Wintering costs

[WichitaLineMan]

Just calculated my winter feed costs on my spring calving herd.

11 cents per day per head. Pasture is 34 cents per head per day year round so adding the pasture I come up with 45 cents per head per day. Started supplement 12/12/09 and ended 3/21/2010.

I just need to find more pastures like this to lease.

The power of not overgrazing and going into winter with some "hay on the ground" does wonders.

 

[novaman]

What kind of supplement are you giving that only costs 11 cents/hd/day? Not calling you a liar but I always have a tough time believing numbers like that. I could feed my cows nothing but straw and it would still cost 65 cents/hd/day. At any rate, nice job of managing expenses.

 

[WichitaLineMan]

I fed 20% Breeders Cubes. Fed 1 to 2 times per week depending on weather. Fed NO HAY whatsoever. Total pounds fed per head for the feeding period was 77.78 pounds.

I live in Texas so I don't have the winters you do, but that being said this was the coldest winter, I ever remember. In fact one time we had a 12 inch snow. I didn't feed any hay even then. The cows nosed around fine. And it melted away in about 3 days.

In fact it snowed again yesterday, but the ground was warm enough that it just showed a dusting but it snowed all day.

 

[Herefords.US]

I fed 20% Breeders Cubes. Fed 1 to 2 times per week depending on weather. Fed NO HAY whatsoever. Total pounds fed per head for the feeding period was 77.78 pounds.

I live in Texas so I don't have the winters you do, but that being said this was the coldest winter, I ever remember. In fact one time we had a 12 inch snow. I didn't feed any hay even then. The cows nosed around fine. And it melted away in about 3 days.

In fact it snowed again yesterday, but the ground was warm enough that it just showed a dusting but it snowed all day.

I did the same thing this year. I fed range cubes rather than put out protein tubs. I haven't fed hay for 3 years now. My pasture cost is a lot higher at 75 cents a day though. The cows have had a tougher time this winter than the past two winters. Some of the ones with fall calves are pretty thin.

George

 

[WichitaLineMan]

I have a fall calving herd as well. They are in a different pasture about 40 miles from me. I fed them tubs, no hay, and cubes about once a week. I will calculate their winter costs later and post. It will be much higher. I am going to reconsider the fall calving herd. Probably hard, after I see the numbers.

I was pleased by the cost to winter the spring calvers. I had my first spring calf on Thursday.

 

[WichitaLineMan]

The fall calving herd had calves in Sept and October. I started supplement on 11-28-2009. The cost per head per day for the 24% protein tub and the weekly cubing was 83 cents per head per day. I own the land but if we put a pasture cost of 40 cents per day on top of that we come out with $1.23 per head per day.

Hard to figure what a fair price to put on the pasture is.

I fed the fall calvers two weeks longer and at a higher cost. Not sure if the extra cost is captured in the selling of the fall calves. Haven't sold them yet. We will see.

 

[KMacGinley]

I had similar costs on rented cornstalks shoveling DDGS to them at 5 lbs per head per day. that cost me .1125 cents per day per head. The stalk rental was $10.00 per head/month. Minerals were 1/2 Redmond selenium salt and 1/2 ground limestone. Might have brought it up to .50 per head per day.

 

[stockman12]

My cows get either crop residue or winter grass. Then I give them a home blended supp of protein and grain for a cost of 13 cents per day per animal.

 

[alexfarms]

Just calculated my winter feed costs on my spring calving herd.

11 cents per day per head. Pasture is 34 cents per head per day year round so adding the pasture I come up with 45 cents per head per day. Started supplement 12/12/09 and ended 3/21/2010.

I just need to find more pastures like this to lease.

The power of not overgrazing and going into winter with some "hay on the ground" does wonders.

What kind of grass is in the pastures? Native warm season or cool season? Were the pastures grazed in the summer? Any fertilizer on the grasses?

 

[WichitaLineMan]

The pasture was not fertilized nor has it been that I can remember. The current owners have owned it for many, many years.

The pasture is mainly warm season native pasture. Little bluestem, side oats gramma, some bermuda patches, curly mesquite. It does have just enough cool season native grass to help up the protein in the winter. Mainly under the mesquite trees. Mainly rye grass.

The pastures were grazed year round. I go with a very light stocking rate. Where most people around here go 10 acres per cow per year and feed a lot of hay and have their pasture look like carpet through the winter, I graze at about 25 acres to the cow per year. There are many fools here who go 5-6 acres to the cow. Most of the pastures around here are in sad shape.

 

[TexasBred]

If you stock at 1 cow per 25 acres on leased land you have some high dollar "grazing" if you're paying market price for the lease.

 

[WichitaLineMan]

$5 per acre.

$5 x 25 = $125 per cow per year. $125/365 days = .34 (see post above). (I guess you did NOT read where I have included grazing cost in the calculation)(But then again, I see you are an Aggie!)

$5-$10 per acre per year is very common around here. I'd put the average at $8.

 

[novaman]

Holy smokes I would be making money hand over fist if I could rent land for $5. Around here pasture goes for $18-20 and there has been some into the mid-20's.

 

[WichitaLineMan]

How much land does it typically take to run a pair per year in your part of ND? 8-10-15-20-25-more? It is all relative. I think a fellow can do okay as long as his grazing cost per pair per year is less than $200 and he can keep his wintering costs in line. We have a big advantage in that department down here.


If I was guessing Texas Bred (if he is near College Station or east of 35 could probably graze a pair on 5 acres or less per year, so naturally he will have to pay more per acre to rent land.

 

[novaman]

How much land does it typically take to run a pair per year in your part of ND? 8-10-15-20-25-more? It is all relative. I think a fellow can do okay as long as his grazing cost per pair per year is less than $200 and he can keep his wintering costs in line. We have a big advantage in that department down here.


If I was guessing Texas Bred (if he is near College Station or east of 35 could probably graze a pair on 5 acres or less per year, so naturally he will have to pay more per acre to rent land.

I'm in western ND where it's drier. I believe the recommendations are for 15 acres per pair on an average pasture.

 

[TexasBred]

$5 per acre.

$5 x 25 = $125 per cow per year. $125/365 days = .34 (see post above). (I guess you did NOT read where I have included grazing cost in the calculation)(But then again, I see you are an Aggie!)

$5-$10 per acre per year is very common around here. I'd put the average at $8.

Cheap per acre cost...around here it's around $20 minimum....I saw but questioned your grazing cost and yes I'm an Aggie...what reform school did you get your PhD from?? :cboy:

 

[WichitaLineMan]

>>around here it's around $20 minimum<<

Where is around here? and how many acres does it take to run a pair per year there?

 

[TexasBred]

>>around here it's around $20 minimum<<

Where is around here? and how many acres does it take to run a pair per year there?

Heart of Texas. Pretty easy to run a cow to 4-5 acres of improved pasture. Folks that need to lease land have a hard time of it as most is used for row crops.

 

[Galloways1]

I live in Eastern ND. We run two different pasture one is $25/ acre, and the other is about $15. The stocking rates vary, but we can only typically graze from May 15th to Dec. 1 if not shorter. That is one of the major reasons I raise Galloway cattle. When I have to winter feed for 6 months, I want efficient cattle. Availability of cornstalks for grazing vary, so not always an option. This year we had 2 ft of snow on everything. We were able to graze our cows on stalks until Feb. 1st., saved a lot of hay and $$. Our winter feed costs are generally in the .80 - 1.00 per head per day. This is based on feeding strictly grass hay, consisting of brome, june grass, and general slough type grasses.

 

[novaman]

I've never grazed corn stalks so I'm just guessing, but don't you have to supplement protein? I would think this would wipe out most of the savings you would gain by grazing them.