Cattle and Forage Management for Grazing Success

“Now is the time to prepare forage and cattle for the fall and winter grazing season,” says Patrick Davis, University of Missouri Extension livestock field specialist. Proper management of cattle and forage right now leads to fall and winter grazing success as well as setting up your operation for spring.

Davis provides forage and cattle management suggestions for successful grazing through the fall, winter and into the future.

“Make sure the cattle that you are retaining are producing for you,” says Davis. This is a good time to look through those records to identify poor-producing cows and cull them at weaning. Davis also recommends early pregnancy checking spring calving cows and replacement heifers to identify those open females so they can be culled at weaning. He suggests marketing these open replacement heifers as soon as possible to improve salvage value and reduce impact on feed resources and operation profitability.

“Properly utilizing forage resources and updating those resources can provide a feeding system that will reduce production cost for your cattle operation,” says Davis.

Some suggestions to consider as you look at your forage program for fall and winter grazing and when updating your forage program for successful future grazing:

Evaluate your pastures. “Now is the time to evaluate those cool-season pastures and identify those weedy or thin stands,” says Davis. Once those are determined, contact your local MU Extension agronomy field specialist about options for weed control or if renovation is required. If renovation is needed, begin this fall by smothering out the fall perennial forage and seeding in a winter annual mix of legumes, small grains and brassicas to provide late fall and winter grazing. Consult your local MU Extension agronomy field specialist on selecting forages and implementing a process that will make your grazing program successful in the future.