Hay Fed

Help Support CattleToday:

I have fed a lot more than I planned, but I hadn't started feeding silage yet. Started last Wednesday. That's cut the amount of hay I feed by 2/3s a day.
 
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.
 
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.
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.
 
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.
Under-pastured.
 
Hasn't got cold yet here. Leafs are just now falling off trees here. We haven't feed much hay.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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 completely understand it is a regional thing.

That said, I am intrigued by @Stocker Steve 's approach, and if I could make that work. I sure do not see how.

I posted this thread as either an indication of my grass getting better, or it is just dumb luck. Weather-wise, this year is very much like last year.
 
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.
- Grass and some byproduct.
- Yes, a fall seeded double crop.
- Year round grazing is not economical in most parts of the US. It is a consultant selling point for uncommon conditions.
- We overstocked initially because hay was cheap, calves were high, and the ground we bought had been mined out. Peaked at a pair per acre but that was not sustainable.

Feeding hay for half the year is not economical either, unless hay is reasonable and calves are high priced. So an ideal stocking rate is based on running a couple gross margin calculations where you put in cattle prices and pasture cost and hay cost... and look at how the different stocking rates effect your return.

I think a profitable fescue belt grazing operation has 3 basic options:
1) a temporary seasonal herd plus the cow herd to graze in the spring, stockers or fall born calves?
2) unroll purchased hay in the fall while you stockpile grass for the winter, do u need imported fertility?
3) lease land really cheap and understock it most of the year, do u have free pasture?

Most producers have too many cows...
 
Last edited:
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.
 
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.
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.
 
This time last year cows had been off the summer place nearly a month. I still can't get some to cross the creek to come to hay and feed.
Guess that's a good thing, grass has been way better this year but I've got stalks and stockpile waiting for them, will wean when I get them moved, etc, winter is getting shorter by the day. I like to rest the ground, so I wish they'd all come over, the pickings are getting mighty slim.
 
I have been feeding a couple 5x5 rounds a day to give dry forage to go a long with the frosty grass. I still have hay fields and pretty good pasture grass.
 

Latest posts

Top