HDRider
Well-known member
At this time last year I had fed 28 bales. So far this year I have fed 14.
I have 32 mama cows with 14 fall calves.
I have 32 mama cows with 14 fall calves.
Do you feed something other than hay?Have not fed any hay yet. Will finish up on stockpiled OG this week, and then move on to oats and turnip mix. Cattle look really good.
No way to make money on cattle here feeding $140 to $250 / ton hay for six months.
Under-pastured.Do you feed something other than hay?
I assume the oats and turnip is on tillable ground?
It is more like $70 a ton here, but it is my biggest expense.
You are central Minnesota. How many head per acre (or acre per head) do you graze year round?
I would have to keep cattle off my ground for 3 months to stockpile enough grass to graze for three months. That is just a guess, but I cannot figure out a way to stockpile grass and still graze year around. I guess you could argue I am over stocked.
I feed hay in Fall while it stockpiles. The drought really set me back.Do you feed something other than hay?
I assume the oats and turnip is on tillable ground?
It is more like $70 a ton here, but it is my biggest expense.
You are central Minnesota. How many head per acre (or acre per head) do you graze year round?
I would have to keep cattle off my ground for 3 months to stockpile enough grass to graze for three months. That is just a guess, but I cannot figure out a way to stockpile grass and still graze year around. I guess you could argue I am over stocked.
I completely understand it is a regional thing.Most here haven't fed yet. Calves have been pulled and shipped. The cows kicked back to the hills. Everyone is trying to keep the cows out as long as possible with the price of hay being what it is. But they are also trying to move cows to the lower pastures where they will be easier to retrieve should the great white cowboy show up unexpectedly.
I'd rather be lucky than goodDumb luck.
Story of my life.I'd rather be lucky than good
- Grass and some byproduct.Do you feed something other than hay?
I assume the oats and turnip is on tillable ground?
You are central Minnesota. How many head per acre (or acre per head) do you graze year round?
I would have to keep cattle off my ground for 3 months to stockpile enough grass to graze for three months. That is just a guess, but I cannot figure out a way to stockpile grass and still graze year around. I guess you could argue I am over stocked.
Is it normal for you to have snow all winter? It would be a big challenge to me if I had much snow at all. I don't see much profit here if I fed 3 months or more.Haven't fed but a couple of bales to get cows moved around (they like to follow the tractor and bale this time of year). I am understocked so I make a bit of early hay and then stockpile it for fall/early winter. Some years (like this year) it works out as the snow is only a few inches deep and they can still graze. Few years back I had a bunch of stockpile get buried under 4 foot of snow overnight in early November and grazing came to an abrupt halt with tons of forage going to waste.