September 2016 Articles

Archives by Months

Managing Calves through the Fall Forage Ga

Managing Calves through the Fall Forage Gap—In the southeast, approximately 55% of cow/calf herds calve during the spring (approximately 65% nationwide) which means over 50% of our calves are weaned in the fall. There are many ways we can market weaned calves; however, deciding on which marketing strategy is often times dependent upon several factors such as facilities, labor, and forage and feed resources. With the downward turn in the cattle market over the last 12 months, premiums now play an important role in a marketing decision. Two years ago, it did not matter if you sold your calves at weaning or backgrounded them, all calves were worth a premium. One of the issues that producers face with backgrounding calves during the fall is the “Fall Forage Gap”. In the southeast (including Louisiana), there is a gap (approximately 2 months) in the fall where warm-season forages transition into dormancy and stands (planted or volunteer) of cool-season forages are too immature to graze. These warm-season forages slowdown in production and quality begins to decline (typically around first of October). The concern with warm-season forages is the nutrient value does it meet the nutrient requirements for growth of a weaned calf. From an energy standpoint, warm-season perennial forages (bermudagrass, bahiagrass) typically range between 45 to 60% TDN (total digestible nutrients). That includes dry bermudagrass hay as well. A growing calf after weaning needs 65 to 75 % TDN in the diet for a targeted gain of over one pound per day. So warm-season forages (whether standing or in round bales) as a backgrounding diet alone will not meet the nutrients needed for growing weaned calves. On the other end of this fall forage gap, most cool-season annual forages are high in nutritive value and can meet or exceed the nutrient requirements for gain in a growing calf. Typical cool-season annual forages can range from 55 to 80% TDN. The problem we run into is availability of cool-season forages for grazing in the fall. This availability will depend on the planting date, forage type, planting method, and weather conditions. In north Louisiana, annual ryegrass planted in early September in a prepared seedbed is typically not ready to graze until mid-December. So what are our options? The three I will focus on are bermudagrass hay, stockpiled bermudagrass, and ryegrass baleage. As we know, bermudagrass (or bahiagrass) is the most convenient warm-season forage we have in this part of the world. With hay, there is typically good supply and calves wean very well on bermudagrass hay. With stockpiling, planning is crucial. Pastures to be stockpiled and grazed need to be cut or grazed by the first of August and heavily fertilized and left alone until weaning. But because of the nutrient value of these two forage systems, supplementation will be needed to get the desired gains from your calves. If quality of the hay is descent (9% CP and 55% TDN), gains of 0.5 to 1.5 pounds/day can be achieved by supplementing 3 pounds/head per day with the nutritive value of a byproduct such as dried distillers grains (28% CP and 78% TDN). Obviously, expected gains will change based on supplement type, quality, and amount fed. Another forage option for backgrounding calves is feeding an annual cool-season forage as baleage. Annual ryegrass can be harvested into baleage at a higher quality than bermudagrass hay and is highly palatable if wrapped between 40 and 60% dry matter. In several studies at the Hill Farm Research Station, we have seen gains of 0.4 to 0.6 pounds more/day in backgrounded calves consuming ryegrass baleage versus feeding bermudagrass hay, regardless if supplement was provided to both or not. In addition, calves consuming ryegrass baleage consume 2 pounds of dry matter more per day than calves consuming dry hay. As a result, calves fed baleage consume 18% more dry matter and yield 40% more gain. However, baleage cost more to produce and planning is critical for managing your cool-season grass pastures. Most forages can be wrapped as baleage, as long as the dry matter of the forage at wrapping falls between 40 and 60%. However, certain forages are favored more by cattle than others, such as annual ryegrass. The table below ranks these three forages systems (with or without supplementation) based on forage cost and animal performance.—Source: Ryon Walker, Hill Farm Research Station, LSU AgCenter