If your grass is starting to dry out, or it has reached maturity, it will likely be short on crude protein (CP). Yearling cattle really should have a diet CP level of at least 12%, and your mature cows should have at least 8% CP. This is the time of the year when many western pastures will begin to fall below even 8% CP. But, you say, were we not taught to only really worry about cow nutrition the last trimester of gestation? If you fail to supplement protein to your cow herd in September or October does it really matter? The short answer is, yes, it could.
Can you hedge against sickness in weaned calves?
I heard an interesting statement at a meeting I attended last week, on the subject of animal health with incoming calves in a feedlot. That being “sickness is the only variable you cannot hedge with weaned calves”. This is very true, for a number of reasons. You do not always know the previous nutritional and health programs of newly arrived calves. Add to that, you do not always know which days of the week would be best to receive calves, as the weather is unpredictable. Many feedlots would not schedule shipments or arrivals based on weather forecasts anyway. The health of weaned calves will always be a bit of a gamble when you buy unknown calves. Many feedlots prefer to buy calves from past customers for this reason – they know how they performed the year(s) before, and would likely expect similar performance this year. A small percentage of the cows may have been replaced and the same can be said for the bulls, but the majority of the genetics are the same, and you could expect the same from their nutrition and health programs.
Cattleman: What's in your future and what's in the past?
There are lots of clichés out there that deal with yesterday, today and tomorrow. We have 20-20 hindsight for yesterday, and usually a good idea of what is going on today. Most anyone could retire young, if you could predict tomorrow. While tomorrow or next week is very hard to predict, some trends you can recognize from years past, can give you a decent estimate of the years ahead. That may be the gist of the quote “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” In the feed business, a common quote that we all fear from a customer is “That is the way my Dad always did it.” There is much of great value to be learned from our forefathers, but, the latest Technology in Agriculture is probably not one of them.
Drought, snow, tetany: What next?
In my last blog (about 7 weeks ago), I predicted that it always rains at the end of a drought. For many of us in the northern plains, we received one to two feet of snow in April. Some had more, and some had less, but in many areas it was the first appreciable amount of precipitation in months. Could it be that it may snow at the end of a drought? Perhaps so, but it is way too early to say we are coming out of the great drought of 2012. There will be ample moisture in many places to spur some spring growth of cool season grasses. Jon Albro had an excellent Blog on March 19th about the increased likelihood of grass tetany following a dry winter. As you read this today, many of you may already be experiencing that. Hopefully you have had high magnesium supplements out ahead of the threat.
It always rains at the end of a drought
For many of us West of the Mississippi River, we are still extremely dry. Sure, there have been some recent storms that may have dampened the topsoil, but there are still plenty of areas in the west without much snow cover, and a much larger area where topsoil and subsoil moisture is almost nonexistent. We are a ways from the end of the drought, and even farther form replenishing subsoil moisture. Green forage, fresh or harvested, could be a long ways off as well. Any forage we have left, or can purchase to feed, is likely to be of declining quality.
Be prepared
When was the last time, you knew ahead of time, that your car would run into the ditch, in a blizzard? Or maybe, you absolutely knew that the Tornado warning on the radio was for a tornado that was headed directly at your home? I’m guessing these events have never occurred with certainty. That is why you may pack a survival kit in your car every winter, or why you head for the basement or some other tornado shelter, when you hear the warnings. If possible, many of us purchase insurance to protect against such unknown events. You make certain choices in life, to be prepared, just in case…….
Are your cows dealing with a nutritional cliff?
It is almost Christmas time. Before you know it, the holidays will be over, and some of you may actually be looking forward to this! You may also be wondering if we will go over the Fiscal Cliff. As I write this, no one seems to have any answers.
When is the best time to put condition on your beef cows?
The answer is right now, today, if not sooner! Many of you have spring calving herds, and you have probably already weaned this year’s calves, or, you are about to. There are three main reasons that the time immediately after weaning is a great time to add condition to your cows, for very little investment.
Are you thinking about feeding some CRP hay?
Most of the cattlemen reading this blog will likely admit that they are in a drought, to some degree or another. Interestingly, some may have even sold hay from a bumper crop last year, for what seemed like a tidy profit at $125/ton, only to have to buy some back this year at prices $20 to $50 above that. What a difference el niño can make! For whatever reason, many Cattlemen are buying hay this fall, in order to get through the winter. And, for some cattlemen, hay may be scarce in their part of the country. CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) hay may be part of what they can make a deal on.
A little NPN goes a long way
Most Cattlemen are aware of two types of protein supplements. Those that are called an “all-natural”1, and those that utilize some urea, or other form of non-protein nitrogen (NPN). It is not unusual for Cattlemen to hesitate, or outright refuse to use a supplement containing NPN. Instances of overconsumption with free-choice supplements containing NPN have occasionally caused animal deaths. This is usually due to a combination of environmental factors (e.g., forage or water availability), and often times it is exacerbated by the previous plane of nutrition of the cattle involved. Still, many cattle are safely and effectively supplemented each year with a supplement containing some NPN.
