Managing the cowherd during and after a drought

Dr. Kacie McCarthy Author

09/02/2020 Added

58 Plays

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Dr. McCarthy discusses cowherd management strategies during dry conditions.
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[00:00:01.170]Hello, I'm Dr. Kacie McCarthy.
[00:00:03.510]And today, we will have brief discussion here
[00:00:07.680]at the Gudmundsen Open House,
[00:00:10.800]discussing managing the cow herd during and after a drought.
[00:00:18.960]Today, I'd like to set the stage here
[00:00:22.250]for our presentation and figure out the path
[00:00:25.310]that we're going and how we might be able to address
[00:00:29.430]a few of these topics here today,
[00:00:31.630]in terms of how we're managing our cow herd in a drought.
[00:00:35.890]I think first and foremost,
[00:00:37.820]to think about establishing a plan prior to drought.
[00:00:43.181]This'll be critical in terms of how we're managing
[00:00:46.220]our cow herd moving in into a drought or after a drought,
[00:00:52.050]being able to make management decisions
[00:00:54.910]that are less on emotion and be able to look at
[00:00:59.550]all of our options and figure out the best ways
[00:01:02.970]to maintain animal forage by managing our forage
[00:01:07.540]before, during, and even after a drought,
[00:01:10.710]as well as looking at some other alternative solutions
[00:01:16.560]to manage that cow nutrient demand.
[00:01:19.170]Are there some other management strategies
[00:01:21.430]that we can look at here today during our talk,
[00:01:26.050]looking at how we might be able
[00:01:28.530]to help maintain animal performance.
[00:01:32.660]Some options to consider during a drought.
[00:01:36.750]When we're thinking about setting up that plan
[00:01:40.590]and what our next steps are.
[00:01:43.400]First and foremost, evaluating animal performance records.
[00:01:47.350]If we can keep good records,
[00:01:49.540]we can use those to select and reduce that cow herd
[00:01:55.860]and especially being able to target
[00:01:57.500]those least productive animals or having an understanding
[00:02:00.620]of who are older cows or less productive animals might be,
[00:02:04.700]or have a list within our cow herd
[00:02:06.980]that we can start reducing.
[00:02:10.150]Another option to consider would be early weaning.
[00:02:13.650]Which will reduce the nutritional demand on our cow.
[00:02:18.100]And the big thing with early weaning is making sure
[00:02:22.120]that we establish appropriate vaccination protocols
[00:02:26.780]to get those calves ready, going into that weaning season,
[00:02:30.080]because it is a pretty stressful on those calves.
[00:02:33.930]And so making sure that we set those up calves up
[00:02:36.270]for success, moving into weening and after weaning.
[00:02:42.061]Some other solutions or options potentially to consider
[00:02:47.010]would be either leasing additional ground
[00:02:50.390]or supplementing, supplemental purchasing,
[00:02:52.470]supplemental feed.
[00:02:54.810]These might be some options later on in the season
[00:02:57.820]to be able to reduce some that stress on our forages
[00:03:00.700]that our cattle are grazing.
[00:03:02.660]We may have some options to move cows to dry lot.
[00:03:06.760]This'll depend on available feed resources.
[00:03:11.993]And so this is another option
[00:03:13.903]that we may be able to consider
[00:03:15.640]and talk a little bit more through today.
[00:03:18.690]Or we can also limit feed grain
[00:03:20.640]to meet those nutrient requirements.
[00:03:22.540]And so we'll talk a little bit about
[00:03:23.910]meeting those nutrient requirements for our cows
[00:03:26.790]and how we can look through some of these options
[00:03:30.720]during the drought.
[00:03:34.220]One thing to think about when we're responding to drought
[00:03:38.630]is that option to reduce or adjust our stocking rates.
[00:03:43.082]When we see reductions in stocking rates,
[00:03:46.620]this is usually going to be that benefit to our range plants
[00:03:50.500]by reducing that stress on those plants
[00:03:53.300]and also providing more forage for the remaining cattle
[00:03:57.280]that we have out on those pastures.
[00:04:00.710]We may have some opportunities to utilize yearlings,
[00:04:04.670]if that's feasible and within our plan,
[00:04:07.570]to be able to adjust some of those stocking rates
[00:04:09.690]or maybe even reduce some of those numbers
[00:04:11.860]of yearlings we have that are grazing
[00:04:14.690]to help reduce some of that stocking and carrying capacity.
[00:04:19.020]And another response that we can think about
[00:04:22.010]is resting those pastures
[00:04:24.420]or utilizing some of our other resources
[00:04:27.070]that as I mentioned earlier,
[00:04:29.060]thinking about some alternatives to purchasing feed
[00:04:32.570]or moving to that dry lot or into annual
[00:04:36.760]or covered crop that might be able to help
[00:04:40.490]alleviate some of that stress
[00:04:41.850]that we're putting on those pastures
[00:04:43.280]and rest some of those pastures.
[00:04:46.410]We may also be able to include some infrastructure,
[00:04:50.470]maybe additional water sources, shade, cross fencing,
[00:04:54.200]and some of those pastures
[00:04:56.210]to manage some of our forage intake
[00:05:00.650]and rest some of those areas
[00:05:02.930]and incorporate more rotational grazing and grazing plans
[00:05:07.760]to help with that forage reserve.
[00:05:13.320]Another management consideration would be understanding
[00:05:17.540]who our candidates are for culling.
[00:05:20.130]And as we mentioned earlier,
[00:05:22.430]thinking about utilizing those performance records
[00:05:26.370]and establishing a list of cattle
[00:05:30.650]that are candidates for culling
[00:05:32.980]is one way to help reducing our cattle numbers,
[00:05:37.560]but also helping alleviate some of that stress
[00:05:40.070]on our forages with reduction in cattle numbers.
[00:05:42.660]So if some of our producers here today are in the midst,
[00:05:49.300]or maybe close to ending your breeding season,
[00:05:53.610]ultimately we're gonna wanna to wait and cull cows
[00:05:57.530]on a pregnancy test basis.
[00:06:00.010]And so there's a couple different ways.
[00:06:02.760]Usually, it's either gonna be through that ultrasound
[00:06:05.960]with an experienced technician or rectal palpation.
[00:06:10.750]If we're wanting to utilize rectal palpation,
[00:06:14.940]it is recommended waiting approximately 50 to 60 days
[00:06:19.230]after removing those bulls from the breeding pastures
[00:06:22.900]for the most accurate results that we're gonna have
[00:06:25.560]with pregnancy diagnosis.
[00:06:28.460]If you do have an experienced technician,
[00:06:31.810]getting pregnancy checks within that 35 to 40 days
[00:06:36.150]after we pull those bulls
[00:06:38.710]may be of benefit if we're looking
[00:06:41.500]to remove some of those open cows earlier
[00:06:47.430]after the breeding season.
[00:06:49.330]So, kind of thinking through a list or criteria
[00:06:53.920]when we're thinking about calling candidates,
[00:06:55.720]especially during a drought would be referring back
[00:07:00.310]to our performance records.
[00:07:02.520]Do we have notes on certain animals?
[00:07:05.430]You know, do we have cattle
[00:07:09.330]that have some physical impairments,
[00:07:12.270]maybe we've got a couple cows
[00:07:14.620]that just aren't walking well in the pasture.
[00:07:18.464]We're putting those on our list.
[00:07:21.576]We have established our opens and pregnant
[00:07:25.030]utilizing a pregnancy test if that's through ultrasound,
[00:07:28.280]palpation, or maybe even utilizing a blood test.
[00:07:31.430]And then we're also looking back at those records,
[00:07:34.470]any of those old mature cows, the may just be
[00:07:42.320]on that lower production record side
[00:07:45.770]or low performance will be candidates to consider
[00:07:50.840]when we're thinking about establishing that plan
[00:07:53.080]and knowing who we may be culling.
[00:07:56.620]That even may be some of those open heifers too.
[00:08:03.300]And just kind of depends on where we're at
[00:08:05.700]in terms of in the year and during our breeding season.
[00:08:12.530]So I wanna switch here just a bit,
[00:08:15.150]but still thinking about cattle performance
[00:08:19.100]and understanding that that primary factor affecting
[00:08:23.530]our nutrient content of that grazed diet
[00:08:25.550]is going to be our plant maturity.
[00:08:27.240]So depending on when we have these cattle
[00:08:29.500]on pasture grazing, what our nutrient demand is,
[00:08:33.440]if they're moving through that breeding season
[00:08:36.357]or maybe we've got pregnant animals moving in
[00:08:40.230]into that grazing period,
[00:08:41.800]what is gonna be that give and take
[00:08:44.010]for the forage availability and that nutrient content
[00:08:47.820]in meeting those nutrient requirements for our cows.
[00:08:53.360]So thinking about our animal and forage interactions
[00:08:56.070]within our beef system.
[00:08:58.230]forage quality is the ultimate measure
[00:09:01.110]in animal performance.
[00:09:02.990]Animal performance is usually determined
[00:09:05.730]by the feed nutrient content, intake,
[00:09:09.690]feed availability, that extent of digestion,
[00:09:13.370]and ultimately that metabolism of that feed.
[00:09:16.110]How are they utilizing that feed to meet those requirements
[00:09:20.480]and maintain performance?
[00:09:23.020]And so a lot of that is gonna be based
[00:09:25.410]on that ability of that intake.
[00:09:27.840]That's most often determining
[00:09:29.700]what our animal performance is.
[00:09:31.340]And so can those nutrients meet the milk
[00:09:35.640]and lactation demands of that cow?
[00:09:39.540]But ultimately, a cow never produced or a steer never grew
[00:09:43.520]on feed that it didn't consume.
[00:09:45.500]And so we need to be able to make sure
[00:09:46.890]that we're providing adequate forage
[00:09:50.420]to meet those demands that we're asking of, of our cows.
[00:09:55.310]And so, when we think about that forage availability,
[00:09:59.750]our performance is gonna depend
[00:10:01.970]on how much forage we have available.
[00:10:04.340]And we see those changes in forage,
[00:10:07.580]depending on the rain that we're getting
[00:10:09.860]in throughout that growing season
[00:10:12.120]for our warm and our cool season grasses.
[00:10:15.470]And, so when we think about overgrazing
[00:10:18.860]some of these pastures or a range,
[00:10:20.900]that's gonna generally be that result of overstocking.
[00:10:24.480]And so can we look at those stocking numbers,
[00:10:28.810]reduce those rates, because if we're overgrazing,
[00:10:33.240]this is in turn gonna diminish that ability
[00:10:36.350]for the animal to select plants
[00:10:38.500]or plants that hot have a higher nutritive value.
[00:10:41.710]And so those cows, when they go out to pasture,
[00:10:44.830]they're looking for those plants
[00:10:47.440]that have the highest nutritive value, and then over time,
[00:10:51.120]that value is going to decrease over that growing season.
[00:10:54.990]And so consequently, when we're thinking about
[00:10:57.910]overgrazing those pastures, that forage intake
[00:11:00.880]is going to be declining
[00:11:02.620]because we don't have enough available forage
[00:11:07.490]to meet those requirements.
[00:11:12.680]This is some data from the Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory
[00:11:18.075]in their Upland pastures that looking
[00:11:20.670]at herbage production with the current years
[00:11:24.940]and pounds of forage per acre and over that growing season.
[00:11:28.727]And that precipitation that you're gonna see here
[00:11:31.620]in the red line in inches.
[00:11:35.910]And so, you can note the years of low forage production
[00:11:42.400]occurring in that 2006 and 2012 years,
[00:11:46.380]where we saw the drought, we saw a decrease
[00:11:49.520]in our forage production and a decrease in rain.
[00:11:53.060]And so we see kind of the cyclical production of forage,
[00:11:59.440]but how can we maintain and utilize the forage
[00:12:04.070]that we have going in and after our drought
[00:12:07.300]to make sure that we're still having available forage,
[00:12:11.700]but we're not overgrazing that forage
[00:12:14.150]moving in to drought years with less precipitation?
[00:12:22.510]So when we think about that crude protein in cattle diets.
[00:12:26.510]So this is on Sandhills range.
[00:12:28.660]We can see that that crude protein
[00:12:31.610]is gonna be highest in that May, June timeframe.
[00:12:36.400]And then we start to see a decline in our crude protein
[00:12:39.810]over the course of the season.
[00:12:42.640]And then it picks back up when we start to see
[00:12:47.036]those early rains again back in April and May,
[00:12:51.240]with that increase in crude protein.
[00:12:54.580]Keeping in mind that depending on when our cattle
[00:12:58.070]are calving and when our breeding season is,
[00:13:01.240]and so if we have our March calvers,
[00:13:04.910]they're moving in into pasture and onto the range,
[00:13:08.980]that's gonna be higher quality
[00:13:11.510]during that breeding season.
[00:13:13.410]If we start thinking about changing our time
[00:13:17.360]of that calving season with maybe a summer May
[00:13:22.490]calving group, then we're gonna see
[00:13:25.650]a lower crude protein content in those forages
[00:13:29.430]during that time of breeding,
[00:13:31.240]that's gonna be happening here
[00:13:33.190]in August, September, and October.
[00:13:35.300]And so it's important to consider how we're managing
[00:13:40.170]that forage moving in, depending on when our grazing
[00:13:44.130]and our breeding seasons are to make sure
[00:13:46.210]that we're meeting those requirements
[00:13:48.660]for those cows that are in heavy lactation
[00:13:51.810]and trying to rebreed.
[00:13:56.250]So when we think about over the past few years,
[00:14:01.300]and this is just another couple of graphs illustrating that,
[00:14:05.910]that change in crude protein and precipitation,
[00:14:08.980]in that Sandhills Upland Range,
[00:14:11.430]where we see that on average,
[00:14:14.929]through June, July, September and October,
[00:14:19.050]we see that peak in crude protein.
[00:14:21.380]And then that declined over
[00:14:22.910]to the end of that summer grazing season.
[00:14:27.370]In 2002, the drought, you see the slight decline
[00:14:33.190]in that crude protein content
[00:14:34.849]for that Sandhills Upland Range.
[00:14:38.800]And then however, when we shift gears and even seeing
[00:14:43.400]that wet year in 2018,
[00:14:46.880]we see those fluctuations in crude protein.
[00:14:52.130]Which are actually even lower
[00:14:55.160]than what we saw in that drought.
[00:14:57.462]And so, understanding that wet or dry seasons
[00:15:01.360]can still impact that crude protein
[00:15:04.717]and forage quality and availability.
[00:15:07.203]It's important to consider when we're thinking about
[00:15:09.910]the timing of these rains and how much we're getting
[00:15:13.470]to help grow that forage and meet those requirements.
[00:15:20.490]So thinking about our nutrient requirements of our cows,
[00:15:27.410]these increased maintenance requirements
[00:15:30.430]are usually occurring when we have a large fetal demand
[00:15:36.870]and growth of that fetus and late gestation.
[00:15:40.980]So 60 days before calving,
[00:15:42.612]we're gonna see an exponential growth of that fetus,
[00:15:46.000]getting those cows ready moving into calving
[00:15:49.310]and even early lactation
[00:15:51.050]for that first 50 to 100 days after calving,
[00:15:54.300]where we see increased maintenance requirements
[00:15:57.840]for those cows.
[00:15:58.673]And so how are we managing those cows
[00:16:01.480]coming off of drought pastures, or even in a normal year,
[00:16:06.430]making sure that we take into account
[00:16:10.490]that increase in requirements.
[00:16:15.490]And so just wanna highlight again,
[00:16:18.180]thinking about that change in our crude protein
[00:16:20.880]for our forages and this can be seen much
[00:16:24.640]throughout the Midwest.
[00:16:27.100]And this is an example from our Sandhills Range
[00:16:31.810]here in Nebraska, but depending on
[00:16:34.440]when we need to meet those requirements,
[00:16:37.380]how are we managing those cattle,
[00:16:39.550]providing enough energy and protein during those critical
[00:16:43.220]time points prior to the calving into late gestation
[00:16:47.310]when we see low crude protein from that range,
[00:16:53.780]if those cows are out on range.
[00:16:57.770]This data from Adams and others
[00:17:00.840]illustrates that relationship between
[00:17:03.900]the density of that crude protein in our forage
[00:17:07.070]and the amount of forage that's needed
[00:17:09.758]to meet that crude protein requirement
[00:17:13.660]and a thousand pound cow during mid and late pregnancy,
[00:17:19.540]and then at two levels of milk production.
[00:17:22.940]And so as are our requirements for pregnancy and lactation
[00:17:28.790]are increasing, the amount of forage needed,
[00:17:33.020]so forage intake in pounds per day,
[00:17:36.020]is going to increase in order to meet
[00:17:40.510]those pregnancy and lactation demands.
[00:17:44.620]And so ,the greatest amount of forage that's needed
[00:17:49.760]is a cow that is producing a high level of milk.
[00:17:53.220]And so, that 20 pound per milk per day,
[00:17:56.400]is needing roughly 60 pounds per day in total.
[00:18:02.820]So depending on what your forage intake is.
[00:18:06.940]So in addition, so if you have lower quality
[00:18:11.200]crude protein forage, there's a greater amount of forage
[00:18:14.670]or feed that needs to be consumed
[00:18:16.740]to meet those protein requirements.
[00:18:23.300]So one option for meeting those nutrient requirements
[00:18:26.330]for cattle on drought effective pastures and range
[00:18:29.490]is to supplement those cattle with supplemental feed.
[00:18:33.910]This is gonna ensure that our cow herd
[00:18:35.960]has adequate protein, energy
[00:18:38.490]and those vitamins and minerals.
[00:18:40.000]And so when we think about some of those important minerals,
[00:18:43.823]these are gonna be providing salt
[00:18:46.386]in a mineral mixture during drought like normal,
[00:18:50.370]but we may need to provide additional vitamin A,
[00:18:56.770]which is usually gonna be seen as a problem
[00:19:00.530]during that fall or winter for those cows
[00:19:03.490]that are grazing drought affected forages in the summer,
[00:19:07.570]vitamin A is usually lacking in drought stress forages.
[00:19:13.970]And so, if we can provide vitamin A
[00:19:19.460]towards that end of gestation.
[00:19:23.780]And so roughly about 30 days prior to calving,
[00:19:27.680]usually this can help with just calf bigger
[00:19:32.390]and meeting those requirements for vitamin A stores.
[00:19:35.830]When we think about protein,
[00:19:38.850]most of our pastures that as we've seen previously in sites
[00:19:42.980]are gonna be dormant in that lower quality protein
[00:19:47.110]moving into the winter.
[00:19:48.970]And so if, as I mentioned earlier,
[00:19:54.220]if our protein in the conditions of those pasture
[00:19:57.690]during the breeding season,
[00:19:59.570]we may see reductions in pregnancy rates
[00:20:02.870]on that lower protein forage.
[00:20:06.800]And so, providing a supplemental crude protein source
[00:20:12.820]during that time point may be a benefit
[00:20:14.970]if we know where our forages are.
[00:20:19.180]One other option to think about.
[00:20:24.260]And so when we're thinking about some of those feeds
[00:20:26.520]and may be, as distillers grain or a soybean meal,
[00:20:32.380]but you gotta be able to have access to those.
[00:20:35.370]And so how might we be able to utilize
[00:20:39.220]some alternative feed steps
[00:20:40.991]to meet those protein requirements.
[00:20:43.770]But accessibility and price points are gonna be key
[00:20:46.920]to consider when we're thinking about supplemental feeds.
[00:20:51.870]For energy, this is generally going to be limited
[00:20:55.640]in a drought.
[00:20:58.490]And so making sure that our hay is of high quality,
[00:21:04.320]maybe providing them grain or bi-product feed
[00:21:09.560]may be beneficial.
[00:21:12.010]There has been some research looking
[00:21:13.900]at ammoniating low quality forages.
[00:21:16.660]So maybe some straw or hay,
[00:21:20.110]which will increase digestibility in that protein content
[00:21:23.160]of those low quality forages.
[00:21:25.010]So there's a lot of options.
[00:21:26.300]And being able to talk with your nutritionist
[00:21:29.780]or extension specialist, we can help walk through
[00:21:33.420]some of those alternative to looking at
[00:21:37.040]providing some type of other supplemental feed.
[00:21:41.060]And the other option would be reducing
[00:21:44.750]that nutrient requirement of the cow
[00:21:47.050]to a point where they can meet available forage,
[00:21:53.710]and what they're being provided in the forage
[00:21:56.140]will meet those requirements.
[00:21:59.140]So when we think about providing supplements
[00:22:02.715]and then improving performance,
[00:22:06.610]one way is to provide a supplement
[00:22:10.560]with varying levels of food protein.
[00:22:12.770]So Heldt and others and 1998 looked at improving
[00:22:18.370]low quality forage intake through supplementation.
[00:22:22.460]And so you can see that the improvement in forage intake
[00:22:26.660]above unsupplemented cattle increased that improvement
[00:22:33.596]in forage intake with the greater amount of crude protein
[00:22:38.970]that was provided.
[00:22:43.250]The major take home here when we think about lactation
[00:22:46.170]and nutrient content of forages
[00:22:48.460]is depending on the stage of gestation
[00:22:52.560]and the protein content of our forages.
[00:22:57.020]As you see, as I showed previously
[00:23:00.180]that the greatest amount of forage needed
[00:23:05.440]is for a high producing, high level of milk cow.
[00:23:10.600]And so can we manage those cows in terms of the forage
[00:23:17.510]that they're on and what that passage rate is
[00:23:20.280]to ensure that we can still provide
[00:23:23.600]a high quality protein forage to help decrease
[00:23:28.710]the amount that we actually need to consume
[00:23:30.950]in order to meet those nutrients
[00:23:34.407]and meet lactational demands as well.
[00:23:40.050]So, one way to do that when we talked about
[00:23:42.290]reducing those requirements
[00:23:44.710]was looking at providing supplemental feed
[00:23:47.460]or reducing the nutrient requirements of the cow.
[00:23:50.330]And one way to do that is utilizing
[00:23:53.330]or thinking about early weaning.
[00:23:54.900]And as I mentioned early,
[00:23:56.400]we need to make sure that we're setting these calves
[00:23:58.720]up to be successful prior to weaning.
[00:24:02.750]And so making sure that we're talking with our veterinarian,
[00:24:06.880]we're ensuring that these calves are set up
[00:24:08.920]with proper vaccinations,
[00:24:10.960]and they're starting to get familiar
[00:24:13.600]with bunks and feeds.
[00:24:17.200]So when we're pulling those cows off,
[00:24:19.530]we can ultimately improve that body condition of our cow.
[00:24:24.230]So those cows that are lactating
[00:24:27.800]will lose some body condition
[00:24:29.850]due to the increased nutrient requirements
[00:24:32.840]that are associated with lactation.
[00:24:35.210]And so, when we can wean those calves early,
[00:24:40.360]that cow's nutrient requirement for lactation
[00:24:43.080]is then eliminated and those calves,
[00:24:45.790]those cows are able to maintain or increase
[00:24:48.440]that body condition prior to the fall
[00:24:50.990]and winter feeding period.
[00:24:53.430]And so when we think about improving that calf performance
[00:24:56.887]during the drought, these calves
[00:25:00.540]may not be able to successfully compete
[00:25:03.010]with the cows for adequate forage.
[00:25:05.877]And so, if we can provide a way to provide
[00:25:10.490]a high nutritious diet to those calves to help with growth.
[00:25:15.751]And so usually, we're going to couple
[00:25:19.997]that early weaning with a high concentrate feed.
[00:25:24.820]And so, that's an option.
[00:25:27.550]We also see advantages with early weaning
[00:25:31.680]and improved pregnancy rates.
[00:25:34.410]This can result in weaning those calves a bit earlier.
[00:25:42.920]And so we, depending on when that breeding season is,
[00:25:47.840]and when you're thinking about weaning,
[00:25:49.604]this may be anywhere from 45 to 100 days of age.
[00:25:55.980]And it has shown to improve pregnancy rates
[00:25:59.000]and conception rates.
[00:26:01.410]The big limit here is feed resources.
[00:26:05.740]And so understanding that if those cows are on forages
[00:26:09.370]that are low in crude protein,
[00:26:11.770]we need to make sure that we're meeting
[00:26:13.260]those protein demands.
[00:26:15.880]And so we may need to supplement if that is the case.
[00:26:20.210]And so understanding where your forages are at
[00:26:23.090]and the condition of your cows
[00:26:25.550]and the timing of this will all be pretty critical
[00:26:29.970]when we're managing this.
[00:26:33.320]And then also thinking about improved forage availability
[00:26:37.270]for that cow, early weaning is going to reduce
[00:26:40.310]that dry matter intake.
[00:26:41.440]As we mentioned earlier, with those high lactation demands,
[00:26:44.640]or we're seeing a higher dry matter intake
[00:26:48.260]of those forages to meet those requirements.
[00:26:50.670]And so we can re relieve some of that stress
[00:26:56.870]on the forages and improve that availability
[00:26:59.670]by reducing that intake.
[00:27:05.210]There's a few disadvantages of early weaning.
[00:27:07.540]And I wanna mention is thinking about
[00:27:09.690]that increased attention to management of those calves.
[00:27:12.670]And so we've got those calves somewhere else.
[00:27:15.840]We need to manage those.
[00:27:17.010]We need to make sure that they're on a positive gain
[00:27:20.607]and this may increase some of our cash costs
[00:27:24.270]associated with managing health and nutrition
[00:27:32.000]and looking at, if we're having to keep those
[00:27:38.140]in a different pasture or, those calves are not on that cow,
[00:27:44.260]then we're having to look at the price to feed those calves.
[00:27:49.340]And so there are some advantages and disadvantages,
[00:27:54.410]but it is something to talk about and think about,
[00:27:58.540]and have a plan set forth of that
[00:28:01.200]that comes down to how we need to manage during a drought.
[00:28:06.770]When we think about that forage intake of that cow,
[00:28:10.560]plus that calf, we need to consider in our management
[00:28:16.200]and grazing plan that once those calves
[00:28:18.710]are four to six months of age,
[00:28:22.230]when we start needing to account that
[00:28:24.120]for intake of those forages from those calves as well.
[00:28:27.900]And so that's going to increase the total intake
[00:28:33.280]of that pair over that grazing season.
[00:28:36.350]And so ensuring that if we can alleviate
[00:28:38.370]some of that intake and stress
[00:28:41.200]on that forage availability,
[00:28:43.630]it may be an option and a benefit for the cow.
[00:28:48.070]So when we think about what that calf is consuming,
[00:28:51.740]about 10 pounds of forage is being conserved
[00:28:54.310]for each day that calf is weaned.
[00:28:56.640]So 10 pounds of forage is roughly 0.4 days grazing
[00:29:00.780]for a dry cow.
[00:29:01.860]And so we can change those requirements
[00:29:04.000]and reduce that demand of lactation
[00:29:07.781]and try and conserve that forage availability
[00:29:13.129]with that dry cow grazing that forage.
[00:29:17.730]This is the evaluation of nutrient deficiency
[00:29:21.570]for May calving cows.
[00:29:23.230]And so this is a couple graphs here
[00:29:27.210]showing the net energy for meeting this requirement
[00:29:32.247]and metabolizable protein
[00:29:35.370]for May calving cows that with milk production ranges
[00:29:40.830]anywhere 20 to 30 pounds of milk at peak lactation.
[00:29:45.920]While grazing the Sandhills Upland Range.
[00:29:49.080]And so this is looking at breeding start date
[00:29:54.432]at July 20th.
[00:29:56.390]And so, as you can see, that our energy
[00:30:01.130]and our metabolizable protein are declining linearly
[00:30:09.960]over that course of that breeding season.
[00:30:13.020]And so these cows are then coming into basically
[00:30:18.000]a negative energy balance,
[00:30:19.600]creating a scenario where these cows
[00:30:21.730]are gonna need to mobilize and utilize that stored body fat,
[00:30:26.834]effectively to be able to reproduce
[00:30:29.040]and rebreed during this timeframe.
[00:30:31.770]And so this can put a lot of stress on our younger cows.
[00:30:35.380]And so keeping in mind where forages are,
[00:30:40.721]it's gonna be really critical in what's available
[00:30:45.120]and how we're meeting that stress and demand
[00:30:47.950]of free breeding.
[00:30:49.830]Further work at the Sandhills lab
[00:30:53.220]has shown that weaning date has impacted cow body weight.
[00:30:57.050]And so looking at September and November weaning dates.
[00:31:01.340]We can see the cow body weights increased
[00:31:03.900]with that earlier weaning date.
[00:31:07.590]And then overall looking at the effect of weaning day
[00:31:10.210]on cow body condition.
[00:31:11.840]We can see those fluctuations through the winter months.
[00:31:15.710]However, we see greater percentage of those cows
[00:31:21.423]that weaned early had higher pregnancy rates overall.
[00:31:28.890]When we move in and look at an average body condition
[00:31:34.320]score of five.
[00:31:37.700]You also can see a linear relationship here that over time,
[00:31:43.710]depending on weaning date, that cow body weight
[00:31:48.060]is going to be decreasing linearly
[00:31:51.706]the longer we have those calves
[00:31:54.280]just due to those demands of lactation
[00:31:57.815]and also meeting her requirements of that grown fetus.
[00:32:01.650]And so keeping in mind that weaning date
[00:32:04.390]can have an impact on body condition
[00:32:08.017]and monitoring those cows body condition
[00:32:11.350]throughout grazing and throughout the season,
[00:32:16.210]and ensure that we're setting those cows up,
[00:32:18.300]going into winter.
[00:32:21.140]One other alternative here that I wanna briefly discuss
[00:32:25.690]is confinement feeding.
[00:32:28.010]And this may be an option to move those cows into a dry lot.
[00:32:31.430]A lot of this is, do keep in mind
[00:32:35.440]that this will require some means of grinding
[00:32:38.128]and mixing feed and also acquiring that feed.
[00:32:42.480]And so transporting it to the ranch.
[00:32:45.840]Is it available?
[00:32:46.800]What types of feeds can you get your hands on?
[00:32:50.490]Do you have a means of providing additional supplements
[00:32:54.790]and those types of things in confinement?
[00:32:58.160]And so it is an option, but having the resources
[00:33:02.650]to provide a mixed feed is important to think about
[00:33:09.280]if we're moving those cows off of pasture.
[00:33:13.020]Some other alternative hoard sources
[00:33:15.360]moving those cattle into covered crops or annuals,
[00:33:18.970]or supplementing those cattle on stocks,
[00:33:22.750]maybe an option to alleviate some of that stress
[00:33:25.840]on your forages if you can move those
[00:33:30.740]onto alternatives forage sources.
[00:33:34.550]One other option to think about
[00:33:37.220]would considering feeding a commercial creep feed.
[00:33:42.880]However, investigating that price point
[00:33:46.490]that you're looking at, and in terms of the price
[00:33:51.410]and consumption of that product
[00:33:53.610]and the gains you're looking for,
[00:33:55.450]this may be able to alleviate some of that demand
[00:34:01.260]on those cows.
[00:34:02.270]And so creep feed is a way to increase calf consumption
[00:34:09.360]of a protein energy feed source.
[00:34:12.950]And so we can decrease some of that,
[00:34:15.610]like lactational demand or creep grazing
[00:34:19.630]might be an option while those are out on pasture.
[00:34:25.460]So overall, when we're thinking about drought planning
[00:34:27.860]and how we're managing our cow herd,
[00:34:30.390]some of that livestock response,
[00:34:32.300]as we'd seen earlier,
[00:34:34.320]in what years may be similar to drought years,
[00:34:36.630]just looking at that forage content
[00:34:39.761]and protein content.
[00:34:42.940]Drought planning, usually if we can think about it
[00:34:48.360]occurs before that drought is happening.
[00:34:50.870]And so we have a plan, we have a contingency plan
[00:34:54.140]moving into that drought.
[00:34:55.470]And so we know what our grazing management is looking like,
[00:34:59.820]what feedstuffs do we have that are carried over?
[00:35:02.520]Do we have anything in surplus?
[00:35:04.770]Where are we at in terms of feed stuff availability
[00:35:08.350]or what we may be able to purchase?
[00:35:13.040]What are our benchmarks?
[00:35:14.601]What are some of our trigger dates?
[00:35:17.230]Do we have a reduction plan?
[00:35:19.030]Who are we selling first?
[00:35:20.680]How much can I spend to keep that cow herd?
[00:35:24.140]These are all questions that we need to be thinking about
[00:35:27.460]prior to moving through that drought.
[00:35:31.720]And overall, just having a short and a longterm plan
[00:35:35.700]and being objective and to possibilities is important
[00:35:39.970]when we're moving through and thinking about
[00:35:42.500]maintaining the animal performance,
[00:35:44.700]as well as looking and utilizing those records we have
[00:35:49.600]to make the best, most objective decisions we can.
[00:35:53.240]And being able to talk to friends and family
[00:35:59.260]is also something that I like to consider.
[00:36:02.630]And have you think about in making sure
[00:36:05.090]that there's someone you can talk about
[00:36:08.420]when we're thinking through some of these tough decisions
[00:36:11.350]and being open to different possibilities.
[00:36:14.170]And with that, I'd like to thank you all
[00:36:16.010]for taking the time to join and be a part
[00:36:21.640]of the open house today.
[00:36:23.870]If you do have any questions about the topic
[00:36:26.640]or anything related to cow, calf management,
[00:36:29.540]please feel free to reach out.
[00:36:32.250]And hope you all have a great rest of your day.

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Managing the cowherd during and after a drought

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