Polk County Soils and Crops Conference

1. Polk County Soils and Crops Conference Dr. Weston Walker Missouri State University February 7, 2006

2. Resource or Product?

3. Resource or Product?

4. Are you a… • Livestock Manager? or • Forage Producer? • Profitable livestock production = efficiently converting forage to meat, wool, or milk.

5. The most profitable forage management system will: • Match livestock nutritional needs to forage availability and … • Harvest for optimum quality and maximum utilization.

6. Does Maximum Yield… • =Maximum Profit ? • ≠ Maximum Profit ? • ≈ Maximum Profit ? What does your answer depend on? • Seasonal production • Forage quality

7. Operating Interest $10 Feed $118 Utilities, Insurance, Repairs, Misc. $15 Veterinary & Medicine $25 Other Materials & Services $26 Machinery $31 Average Cow Costs in Missouri Vern Pierce, MU Beef Economist (2000)

8. Livestock Needs • Animal Unit = 1000 lbs. of animal • Designed to put all animals on same scale of consumption, acres needed, but more for nutritional needs • Example: 20 gestating beef cows @ 1000 lbs./hd. = 20 animal units, or 20 A.U. • Dry Matter Intake = % of Body Weight • Depends upon the life stage and type of livestock (cattle, sheep, goats, horses)

9. Life stages of Livestock • Maintenance • Growth • Gestation • Lactation • Rule of Thumb = All animals basically average 3% of their body weight in DM intake • Total lbs. of livestock X .03 = needed DM

11. Simplified Crude Protein Requirements • Beef Cows, Bred Heifers & growing feedlot cattle (2 lb/ADG) never over 12% and usually not more than 10% • Ewes & Does (Nannies) never over 15% and usually not more than 10-12% • When do we need more?... young growing animals or extra heavy producers

12. Net Energy Lactation (NEL) on Dry Matter Basis Mega Calories per Lb. • >.60 = Excellent, Dairy Quality • .55 - .59 = Good, Beef cows will gain wt. • .50 - .54 = Fair, Beef cows will maintain • <.50 = Poor, not enough energy even for maintenance, will lose 1 lb/day

13. Hay Pasture 4 x 5 round bale = 1000 lbs. DM 1 ac. pasture 5” tall = 1000 lbs. DM How/What to feed your Livestock?

14. Match feedstuffs to animals • Now we know the requirements of our animal • Quantity needed • Quality required • How do we determine how much we have? • How do we determine the quality of what we have?

15. Spring Summer Fall Winter • Forages • Have we covered the growing season with forages adequately? • Have we over/under produced in certain seasons?

16. Seasonal Distribution of Forages

17. 3 things needed to determine amount of forage available & # of head it will feed: • Lbs. / Acre of forage • Utilization rate (%) • Continuous Grazing = 30% • Rotational Grazing = 70% • Dry Matter Intake rate (%) • 3% of Body Weight (BW)

18. Lbs / Acre of forage - on Dry Matter (DM) basis • Highly variable based on soil type, soil fertility, forage species, stand thickness, etc. • Given as a “moment in time” measurement, not season long • In a grazing situation, sometimes referred to as inches… • Rule of Thumb = 200 lb./ acre inch

19. Estimated Dry Matter / Acre square inch Stand Condition FairGoodExcellent Bermudagrass 100-250 250-400 400-550 Tall Fescue 150-250 250-350 350-450 Orchard. w/ leg. 100-200 200-300 300-400 T. Fescue w/ leg. 100-200 200-300 300-400 Alfalfa/R. Clover 150-200 200-250 250-300 C. Bluestem 100-200 200-300 300-400

20. Utilization rate • % of available forage (measured to ground level) consumed by grazing livestock during a grazing period • Higher utilization rates with higher stocking density • Rule of Thumb = • Continuous Grazing = 30% Utilization • Rotational/Strip Grazing = 70% Utilization

21. Evaluating Forage Quality • Visual appraisal • Can we determine the feed value visually? • Understand/Interpret feed analysis reports • Protein • NDF/ADF • Energy Content (Net Energy Lactation)

22. Proper Hay Sampling Method • Need a cross-section sample of of entire bale • For square bales take core sample from the end of bale.

23. Net Energy Lactation (NEL) on Dry Matter Basis • >.60 = Excellent, Dairy Quality • .55 - .59 = Good, Beef cows will gain wt. • .50 - .54 = Fair, Beef cows will maintain • <.50 = Poor, not enough energy even for maintenance • (see example next slide)

24. No matter how much they eat, they will starve to death!

25. Fescue / Red Clover – 1st cutting

26. Orchardgrass / Red Clover – 1st cutting

27. Management of Hay • Feeding • Methods of preventing livestock from wasting so much hay. • Storage • Prevention of yield loss due to weathering on round bales.

28. Are these the table manners of your livestock?

29. Storage Method Examples

31. Not so Good Storage Methods

32. Another No, No.

33. Did you know….? • A 6’ x 6’ bale will receive about 22 gallons of water for each inch of rain • 30 inches = 660 gallon • Dry matter storage loss • Hay stored inside = 5% • Hay stored outside = 30% or more • Rule of Thumb – • 5% DM loss for every 1 inch spoilage depth • Example: 6 inches spoiled X 5% = 30% reduction in DM • 1000 lb. bale originally has 700 lb. of usable product

34. Management of Forage • Nutrients are in the leaves • Grazing Rule of thumb – Take ½, Leave ½ to maximize plant regrowth potential; root growth stops if >50% forage height is removed • Haying Rule of Thumb – Cut hay in the boot or bud stage and manage the handling process to minimize leaf loss

35. Nutrients are in the leaves

36. Yield & Quality in Forages

37. Quality of Fescue KY 31

38. Net Energy Lactation (NEL) on Dry Matter Basis • >.60 = Excellent, Dairy Quality • .55 - .59 = Good, Beef cows will gain wt. • .50 - .54 = Fair, Beef cows will maintain • <.50 = Poor, not enough energy even for maintenance

39. Fall/Winter Stockpiling • Tall fescue well suited. - Tall fescue holds its quality and stays greener longer than any other cool season grass for stockpiled winter pasture. • Some producers are getting into March without feeding hay.

40. Stockpiled Tall Fescue Crude Protein 25 22 20 20 18 18 16 15 15 Percentages 14 13 12 11 10 10 9 5 Table 1 0 October November December January February March Months Courtesy of Mark Green, NRCS

41. Fescue / Red Clover – 1st cutting

42. Protein Intake vs. Requirement September Calving Beef Cows - 1100 lb.- Southern Missouri 7 6.57 5.73 6 4.91 5 4.09 Intake Require 4 Pounds 3.26 2.87 3 2.3 2.28 2.23 2.17 2.13 2.09 2 1 Table 3 0 Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Months

43. 30 27.8 26.16 24.56 25 22.81 20.83 19.86 NEM (Mcal/day) 20 15.86 15.85 15.79 15.46 15.21 14.89 15 10 5 0 Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Months Energy Intake vs. Requirement Fall Calving Beef Cows - 1100 lb. - Southern Missouri Table 4

44. Advantages of Stockpile Grazing • Reduced Labor • Reduced Costs • Reduced Time Putting up hay and feeding out hay • High Quality Forage Usually better than grass hay

45. Things we have learned • Forage quality in a managed grazing system can be better than we thought • Protein is seldom deficient in vegetative pastures • Quality of tall fescue fall regrowth is very high • Tall fescue holds quality well into late winter and early spring

46. Conclusions • Realize livestock nutritional needs • Understand what quality forage is • Take proper forage samples • Determine if stored forage will meet nutritional needs of livestock • Understand steps necessary for putting up quality forage • Realizing most economical storage methods

47. Conclusions continued… • Be aware of possible ways to stretch winter forage supplies • Know management procedures and techniques necessary for quality forage production

48. Putting Knowledge into Practice… • Utilize forage test information to make the necessary management decisions for livestock nutritional requirements. • Rotational Grazing is the only route to take if sustainable, long-term livestock production is the goal, no other means of production can incorporate so many benefits to land, producer, and environment

49. Take Home Thoughts… • People don’t Plan to Fail…They Fail to Plan! and likewise • Good forage & livestock nutrition programs do not just happen… they are Planned.