for adding pounds to light weight feeder cattle. Yet, the stocker and backgrounding segments are subject to market volatility and the economic risk is greater than the cow-calf segment. The economic risk makes these systems less attractive and being successful financially is challenging

Strategies for Reducing Losses to Forage Related Disorders

Forage induced disorders are not uncommon. These may be the result of poor harvesting and storage, symbiotic relationships with other organism such as endophtye-infected tall fescue, or environmentally induced. Poisonous plants can also be problematic when they are present in areas where cattle actively graze or forage is harvested. Yet, in many instances, problems are rare and often limited not affecting the entire herd. A primary management strategy is to ensure forage availability is not limiting forcing cattle to consume poisonous plants. Additionally, farming involves a given amount of management in all daily activities and one cannot simply ignore the fact that forages need to be managed

Brassicas: Be Aware of the Animal Health Risks

Winter annuals are often used to extend the grazing season. These forages can be used as supplemental feed when lower quality perennial forages dominate or to provide grazing at times when other forages are not available. On farms where row crops are grown, the combination of crop residues and fall growth of annual crops can allow livestock grazing to be extended well into the winter months. The annuals provide a cover for the soil during winter as well. Winter annuals planted in the early fall will allow grazing in late fall to early winter similar to stockpiled fescue. Based on their high forage quality and increased cost of production, winter annuals are most economical to use primarily for livestock with high nutrient requirements, such as lactating and growing animals. Additionally, mature animals could be utilized as second grazers in a leader-follower grazing system

Grazing Corn to Maximize Late Summer and Fall Gains

Corn is a warm-season grass with a growth pattern dependent on temperatures. Warmer temperatures accelerate growth while cooler temperatures slow maturation. Thermal time is often referred to as Growing Degree Days (GGD) and calculated as GGD = ((Max Temp – Min Temp)/2) – 50 when calculating in Fahrenheit (Nielsen, 2012). In the upper transition zone, corn thrives and is the major planted crop. The warmer temperatures of the summer months combined with adequate precipitation allows this crop to be a potentially high yielding crop

Hypomagnesemic Tetany or “Grass Tetany”

Magnesium is a vital component of normal nerve conduction, muscle function, and bone mineral formation. Hypomagnesemic tetany or “grass tetany” is a disorder caused by an abnormally low blood concentration of the essential mineral magnesium (Mg). Synonyms for this disorder include spring tetany, grass staggers, wheat pasture poisoning, or lactation tetany

Acute or Atypical Interstitial Pneumonia (AIP)

Acute or atypical interstitial pneumonia (AIP) is terminology used by veterinary pathologists to describe a characteristic pattern of damage in the lungs of cattle. At necropsy, the first indication of AIP-affected lungs is they fill the thorax and do not collapse like normal lungs when the chest cavity is opened. On further investigation, the AIP lungs are found to be semi-firm with a rubbery texture; not hard and consolidated as occurs in bacterial bronchopneumonia. Large air bubbles are found between portions of the lung (see Figure 1, “interlobular” or “bullous” emphysema) and the cut surface of the lung may appear wet or shiny due to edema. Affected lobules are dark red to purple and may be interspersed with normal looking lobules, creating a “patchwork” or “checkerboard” appearance