Stockpiling

[Ouachita]

Until last year, I had never heard the term 'stockpiling', in reference to grass for cattle feed. I admit I'm relatively new to the financial part of of raising livestock. I've been around, and helped my granddad, and dad with their cattle. Their both gone now, and I bought my dad's herd last early summer after he passed on.
I read up on everything from the county extension office I could get my hands on. Last summer, about mid August, I planted 30 acres in rye grass. Starting about late October, I rotated the cattle in and out of the rye (the other pasture, 40 acres, is a mix of an attempt at bermuda, orchard, and native grasses). I didn't have to start feeding hay until Christmas, and after that I still rotated them in and out of the rye. I fed 58 rolls of good quality bermuda/bahaia(sp?) hay until the spring grass started up. That was for 30 head. (I also fed a mix of cubes and R&R during the coldest spells; about 4 tons total.) The cattle looked good.
My question is, what do what do other folks do? Especially with this hot dry weather. I don't see another hay cuttin. I've got 53 rolls right now, and no grass. I'm feeding hay now, about one bail every 10 days. Yeh, they've got another 40 acres of cutover timberland to browse and I'm sure that helps a bit. I'm also feeding 600 pounds a week in range cubes/R&R mix total, right now. I wasn't having to do this at this time last year. The cattle are still 'grazing' the gone grass, and browsing the other 40 acres of brush. I sat a round bail out 1 month ago, and they ignored it for about 10 days, then they have been eatin at it ever since. So, I've fed'em the 3rd round this evenin. Going for feed in the mornin. I would like to keep all the cattle I can. I realize I may have to sell a few, or buck up and pay the feed bill to maintain them till this scenerio looks better. It's not my primary source of income, but I would like to manage it in the most efficient way.
I'm curious what other folks do when the weather is like this. Any tips, or words of wisdom appreciated. And thanks in advance!!!

PS. Our soil PH around here, before any lime or organic material added, is between 5 and 5.8, so I now know the attempt at bermuda was futile until I get the funds for lime.

 

[Ouachita]

Forgot to say, I'm in west central Arkansas. The temp was officially 115 yesterday, but several folks said they had 118 on their tempometers

 

[dun]

In climate years like this you do whatever you have to to get by. If you're lucky you will get some rain and some growth. From what I've read, bermuda doesn;t stockpile very well, sadly the best for stockpiling is fescue. We're feeding hay already this year, usually don;t start till late feb to mid march somewhere. If we get the rain here when the weather finally cools off we'll get some decent growth to stockpile for the winter. We'll feed hay until then. Feeding hay now sure beats feeding it in the dead of winter. The fields we normally stockpile have already been grazed short, what little growth we got after cutting hay is so dry that it breaks off and turns to dust when the cows walk through it. That's actualy past tense since it's all been beaten to dust already.

 

[Ouachita]

Thanks dun. I know it's going to cost me already, but I want to hang on to what I have. I think if I can make through the next 8-10 months, maybe more (who knows), I'll see daylight at the end of this tunnel.

Any more takers? All advise very welcome. Iffin you were here, we could sit round the table and drink coffee. Or a cold beer?

 

[Ouachita]

OK, what about bulk feed stuff? When I buy feed, I've bought it one ton at a time last year. I could haul 3 tons on the trailer, but I was thinking if I ordered more??? Maybe I could get better price??? . What if I want a tractor trailer load? Where do you big timers get the deals? And what is the best bang for the buck on feed right now? Newbie askin

 

[Farmgirl]

Be careful buying large quantities of feed in this heat. It may go bad on you before you can use it. Too expensive for that.

Good luck,
Farmgirl

 

[CJohnson]

I am in east Texas, so frost is later and green up is earlier but what I do is put out fertilizer on coastal bermudagrass mid-August on about 1 acre per cow, let this grow by staying off of it, and graze the other pastures. I have ryegrass and clover starting mid-February. I graze frosted bermuda when I run out of anything else and would normally start feeding hay. I use electric fence to give them 3 days. I usually turn in on it about 1st of November and run out Christmas to 1st of January. No cubes or supplement is needed until end of December. I have spring calves, so the cows are dry. I plant cereal rye and give them a little of this (as protein / energy supplement) in late December / early January about every 3rd day. I hold back enough cereal rye to turn cows on after they calve. When I get about 10 pairs together then I move them off the cereal rye to clover / ryegrass pastures and rotational graze those pastures with the growing herd of cows with new calves. On average I can get by with 1 to 1.5 bales of hay per cow. They mostly get this in January and February. On a really good year when I don't lose grass to armyworms, ryegrass and clover grow, and I have 24 inches of frosted bermuda, then I could feed 1/2 bale hay per cow but every year is something. There has not been a year that I have wished I did not stockpile the bermudagrass since I have been doing this (5 years or so) but is dependent on rain in the fall in time for the bermuda to grow before frost. Where you are, you could do something similar with bermuda for late fall / early winter, and fescue for January / February. Folks that live near you could comment more on timing and what grows.

 

[JustSimmental]

We are Fall calving, starting Sept 15th or so. Normally in Mid-August we do 3 things--

1. We will plant corn behind millet. We plant (irrigated) corn with the grain drill and is ready to graze by the 3rd week of September-- this is really good grazing for cow/calf pairs.

2. We will graze the fields of where our corn (for grain) had been.

3. We will apply 50-60 units of N / acre on bermuda grass mid-August and save it post-frost (Oct 30th) for cow calf pairs, where we can get ~~ 30 days of grazing out of it while also feeding some range cubes.

We plant Rye (irrigated) for grazing about the 3rd week of October and it it is normally ready to graze by Thanksgiving. We sort and graze cows by age groups, so that we can better monitor their nutritional needs as I think this is the best way to bring cows into good breeding condition by xmas.

Breeding season for us begins Dec 20th to Jan 15th --all AI.

Normally we have to begin feeding hay by Thanksgiving and even sooner if we did not "stockpile forages".

Cows / calves limit graze Rye from Turkey day until March 15th; then they go onto clover from mid-March until weaning. Post-weaning, cows are worked and turned out on Summer pastures.

Cows/ heifers are sometimes fed WCS pre-breeding in the years we can purchase it relatively cheap-- if not we feed them some alfalfa hay to make sure breeding conditions are met. This year I was able to purchase 18% CP Alfalfa hay delivered at $106/ton, which is cheaper than Whole cotton seed at $160 - $170/ton.

I spend every May ordering hay in for cows the following year as we do not bale our own hay anymore as we have found that it is not cost effective to do so.

JS

 

[TexasBred]

Haven't even heard of $160 whole cottonseed in 4-5 years. You'll be lucky to get them for $300. Same for $100 alfalfa even FOB let alone delivered. Must be some sorry stuff. Did you test it yourself??

 

[hayray]

Maybe put resources into securing a hay source at a legitament price. At this point you will need to save what pasture you have until it starts growing and keep the cattle off anything they shouldn't be on. I used to plant annuals for grazing like brassicas, ryegrass, sudangrass, forage rape and the like and all as it did was cost a ton of money to do that evengthough some years it made me money the risk of investment is too high for my low budget operation. A good hay source even at high prices is usually cheaper then bulk feeds such as cubes, tubs. Study your climate and growing conditions to get proactive early. For example, in my climate and region we will get as a general rule 90% of our forage yield by July 1st on pastures; usually by the end of May before hay harvest begins I already will know what kind of growing season yield we will have. A poor spring will mean I better be conservative and start stockpiling pastures in late summer and store more roles, even really good late summer and fall conditions will not make up for a bad start in my region. You just have to plan for the averages and have a long term stocking rate for average years so that your herd makes it through more economically in bad years and protect yourself from risk that can sink you. Bottom line, good hay is almost always cheaper then alternative feed sources.