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October 2006 ■ ANGUSJournal ■ 189 S avvy beef producers know that stretching the grazing season into the winter months can shave dollars off feed expenses. But for winter grazing or windrow grazing to work, planning and management are key. Here, we get advice from specialists in West Virginia, Wisconsin and Montana on what works — and what doesn’t work — when it comes to getting cows to forage through the winter months. Forage foresight Dan Undersander, Extension forage agronomist at the University of Wisconsin, emphasizes that planning ahead to stockpile forage for winter grazing is key. This typically requires deferring grazing on the pasture or native range by midsummer. Undersander adds that it may be necessary to sell calves or stockers early so that pasture remains for stockpiling. Additionally, he suggests fertilizing pasture set aside for winter grazing to get an extra boost in yield. Undersander says fertilizing with 50 pounds (lb.) of nitrogen (N) per acre in his region can help produce 1-1.5 extra tons of forage per acre. Undersander’s top picks for stockpiling are tall fescue and orchard grass. He says, “Both grow well in the fall to accumulate good forage level.” He adds that orchard grass is best suited to late fall or early winter grazing, while tall fescue stands better and can even be deferred to early spring. Edward Rayburn, West Virginia University Extension forage agronomist, also counts tall fescue among the best perennial grasses for winter grazing since it holds up to freezing weather. If fescue’s not an option for your region, Rayburn says crop residue, such as corn, and winter grain crops like wheat and rye offer high-quality winter forage alternatives for grazing in the Midwest and South. “I cannot think of any crop I would not recommend,” Rayburn says. “If the cows eat a crop residue, it is probably a good feed source. Just make sure that any chemical used on a crop does not legally prevent the crop residue from being grazed.” For windrow or swath grazing, similar guidelines apply. Janna Kincheloe, a Montana State University Extension educator in Judith Basin County, says anything from seeded annual forages to perennial grasses can work for windrow grazing so long as the forage has been allowed to grow enough to make a dense windrow. In some instances, she says fertilization of the forage is also worthwhile. In her region, she says it typically works best to swath the forage in late August or September to take advantage of cool-season grasses and get better forage quality. Cattle could then graze those windrows from October through December before snowfall gets too deep. Limit access with fences The second key to successful winter grazing is limiting the cattle’s access to the stockpiled forage or windrows. “Winter-grazed areas should absolutely be crossfenced or kept to a small size for best forage utilization,” Undersander says. Rayburn reports that by strip-grazing stockpiled fescue, the cattle will get about 50%-75% more grazing days from it than if access is allowed to the entire pasture. Strip- grazing is especially important in rainy regions, he says, to prevent the forage from being trampled down in the mud. As a rule of thumb, Rayburn recommends allowing access to only as much forage as the cattle will clean up in three to seven days. He adds that for crop residues like corn, crossfencing and limiting access are also the best ways to get the most efficient forage utilization. With windrow grazing, Kincheloe also emphasizes that use of an electric fence is essential to minimize the amount of forage being wasted. She suggests fencing sections that offer up to a three-day supply of forage for the herd. (To estimate swath utilization, assume a cow will consume 2%-2.5% of her body weight. Thus, a 1,200-lb. cow consumes about 24 dry matter (DM) lb. of swath feed per day.) That said, Rayburn recognizes crossfencing may not always be practical. “In some cases it may be most practical to let the cows have access to a larger area, realizing they will eat the high-quality feed first and need some supplementation later in the season,” he says. Some supplementation Undersander says supplementation may be needed along with winter grazing, depending on the type of cattle and goals. He suggests for beef cows, supplementation is only needed if temperatures fall below 0° F. However, for growing animals, some additional supplement might be needed during the entire grazing period. The need for supplemental energy and protein may be especially great when grazing crop residue, such as cornstalks, he says. Likewise, Rayburn says supplementation depends on the quality of the forage being grazed and the animal’s age and production status. Specifically, Rayburn says dry cows have a low nutritional requirement and will need the least supplementation, probably only a basic trace mineral package in salt. Cows closer to calving should be monitored for body condition and may require an energy or protein supplement and mineral mix. Lactating cows and growing young animals will have the highest nutritional requirements, and supplements may be needed. For each situation, it is advisable to work with a nutritionist or a local Extension educator to determine Three forage specialists share the dos and don’ts of winter and windrow grazing. by Kindra Gordon Winter Grazing Wisdom “Just make sure that any chemical used on a crop does not legally prevent the crop residue from being grazed.” — Edward Rayburn CONTINUED ON PAGE 190
Transcript of 10.06 Winter Grazing:Layout 1 9/12/06 9:27 PM Page 0189 ... · 10.06 Winter Grazing:Layout 1...
October 2006 ■ ANGUSJournal ■ 189
Savvy beef producers know thatstretching the grazing season into the
winter months can shave dollars off feedexpenses. But for winter grazing or windrowgrazing to work, planning and managementare key.
Here, we get advice from specialists inWest Virginia, Wisconsin and Montana onwhat works — and what doesn’t work —when it comes to getting cows to foragethrough the winter months.
Forage foresightDan Undersander, Extension forage
agronomist at the University of Wisconsin,emphasizes that planning ahead to stockpileforage for winter grazing is key. Thistypically requires deferring grazing on thepasture or native range by midsummer.
Undersander adds that it may benecessary to sell calves or stockers early sothat pasture remains for stockpiling.
Additionally, he suggests fertilizingpasture set aside for winter grazing to get anextra boost in yield. Undersander saysfertilizing with 50 pounds (lb.) of nitrogen(N) per acre in his region can help produce1-1.5 extra tons of forage per acre.
Undersander’s top picks for stockpilingare tall fescue and orchard grass. He says,“Both grow well in the fall to accumulategood forage level.” He adds that orchardgrass is best suited to late fall or early wintergrazing, while tall fescue stands better andcan even be deferred to early spring.
Edward Rayburn, West VirginiaUniversity Extension forage agronomist,also counts tall fescue among the bestperennial grasses for winter grazingsince it holds up to freezing weather.
If fescue’s not an option for yourregion, Rayburn says crop residue, suchas corn, and winter grain crops likewheat and rye offer high-quality winterforage alternatives for grazing in theMidwest and South.
“I cannot think of any crop I wouldnot recommend,” Rayburn says. “If thecows eat a crop residue, it is probably agood feed source. Just make sure thatany chemical used on a crop does notlegally prevent the crop residue frombeing grazed.”
For windrow or swath grazing, similarguidelines apply. Janna Kincheloe, aMontana State University Extensioneducator in Judith Basin County, saysanything from seeded annual forages toperennial grasses can work for windrowgrazing so long as the forage has beenallowed to grow enough to make a densewindrow. In some instances, she saysfertilization of the forage is alsoworthwhile.
In her region, she says it typically worksbest to swath the forage in late August orSeptember to take advantage of cool-seasongrasses and get better forage quality. Cattlecould then graze those windrows fromOctober through December before snowfallgets too deep.
Limit access with fencesThe second key to successful winter
grazing is limiting the cattle’s access to thestockpiled forage or windrows.
“Winter-grazed areas should absolutely becrossfenced or kept to a small size for bestforage utilization,” Undersander says.
Rayburn reports that by strip-grazingstockpiled fescue, the cattle will get about50%-75% more grazing days from it than ifaccess is allowed to the entire pasture. Strip-grazing is especially important in rainyregions, he says, to prevent the forage frombeing trampled down in the mud.
As a rule of thumb, Rayburn recommendsallowing access to only as much forage as thecattle will clean up in three to seven days. He
adds that for crop residues like corn,crossfencing and limiting access are also thebest ways to get the most efficient forageutilization.
With windrow grazing, Kincheloe alsoemphasizes that use of an electric fence isessential to minimize the amount of foragebeing wasted. She suggests fencing sectionsthat offer up to a three-day supply of foragefor the herd. (To estimate swath utilization,assume a cow will consume 2%-2.5% of herbody weight. Thus, a 1,200-lb. cow consumesabout 24 dry matter (DM) lb. of swath feedper day.)
That said, Rayburn recognizescrossfencing may not always be practical. “Insome cases it may be most practical to let thecows have access to a larger area, realizingthey will eat the high-quality feed first andneed some supplementation later in theseason,” he says.
Some supplementationUndersander says supplementation may
be needed along with winter grazing,depending on the type of cattle and goals.He suggests for beef cows, supplementationis only needed if temperatures fall below 0° F.However, for growing animals, someadditional supplement might be neededduring the entire grazing period. The needfor supplemental energy and protein may beespecially great when grazing crop residue,such as cornstalks, he says.
Likewise, Rayburn says supplementationdepends on the quality of the forage being
grazed and the animal’s age andproduction status.
Specifically, Rayburn says dry cowshave a low nutritional requirement andwill need the least supplementation,probably only a basic trace mineralpackage in salt. Cows closer to calvingshould be monitored for bodycondition and may require an energy orprotein supplement and mineral mix.
Lactating cows and growing younganimals will have the highest nutritionalrequirements, and supplements may beneeded. For each situation, it isadvisable to work with a nutritionist ora local Extension educator to determine
Three forage specialists share the dos and don’ts of winter and windrow grazing.
by Kindra Gordon
Winter Grazing Wisdom
“Just make sure that any
chemical used on a crop
does not legally prevent
the crop residue from
being grazed.”
— Edward RayburnCONTINUED ON PAGE 190
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the quality of the winter forage and thenutritional needs of the animals being fed.
With winter grazing, Undersander alsostresses it is important for producers to knowhow much forage is present. He says, “Themost common mistake I see is cattleunderfed because less dry matter wasavailable than was estimated.”
Final considerationsHere are some final points to ponder in
deciding if winter or windrow grazing fitsyour operation.
1) Don’t let the snow scare you.Montana’s Kincheloe says she often hearsproducers say they don’t windrow grazebecause snow is a concern. However, shesays, cows will usually forage through thesnow unless it is crusted over.
Research indicates swath grazing cangenerally be used with success in snowdepths of up to 2 feet. Kincheloe suggestsproducers make windrows high and dense sothey will protrude through the snow. If theydo get crusted over, she says driving alongthe side of the windrow with a tractor willgenerally help break up the snow and ice socows can get to the windrow.
In regions with heavy snowfalls, anadvisable strategy is to have an emergency
feed source on hand for use during blizzardsor deep snow cover that limits grazing.
2) Watch forage conditions from year toyear. Kincheloe admits that in areas of theWest, winter or windrow grazing may not bean option every year — especially if adrought year produces minimal foragegrowth. She says producers may want tograze in early spring and then defer grazingto see if there is enough regrowth on certainpastures for fall or winter grazing. Also, thepastures used for winter grazing should berotated from year to year to ensure plantdiversity.
3) Give it a chance. In Montana,Kincheloe says not a lot of producers havetaken advantage of windrow and wintergrazing options, but she encourages them toconsider it. “Some producers may have had aflop the first year and decided it wasn’t goingto work,” she says. “But with planning andmanagement this can be an economicaloption.”
Rayburn concludes, “Managersunderstanding good cropping practices andanimal nutrition can get very inventive inhow to effectively feed livestock with wintergrazing.”
190 ■ ANGUSJournal ■ October 2006
Winter Grazing Wisdom CONTINUED FROM PAGE 189
Fescue stockpiling tips Although any forage species or mixture can be stockpiled for winter grazing, tall
fescue is among the best grass species for stockpiling because it has productive yieldsin the fall, and its feeding value deteriorates relatively slowly after a hard frost.
A University of Minnesota study near Morris, Minn., showed tall fescue produced20% more yield in the fall than its closest competitor in that part of the country. Eightspecies were evaluated from July 15 to harvest prior to a killing frost.
Reed canary grass and orchard grass were second to tall fescue in stockpile yield,producing about 600 pounds (lb.) per acre less forage dry matter (about 20% less).Because forage quality declines most rapidly with legumes, the researchers concludedalfalfa would not be a good candidate for stockpile management.
The Minnesota researchers offer these tips in stockpiling tall fescue.
@Only endophyte-free tall fescue seed should be used.
@Seed small acreages initially if you have not seeded tall fescue before.
@Earlier stockpile initiation (June to early July) will produce relatively more yield oflower-quality forage. Later stockpile initiation (late July to August) will producerelatively less yield of higher-quality forage.
@Application of either synthetic or organic nitrogen at the initiation of stockpilinggrasses is essential. For synthetic nitrogen, 40-60 lb. nitrogen per acre isrecommended.
After the season’s first hard frost, both yield and quality of the forage will decline.(In Wisconsin research, digestibility of stockpiled grasses declined from about 74% inOctober, to 71% in December, and about 65% the following March.)
The energy level of the forage will deteriorate more than its protein level, sosupplementation should most often be geared first toward meeting energy needs.
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