Good winter cattle management practices help cattle tolerate the wind and cold temperatures. During the cold winter months, close attention should be paid to herd nutrition. Taking shortcuts on your cattle nutrition during the winter months could risk next year’s calf crop, this year’s weaning weights and the long-term viability of your herd. According to information from university of Minnesota extension beef experts, winter feeding programs vary for each cattle enterprise.

Feeding programs are dependent on variables such as:

• Forage quality.
• Cost and availability of winter supplements.
• Animal type (mature cows, replacement heifers or back-grounded calves).
• Body condition of your cattle.
• Calving date, if applicable.

The Minnesota beef experts explain that generally, winter feeding can be accomplished with harvested forages such as hay and silage. Grazing crop residues can also be utilized, but may not always be feasible in areas that receive significant amounts of snowfall during early winter months.

Cows can graze through up to 9 inches of snow to get high quality forages, but reduced forage intake will occur with as little as ¼ inch of ice covering the snow. Plus, cold temperatures and precipitation can decrease the feed’s nutritional value.

Regardless of whether you feed stored forages or graze crop residues, the cow’s diet must be sufficient to uphold a body condition score (BCS) of 5 at weaning, a 6 at calving, and no less than a 5.5 score at breeding. At this level of condition, a cow is able to maintain its body weight and support production functions such as lactation and fetal growth. Maintaining adequate body condition in pregnant cattle is crucial in the two to three months prior to calving.

Feeding Supplements
Depending on the quality of forage, supplementation may be needed by cows when nutrient demands are not met by the basic diet the cow is offered, say the Minnesota experts. Typically, diets of late gestating beef cows will meet nutrient needs if they contain a minimum of 55 percent total digestible nutrients (TDN ) and 8 percent crude protein (CP). However, lactating cow minimum requirements during the winter increase to 62 percent tDn and 11 percent CP, such as with fall calving cows.

When feeding pregnant first- and second-calf heifers due to calve in the spring, maintaining a diet with tDn at 60 percent and CP at 11 percent from the beginning of winter through early lactation should be sufficient.

It is important to compare nutrient intake of the diet with nutrient requirements of the cow based on animal type and pregnancy status, and to determine what additional nutrient(s) are needed for supplementation.

Evaluate Cow Performance
Throughout the winter,it’s important to evaluate cow performance by observing body weight and condition Herd Health Program changes resulting from your feeding program. This will tell you if you are correctly supplementing your cattle through the winter and preparing those spring calving herds for the calving season.

Purina has made it easy for you to maintain your production level by designing supplemental feed products to help economically manage your herd’s nutrition needs in all life stages. these products include Sup-R-Lix®, Sup-R-Block® and Accuration®/Cattle Limiter, all controlled intake products featuring IM Intake Modifying technology®.

Purina also offers Wind and Rain® mineral supplements that have been specifically designed to meet mineral deficiencies based on forage quality and cattle nutritional requirements. These minerals are weather resistant and are proven to enhance consistent consumption.

Contact J&N Feed and Seed at 940-549-4631 with questions and how we can help you get started with this program.

By Christina Hayes

We focus on balancing cattle diets for energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals, but we tend to overlook water. Every physiological process involves water, and it’s requirement for cattle performance.

Here are some quick water tips:

• Water quality and quantity can impact feed intake. Limited access to water or low-quality water typically results in reduced intakes.
• Water quality is affected by microbiological contaminants, nitrates, sulfates, and salinity (the amount of salt dissolved in water). Test your water quality by contacting your local extension agent for sampling instructions and information.
• Water needs increase as temperature increases. For example, a 900-pound lactating cow only needs 14.5 gallons of water per day when it’s 60 degrees Fahrenheit, but she needs as much as 18.2 gallons per day when the temperature hits 90 degrees.
• Cattle weight also influences water needs. As cattle gain weight, their daily water intake increases. For example, a 1,400-pound mature bull typically consumes 13.4 gallons of water per day when it’s 80 degrees Fahrenheit, but a 1600+ bull consumes just over a gallon more per day (14.5 gallons) at the same temperature.

Summer can get busy, but for your cattle things can heat up, which makes water even more important. Ensure cattle always have access to fresh, high-quality water. Also, ensure there are enough easily accessible waterers especially when temperatures spike.

Source: Purina Checkpoint

By Chad Zehnder

These are simple things you can do to make the most of forages today and further on down the road:

1. Implement a grazing plan

Rotational grazing gives pastures a rest compared to grazing them continuously. You can rotate cattle between pastures as often as once a day to as little as once a month. Either way, rotational grazing can help ensure quality and quantity of forage throughout the summer. Simply splitting a pasture in half can help.

2. Consider it soil fertility

Just like you need to look at cattle requirements each winter and determine if you need to supplement, the same holds true for soil. Work with an agronomist to test your soil. Test results will tell you if you need to fertilize to combat caps in soil fertility. Remember soil fertility will impact not only forage quantity but will influence quality – especially protein. What your cattle eat is a direct result of soil fertility.

3. Hone in Harvest

There’s no “right” time to harvest. Harvest typically occurs when there’s a happy medium of quantity to match quality. Time harvest to match the quality of forage desired. Keep in mind that as forages mature digestibility and protein tend to drop. Also look at ways to minimize leaf loss and consider the use of a preservation to help with storage.

4. Manage the summer slump

As you get into July and August, forages mature and pasture quality declines. You may need to supplement to meet cattle requirements. Supplementation is especially vital in spring-calving herds with cows still lactating. Don’t overlook calves; as pasture quality declines, consider offering calves supplemental creep feed.

Source: Purina Checkpoint

By Chris Forcherio

Have you defined what success and failure look like in your weaning program?

Success might look like live, healthy calves who put on weight with minimal intervention. On the flip side, failure may be calf mortality, sick or stressed, a high rate of treatment and less weight to sell. No matter your definitions, having a plan in place can help you avoid weaning pitfalls and, ultimately, failure during a critical time frame.

“Weaning shows how successful a producer has been for the past year,” said Chris Forcherio, Ph.D. and beef research manager with Purina Animal Nutrition. “For calves going to a market, it’s a producer’s payday. For calves staying in the herd, it’s a time for them to get ready for their next phase of production.”

Make plans now to avoid these common weaning-time pitfalls.

Pitfall #1: The plan is, there is no plan

“Too often producers just go out and wean. They find a break in the weather and decide it’s time,” says Forcherio. “The ‘just do it’ mentality may work out, but much like a producer plans for breeding and calving every year, they should plan for weaning.” Develop a flexible plan at least a month in advance. Planning ahead a month gives you time to order feed, work on your health program, order vaccines and more. Part of your health program may include pre-weaning vaccines that can be administered well in advance of weaning day to boost immunity.

Pitfall # 2: Facility Failure

Prepare facilities for calves trying to get back to their mothers. If calves are in a fenced area, check and reinforce fences as needed to prevent the calves from escaping. For corral areas, be sure gates are secured and without gaps. Another aspect of facilities is the environment. Small, tightly confined areas with mud are not ideal for calves. Give Calves a stress-free space with plenty of room and grass. Feed bunk placement and space are also critical. “Producers often put feed bunks in a place that convenient for them, not for their cattle,” says Forcherio. “Place feed bunks in an area where calves will run into them, not just in a place that’s convenient.” Bunks should be placed perpendicular to fence lines so calves can bump into feed as they are circling the fences. To prevent calves from competing for bunk space, provide 12 inches of bunk space for hand-fed feeds like Precon Complete Feed and six to eight inches of bunk space for self-fed feeds like Accuration Starter Complete Feed.

Pitfall # 3: The height of water and hay

Beyond making sure calves can find water sources and ensuring there is clean, fresh water available for all calves, another common pitfall is water accessibility. “Make sure your water trough is not too tall,” says Forcherio. “We tend to assume that 400- or 450-pound calves are going to be able to reach the same waterer set up for a 1200-pound cow when that may not be the case.” The same concept applies to hay feeders. “I often refer to hay out of reach of calves as the ‘devil’s tower of hay in the hay ring,’” says Forcherio. “The hay ring is out, and the round bale is in the hay ring, but the calves can’t reach the tower of hay in the middle.” Check your hay feeders to ensure they aren’t too tall for the shorter necks of calves. If hay is out of reach, do what you can to spread hay from the center towards the outside of the hay ring.

Plan to drive feed intake

What is Forcherio’s top piece of advice? Have a plan to maximize feed intake. “The end goal is to drive intake and get calves eating the nutrients they need to stay healthy,” says Forcherio. “Anything you can do to set calves up to eat at target intake levels will help them have a higher chance of success.”

Ask your dealer about starter feeds available through Purina All Seasons Cattle Nutrition Program.

Source: Purina Checkpoint