Cattlemen Share Drought Strategies
Survey given during Missouri Beef Tour tells serious story of drought's impact on cattle producers.
The 2012 Missouri Beef Tour drew a crowd of nearly 300 cattle producers from Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas to Lawrence County. Tour hosts were Shiloh Land and Cattle Co., Jackie Moore Ranch, Dustin and Scynthia Schnake and Clif and Alice Harrington. In addition, attendees viewed beef and forage research projects at the University of Missouri's Southwest Research Center just south of Mount Vernon.
"During the tour guests were asked to complete a survey regarding their plans to cope with the drought," said Eldon Cole, a livestock specialist with MU Extension. "We learned a lot from the 85 surveys that were filled out and returned."
The first question asked producers how far into the winter their current forage supply would take them. Of the respondents, 34.1% indicated they could make it until March 1, 25.6% said April 1, 17.1% said Jan. 1, and 17% said they would run out of forage by Dec. 1.
When asked if they would have more, fewer or the same number of beef cows next April as they have now, 49% indicated they would have fewer cows. Ranging from 5% to 50%, their average anticipated reduction in cow inventory was 17.4%.
Five replies (6.1% of respondents) indicated they would increase their cow numbers this winter, while 38 farmers said they would retain the same beef cow inventory in the next 8 months.
The last question asked — "What management practice will you employ to extend your forage supply?" — received a wide variety of responses. The two top vote-getters were to save forage by various practices (25%) and to plant emergency pasture species (24.4%).
Methods mentioned to save forage included: strip-grazing, rotating pastures, limit-feeding of hay, buying improved hay rings and restricting time to graze pastures. Planting emergency grazing crops saw wheat, ryegrass, cereal rye and turnips as crops being planted soon.
Selling open cows and those that are less productive came in as the third most popular practice (14%), followed closely by weaning and selling calves early (11.6%). Just more than 9% offered supplement feeding of byproducts like dried distillers' grains or commercial products.
Down the line, and mentioned by only one to three farmers were responses of feed silage, cornstalks, ammoniate low-quality hay, cut trees, fertilize fescue pastures and buy or rent more pasture.
The annual Missouri Beef Tour is coordinated by University of Missouri Extension Commercial Agriculture with the following sponsors: Missouri Beef Industry Council, Missouri Soybeans, FCS Financial, Missouri Cattlemen's Association, Missouri Conservation Commission and Missouri Corn Growers.
Editor's Note: This article was provided by the University of Missouri Extension.
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