May 2007
Comments from Jim
Hi everyone,
Topics in this newsletter include a discussion on using straw in next winter’s cow rations and on analyzing cow size and efficiency. Hopefully this information will be of use. Feel free to cuss and discuss these ideas at the local coffee shop or sale barn.
Along the lines of extended fall grazing and alternative forages, I am in the process of putting the final touches on a demonstration research trial looking at alternative fall forages that will grow in the area. These forages will be seeded after wheat harvest in August. We’ll see if there is something we can plant that will grow and allow for grazing in November. Time will tell. Also, as part of the trial, I will be looking at how feasible early weaning of spring born calves is in the area. Spring calves will be weighed the first of September and then again in mid-October to monitor growth. Should be interesting. Currently I am just about done identifying farmer/rancher cooperators for the trials. There will be six operations cooperating in the project from Grangeville to Spaulding. I will keep you updated in this newsletter on the developments of the project.
Finally, if you know of someone in the cattle business that is not receiving this newsletter but would like a copy, please call me at 208-983-2667. I’ll add them to the list.
Sincerely,
Jim Church
University of Idaho
Extension Educator, Livestock
Hay Costs are Taking All the Fun Out of the Cattle Business
The price of hay has taken all the fun out of feeding cows in the winter. Makes a guy want to sell the ole gals and head to a warmer climate without any mud, but then we wouldn’t have the cow man life style now would we? Hay prices are out of sight! I have heard some pretty amazing horror stories in regards to how much people are paying for hay. Anywhere from $100 per ton for some pretty average hay to over $160 for good quality hay shipped into the region. In fact this week I saw an ad in the paper where you could buy top quality alfalfa delivered to your barn for $200 per ton. Wow!
Hi everyone,
Topics in this newsletter include a discussion on using straw in next winter’s cow rations and on analyzing cow size and efficiency. Hopefully this information will be of use. Feel free to cuss and discuss these ideas at the local coffee shop or sale barn.
Along the lines of extended fall grazing and alternative forages, I am in the process of putting the final touches on a demonstration research trial looking at alternative fall forages that will grow in the area. These forages will be seeded after wheat harvest in August. We’ll see if there is something we can plant that will grow and allow for grazing in November. Time will tell. Also, as part of the trial, I will be looking at how feasible early weaning of spring born calves is in the area. Spring calves will be weighed the first of September and then again in mid-October to monitor growth. Should be interesting. Currently I am just about done identifying farmer/rancher cooperators for the trials. There will be six operations cooperating in the project from Grangeville to Spaulding. I will keep you updated in this newsletter on the developments of the project.
Finally, if you know of someone in the cattle business that is not receiving this newsletter but would like a copy, please call me at 208-983-2667. I’ll add them to the list.
Sincerely,
Jim Church
University of Idaho
Extension Educator, Livestock
Hay Costs are Taking All the Fun Out of the Cattle Business
The price of hay has taken all the fun out of feeding cows in the winter. Makes a guy want to sell the ole gals and head to a warmer climate without any mud, but then we wouldn’t have the cow man life style now would we? Hay prices are out of sight! I have heard some pretty amazing horror stories in regards to how much people are paying for hay. Anywhere from $100 per ton for some pretty average hay to over $160 for good quality hay shipped into the region. In fact this week I saw an ad in the paper where you could buy top quality alfalfa delivered to your barn for $200 per ton. Wow!
South Idaho and Columbia Basin Hay Growers On their way to the bank.
A month ago I was talking to a local hay grower that placed an advertisement in the regional classified ads paper listing his hay for sale. This grower had over 30 calls. People were so desperate for hay that they asked if the person they sold the hay to had already hauled the hay away. When he said no, they offered him $10 a ton more than what the buyer had paid. A little cutthroat if you ask me.
So why are hay prices so high and why are
supplies so short? Let’s take a look at supplies first. Consumption of hay in Idaho has increased dramatically over the last several years.
The expanding dairy industry in southern Idaho has increased the demand for alfalfa and other forages. Alfalfa hay that is any good at all goes to the dairies. This leaves the rained on, lower quality hay for the beef industry. In our area, last year was not a good year for hay production. Weather patterns reduced yields in some places 30 percent or more. The grazing season this fall was not great either. We didn’t get a really good green-up so everyone had to start feeding at about the normal time. With a third less crop at least, no break in terms of an extended grazing season this past fall and a high demand for hay in southern Idaho and the Columbia Basin, supplies were tight and prices skyrocketed.
Speaking of prices, another factor contributing to high hay prices is the price of corn and other grains. Corn right now is golden in more ways than just color. The bio-fuel craze has really influenced corn prices. Barley, oats and wheat have all been pulled upwards due to the corn prices. Result: more roughage is used in rations replacing the high energy, high priced grains which in turn makes the roughage (hay) more expensive. Ouch!!
Remember as a kid when you would yell, “Hey” to someone and they would respond by saying, “ Buy straw, it’s cheaper”? No? Well I remember this, but maybe it is a south Idaho thing. But my point is this, don’t forget about straw. Yep that’s right, straw. We have tons of this material that can be bailed up and either fed straight or ammoniated and fed to cattle during the winter feeding period. Straw will cheapen any ration and can be fed successfully to mid-gestation cows with no problems.
Ammoniating straw will cost around $30 to $40 per ton and will provide a useable protein level of around 8 to 9 percent for the cattle. This meets the protein requirements for a dry cow in the second trimester of pregnancy.
If you calve in mid to late February and March, ammoniated straw can be used in the ration in November and December. This will save the good hay for later in the winter. If you calve in September or October, straw can be fed the last part of March and April.
So why are hay prices so high and why are
supplies so short? Let’s take a look at supplies first. Consumption of hay in Idaho has increased dramatically over the last several years.
The expanding dairy industry in southern Idaho has increased the demand for alfalfa and other forages. Alfalfa hay that is any good at all goes to the dairies. This leaves the rained on, lower quality hay for the beef industry. In our area, last year was not a good year for hay production. Weather patterns reduced yields in some places 30 percent or more. The grazing season this fall was not great either. We didn’t get a really good green-up so everyone had to start feeding at about the normal time. With a third less crop at least, no break in terms of an extended grazing season this past fall and a high demand for hay in southern Idaho and the Columbia Basin, supplies were tight and prices skyrocketed.
Speaking of prices, another factor contributing to high hay prices is the price of corn and other grains. Corn right now is golden in more ways than just color. The bio-fuel craze has really influenced corn prices. Barley, oats and wheat have all been pulled upwards due to the corn prices. Result: more roughage is used in rations replacing the high energy, high priced grains which in turn makes the roughage (hay) more expensive. Ouch!!
Remember as a kid when you would yell, “Hey” to someone and they would respond by saying, “ Buy straw, it’s cheaper”? No? Well I remember this, but maybe it is a south Idaho thing. But my point is this, don’t forget about straw. Yep that’s right, straw. We have tons of this material that can be bailed up and either fed straight or ammoniated and fed to cattle during the winter feeding period. Straw will cheapen any ration and can be fed successfully to mid-gestation cows with no problems.
Ammoniating straw will cost around $30 to $40 per ton and will provide a useable protein level of around 8 to 9 percent for the cattle. This meets the protein requirements for a dry cow in the second trimester of pregnancy.
If you calve in mid to late February and March, ammoniated straw can be used in the ration in November and December. This will save the good hay for later in the winter. If you calve in September or October, straw can be fed the last part of March and April.
Preparing a stack for ammoniation at
The University of Idaho.
Not everyone has access to cheap straw, but if you do, ammoniating the straw and feeding it is a viable option.
Feeding plain straw is also an option. It can be fed along with either good high protein hay or with grain and some protein supplement. Again this should be fed in the second trimester to cows, which is the stage of the production cycle that they require the least amount of nutrition.
These high feed prices require producers to be creative. Look for cheaper feed sources and see what you can do. Consider using straw, look into extending the grazing season by grazing crop aftermath or save some grass to graze in December. Whatever you do, remember that the ration needs to be balanced. Like the wise man says, “You can’t starve a profit out of a cow”.
Who’s Doing All the Work on Your Ranch?
Alright, be honest, who is dong all the work on your ranch? Is it you, or your cows? The majority of ranchers in North Central Idaho are probably guilty of doing all the work. Most cows in this region are on welfare. So, where do you stand? Are you in the majority or have you put your cows to work?
Jim have you gone crazy in your advancing age? What in the world are you getting at? Well to begin with, I have slipped some over time, but the point I’m trying to make is this; we are facing higher and higher production costs in the cattle business and the possibility of declining calf prices in the next few years. With this in mind, each of us needs to analyze our management and marketing programs to determine if changes can be made to lower the cost of production while maintaining an income level that will allow us to stay in the business.
The first thing we need to look at is the cow. Over twenty years ago I started hearing experts talk about matching the cow to the environment. Okay, what was being pushed by these so called experts? I think they were trying to tell us to pick a cow that could survive by grazing forages available on the ranch, with very little supplemental feed in the winter time. This cow would maintain her body condition, calve on her own, rebreed on time and wean a respectable sized calf. So, how have we been doing in the last 20 years?
We have done a great job of getting our cows bigger and bigger. Weaning weights have increased tremendously as have finished carcass weights. I would venture to guess that most of us are feeding more hay now than we ever have and the amount of grain used to finish cattle has increased. What do you think? Am I about right?
Let’s see, where’s my saddle?
Feeding plain straw is also an option. It can be fed along with either good high protein hay or with grain and some protein supplement. Again this should be fed in the second trimester to cows, which is the stage of the production cycle that they require the least amount of nutrition.
These high feed prices require producers to be creative. Look for cheaper feed sources and see what you can do. Consider using straw, look into extending the grazing season by grazing crop aftermath or save some grass to graze in December. Whatever you do, remember that the ration needs to be balanced. Like the wise man says, “You can’t starve a profit out of a cow”.
Who’s Doing All the Work on Your Ranch?
Alright, be honest, who is dong all the work on your ranch? Is it you, or your cows? The majority of ranchers in North Central Idaho are probably guilty of doing all the work. Most cows in this region are on welfare. So, where do you stand? Are you in the majority or have you put your cows to work?
Jim have you gone crazy in your advancing age? What in the world are you getting at? Well to begin with, I have slipped some over time, but the point I’m trying to make is this; we are facing higher and higher production costs in the cattle business and the possibility of declining calf prices in the next few years. With this in mind, each of us needs to analyze our management and marketing programs to determine if changes can be made to lower the cost of production while maintaining an income level that will allow us to stay in the business.
The first thing we need to look at is the cow. Over twenty years ago I started hearing experts talk about matching the cow to the environment. Okay, what was being pushed by these so called experts? I think they were trying to tell us to pick a cow that could survive by grazing forages available on the ranch, with very little supplemental feed in the winter time. This cow would maintain her body condition, calve on her own, rebreed on time and wean a respectable sized calf. So, how have we been doing in the last 20 years?
We have done a great job of getting our cows bigger and bigger. Weaning weights have increased tremendously as have finished carcass weights. I would venture to guess that most of us are feeding more hay now than we ever have and the amount of grain used to finish cattle has increased. What do you think? Am I about right?
Let’s see, where’s my saddle?
Daily Nutrient Requirements
Mature Cows – First 3-4 mo’s Post-Partum
Wt. DM TDN Protein
Lbs Lbs Lbs
1100 22 12 2
1400 26 14 2.3
Mature Cows – First 3-4 mo’s Post-Partum
Wt. DM TDN Protein
Lbs Lbs Lbs
1100 22 12 2
1400 26 14 2.3
Now what do we do?
I really think it is time to get serious about making the cow harvest the majority of the feed she consumes in a year. Put the cow to work instead of letting her stand in a dry lot (mud lot in my case) while you haul feed to her every day. Get her off the welfare roles. The cow is perfectly designed to take care of herself if we just give her an opportunity to do it.
How can I do this?
It will take a tremendous commitment and a drastic change in management. Here are some things to consider:
· Cow size.
Are the cows capable of surviving and maintaining body condition on low quality forages during the winter time? If they can’t you may have to reduce your mature cow size to be successful.
· Calving season.
Does the calving season occur when the forage quality is at or
approaching the peak of quality?
· Availability of off season grazing.
Do you have somewhere to go in the winter time to graze the cattle on crop aftermath or stockpiled
forages?
I will talk in more detail in a future newsletter about calving season and available forage, but let’s look at cow size.
I really think it is time to get serious about making the cow harvest the majority of the feed she consumes in a year. Put the cow to work instead of letting her stand in a dry lot (mud lot in my case) while you haul feed to her every day. Get her off the welfare roles. The cow is perfectly designed to take care of herself if we just give her an opportunity to do it.
How can I do this?
It will take a tremendous commitment and a drastic change in management. Here are some things to consider:
· Cow size.
Are the cows capable of surviving and maintaining body condition on low quality forages during the winter time? If they can’t you may have to reduce your mature cow size to be successful.
· Calving season.
Does the calving season occur when the forage quality is at or
approaching the peak of quality?
· Availability of off season grazing.
Do you have somewhere to go in the winter time to graze the cattle on crop aftermath or stockpiled
forages?
I will talk in more detail in a future newsletter about calving season and available forage, but let’s look at cow size.
Frame score and mature cow weight:
How big are your cows? What is the mature cow weight and the frame score? What is the body condition score? We need to know these things to determine efficiency.
I would venture to guess that in North Central Idaho, our mature cow weights are somewhere in the range of 1300 to 1400 pounds. What do you think? I would also bet that the average frame score is around a 5 and in some herds it is a 6. Are these cows too big? Are these cows efficiently producing pounds of calf? I can’t answer this for you. You have to look at your costs and net returns.
Ask yourself this, if I currently am feeding my cows during the winter feeding period for 5 to 6 months, what would happen if I found some poor quality winter forage to graze and turned the cows out for say an additional two months reducing my winter feeding period to 120 days?
Would they maintain body condition, calve and rebreed on time?
How big are your cows? What is the mature cow weight and the frame score? What is the body condition score? We need to know these things to determine efficiency.
I would venture to guess that in North Central Idaho, our mature cow weights are somewhere in the range of 1300 to 1400 pounds. What do you think? I would also bet that the average frame score is around a 5 and in some herds it is a 6. Are these cows too big? Are these cows efficiently producing pounds of calf? I can’t answer this for you. You have to look at your costs and net returns.
Ask yourself this, if I currently am feeding my cows during the winter feeding period for 5 to 6 months, what would happen if I found some poor quality winter forage to graze and turned the cows out for say an additional two months reducing my winter feeding period to 120 days?
Would they maintain body condition, calve and rebreed on time?
Each year Cattle Fax conducts a survey to determine the annual cost of owning a cow. In the Northwest, the average cow cost was as follows:
Feed costs = $206
Labor = $63
Interest = $19
Other costs = $91
Total = $315
The average producer in the Northwest spends $315 each year in cow ownership costs. How much does it cost you? Nationwide the average annual cow cost is $379 and 62% of that cost is winter feed costs. This is why we need to seriously look at winter feed costs.
As I stated earlier, the experts told us to match the cow to the ranch. I don’t know your ranch and in this region of the country we have some tremendous differences in topography and climate so I can’t give you an answer that will fit everyone. If you make money even on the bottom side of the cattle cycle you are probably matching your resources. If the only years you actually make money are the years we have extremely high calf that will fit everyone.
If you make money even on the bottom side of the cattle cycle you are probably matching your resources. If the only years you actually make money are the years we have extremely high calf prices, you really need to analyze your operation, starting with the cows.
The Tail End………
I think we have been content to haul feed to our cows day after day after day during the winter. Nationally, low cost producers have gone away from this practice. They make the cows earn a living and do what they were designed to do, graze most of the year. These operators make money and like it.
I realize that I don’t have all the answers but hopefully this letter and the ones to follow will
help spark some interest in looking at ways to do things better and in the end increase net profits.
Feed costs = $206
Labor = $63
Interest = $19
Other costs = $91
Total = $315
The average producer in the Northwest spends $315 each year in cow ownership costs. How much does it cost you? Nationwide the average annual cow cost is $379 and 62% of that cost is winter feed costs. This is why we need to seriously look at winter feed costs.
As I stated earlier, the experts told us to match the cow to the ranch. I don’t know your ranch and in this region of the country we have some tremendous differences in topography and climate so I can’t give you an answer that will fit everyone. If you make money even on the bottom side of the cattle cycle you are probably matching your resources. If the only years you actually make money are the years we have extremely high calf that will fit everyone.
If you make money even on the bottom side of the cattle cycle you are probably matching your resources. If the only years you actually make money are the years we have extremely high calf prices, you really need to analyze your operation, starting with the cows.
The Tail End………
I think we have been content to haul feed to our cows day after day after day during the winter. Nationally, low cost producers have gone away from this practice. They make the cows earn a living and do what they were designed to do, graze most of the year. These operators make money and like it.
I realize that I don’t have all the answers but hopefully this letter and the ones to follow will
help spark some interest in looking at ways to do things better and in the end increase net profits.
posted by Extension Office at 1:31 PM
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