By Allie Williams
Throughout the fall and winter months, the talk of winter supplementation arises. Spring calves are being weaned and cows should be rebred. Fall calving is here. Not only is this a good time to evaluate your pastures in preparation, but you should be evaluating your cattle too. Evaluate your cow’s body condition score to determine the nutrient needs of the herd and develop a feeding strategy. For information on body condition score, check out the Beef Cattle Body Condition Score blog.
It’s important to determine winter supplementation for your cow herd. Thinking ahead can save you time and money in the long run. As we move into fall, the daylight hours have been getting shorter and the grass production is starting to slow down. Even with the mild winters we have here in Florida, the warm-season perennial forages provide limited grazing during the late fall and winter months. Take bahiagrass for example – approximately 85% of the production occurs between April and September. Now is a good time to take inventory of your pastures and stored forages. Consider your herd size, nutritional requirements through the remainder of the year, and forage quality and tonnage. Feed prices, like many other inputs, continue to be on the rise. Better management of your forages can help you stretch your forage supply. Consider using multiple strategies to help get your cattle through the winter.
When the forages are lacking in quality or quantity, supplementation can provide the extra nutrients they need. Evaluate your forage management and cattle management strategies before creating a supplementation program. There may be practices that can be altered to help reduce the supplementation needed. Rotational grazing allows better use of the forages and has been shown to increase forage production compared to continuous grazing. Using hay feeders can help limit the hay waste and save you money. Other options include planting annual forages and stockpiling forages.