Tri-State Neighbor: South Dakota Farm Newspaper

Cattle producers affected by drought may have some difficult decisions to make, says Bill Craig, agribusiness management educator with the University of Minnesota Extension Service.

In Minnesota, Extension’s Beef Team aims to provide producers with reliable, research-based information to help them make informed decisions.

The Beef Team has assembled a drought section on its Web site, www.extension.umn.edu/beef.

Included in the site are references from other states, including Iowa. The Iowa Beef Center has a publication called, “10 Suggested Strategies for Cow/Calf Management in Drought Conditions.”

“During a drought, it’s important to conduct your own cost analysis to see which solution is best for your situation,” said Jamie Larson, Extension beef educator and member of the Beef Team.

The Iowa publication lists the following ideas for beef producers in drought conditions:

Develop a plan before conditions get out of hand and force you to do something that’s extremely costly.

Consider splitting pastures and rotationally grazing the paddocks. This allows a rest period for the grass, and if rain does come, it’s likely to respond faster.

Consider early weaning your calves. This can reduce pressure on the pasture by 25 percent to 35 percent, and will also reduce the cow’s nutritional demands by 30 percent to 40 percent.

Identify late calving, unsound and poor producing cows and cull them. Prices are favorable for culling.

If pastures become extremely short, consider weaning the calves and drylotting the cows. During early and mid-pregnancy, the non-lactating beef cow can be fed on as little as 10 to 12 pounds of corn, 2 to 3 pounds of hay and 2 pounds of protein supplement.

Consider creep feeding calves to maintain gain in short pasture situations. But be aware this is not an efficient way of putting gain on calves. Creep feeding will also reduce some pressure on pasture, but doesn’t have the impact of early weaning.

Look ahead and plan fall and winter feed supplies. What feeds are available at lowest cost? Will tub grinding and putting together total mixed rations stretch feed supplies and reduce overall wintering costs?

In low rainfall years there may be opportunities to harvest low yielding cornfields as silage. Plan ahead for storage. Also look ahead at finding a custom harvester and possibly consider storing this crop in a sealed bag to minimize storage loss and maintain feed quality.

Grazing standing corn may be a more cost-effective method of providing winter feed for the cows than trying to buy higher priced hay. Daily strip grazing controls waste and limits the risk of acidosis with the cows. Cattle need to be adjusted to grain before exposure to standing corn.

When pastures get short, the best management practice may be to drylot cows or restrict them to 10 percent of the pasture area. This prevents damage to the pasture stand and allows faster recovery of the pasture once rains return.

The University of Minnesota’s Beef Team is comprised of Extension animal scientists and Extension educators who come together to address industry issues through education and research.

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