Texas - Ranchers- What to do with all this hay?

[TexLonghornRanch]

I was talking to a neighbor that has a cow/calf operation. He has so much hay; 4 times what he needs. He is buying steer calves and going to winter them on hay, he is going for weight gain.

Can you get alot of weight gain on field hay? I sell my steer calves at 5 to 6 months. My cows need more than hay to hold body condition in the winter.

Any one else doing this? Tips for making money doing this?

 

[backhoeboogie]

My thoughts were to pick up 100 to 150 heavy bred cows in November or so when they get cheap. Now it looks as though everyone has the same plan. Coupled with that is the fact that everyone culled heavy in this area in '05, then again in '06 with many selling completely out. It seems everyone is looking for brood cows with ear, same as me.

Hay is still selling for me periodically. Not enough and not near fast enough. This week I will move 40 round bales of horse quality coastal. It is pretty much a break even situation.

In '05 six year old field kept round bales went for $60 a bale. Last year imported trash hay went unbelievably high as $150 a bale at some feed stores. So the extra hay I have may sell in the future. If not I can survive many years of drought. Not a good year for the hay business in Texas.

 

[Brute 23]

We cut a little more than enough for 2 years being fully stocked then stopped cutting. :lol:

It is getting too expensive to just keep cutting because it is there. That is like buying 5 for $3 when you only need one that cost a dollar.

 

[TexLonghornRanch]

I asked him why he doesn't just increase his herd by buying brood cows. He said (I have to agree) he didn't want somebody else's breeding problems..... having to pull alot of calves..ect.

He wants steers..... easy keepers.

The only thing I told him was to hit each steer with a growth implant. He doesn't want to creep feed them, just feed hay.

Still not sure if he will get the weight gain he is looking for from just hay and a implant.

But then again I don't feed out steers.

Anybody esle going to feed out steers this winter?

 

[TexasBred]

Tex, it's hard to put weight on cattle during the winter feeding the type hay most of us see here in Texas. Even with protein supplementation you basically just put everything into a holding pattern. There are areas that put up good hay but a huge amount will only test from 8 to 10% protein even when fertilized. Seems about all fertilizer does is help you make more hay in many areas. Due to huge supply the hay market is pretty depressed so selling is not a good option either. Many are just holding on in case of future droughts. I know some dairymen who are pyramiding their hay, covering with poly and putting dirt around the edges to seal and protect it from the weather since they don't have barns for storage.

 

[BC]

Tell your friend to ghet the hay tested to know what the feeding value is. This will help him decide what type of stock can best utilize the hay.

I have some ryegrass/clover mix hay that tested 16.9% protein and a bunch of coastal that tested 7% protein. I plan on buying some yearling heifers to use the good hay and the rest will used for my cow-calf operation with some supplement.

 

[footballjdtractor]

sell that extra hay to a Hoosier. lots of cows going to town in this neck of the woods.

 

[BC]

Get the hay tested and then use this site:
http://uvalde.tamu.edu/pubs/foragval.exe.

to determine whether it will meet the neds of the class of stock you want to feed.

 

[HEREFORD ROADHOG]

PUT IT ON A TRAIN & SEND IT TO OHIO ,INDIANA. WE ARE SHORT :cboy:

 

[Stocker Steve]

Can you get a lot of weight gain on field hay? I sell my steer calves at 5 to 6 months. My cows need more than hay to hold body condition in the winter.

Any one else doing this? Tips for making money doing this?

You can get good gain with dairy quality hay... but there is not much of that around. The problem with most grassy hay is that even if you supplement for protein, the fiber level is so high it reduces intake. One way to make $ is to break even while roughing calves through on grassy hay (1.2 to 1.5 lb gain/day) and then make money after you turn them out to grass.

The simplest thing would be to just not wean at 5 months.

 

[Capt Call]

I was talking to a neighbor that has a cow/calf operation. He has so much hay; 4 times what he needs. He is buying steer calves and going to winter them on hay, he is going for weight gain.

Can you get alot of weight gain on field hay? I sell my steer calves at 5 to 6 months. My cows need more than hay to hold body condition in the winter.

Any one else doing this? Tips for making money doing this?

If you keep doing this very long you would know there is never to much hay. Get in a two to three year drought and see how long that four time's to much hay last.

 

[TexasBred]

Capt...I think we all have learned the past couple of years and a lot of folks are baling a pretty hefty surplus of hay although not the best of quality. After eating maize stalks the last two years mine are anxiously awaiting good hay. But the cattle looked great. One field of maize stalks tested 12.2% protein and another 11.9%. Just a bit more waste in feeding them than most folks like.

 

[williew]

Any extra hay send on up her to th good bluegrass , we dont have any,It looks really bad for a lot here!

 

[TexasBred]

Willie, I saw a fellow yesterday trying to find a load of hay for a back haul to Kentucky. Said it looked pretty bleak up that way.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Just send it on up this way.

That's been happening. Semi loads. People are selling horse quality for prices below production costs. They are just cutting their losses at this point. I haven't done that yet.

The rescue grass here is already sprouting. Don't know if I have ever seen it sprout this hard this early. There is so much hay that I didn't plant any rye, wheat, clover etc. Most folks culled heavy during the last two years. There looks to be a surplus of rescue coming on as well. Glad I didn't plant winter crops this year.

 

[TexLonghornRanch]

My rye grass is topping also! Plus I have plenty of hay; the girls will be happy this winter.

 

[dcara]

My thoughts were to pick up 100 to 150 heavy bred cows in November or so when they get cheap. Now it looks as though everyone has the same plan. Coupled with that is the fact that everyone culled heavy in this area in '05, then again in '06 with many selling completely out.

Ain't that the truth.

I know some dairymen who are pyramiding their hay, covering with poly and putting dirt around the edges to seal and protect it from the weather since they don't have barns for storage.

I'm not a dairyman but thats what I did also, except that I used bales of hay around the edges for sealing since I had more than I could get under the tarp.

BTW - what is the oldest weathered (not covered) hay anyone has had any luck feeding?

 

[backhoeboogie]

BTW - what is the oldest weathered (not covered) hay anyone has had any luck feeding?

I didn't feed it, but I saw six year old hay going to the dairies at Cresson in '05. It looked like the bottom half was rotted plum off of it. Some had been restrung to hold it together. Maybe they were blending it with something.

 

[TexLonghornRanch]

Not counting 05 & 06, I buy year old round bales every year. My cows love old hay, plus you can get year old hay for $15 per bale. I mix it with new hay, one new bale, one old bale....


But then again my cows will knock down panels to get to straw! Put out coastal and straw.... my girls will eat the straw everytime. Makes me crazy having the cows eat straw I bought for bedding. Straw is worthless as far as protein.

 

[bigbull338]

when cows love eating straw over costal bales.that tells you that the straw hay has something in it that the cows are craving.that doesnt mean the costal isnt good hay.