Doomsday Strategy
Keep a contingency feeding plan in your back pocket for those worst-case scenarios.
Weather disasters happen. Feed supplies can get very tight or be of low quality. Hopefully, doomsday scenarios will never be needed, but as the old saying goes, “Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.” University of Missouri Assistant Professor and State Beef Extension Specialist Eric Bailey offers ways to limp the herd along if absolutely necessary.
If hay quality is terrible, at less than 6% crude protein (CP) and less than 45% total digestible nutrients (TDN), he offers these strategies for both fall- and spring-calving herds.
For 30 fall-calving cows: Unroll half a round bale in the morning, he says, and feed 9 pounds (lb.) of 50:50 corn and byproduct blend (wheat midds, soyhulls, gluten pellets) in the evening. Give unlimited access to salt and mineral. Rest the pasture as much as possible during the next 60 days, and use a drylot or a sacrifice pasture.
Remember that nutrient needs double after calving, when cows are lactating. So, for 30 spring-calving cows: Unroll half a round bale in the morning and feed 18 lb. of 50:50 corn and byproduct blend. This meets 90% of energy requirements. He suggests feeding 9 lb. in the morning with the hay and the other half in the evening. Give unlimited access to salt and mineral.
These feeding rates are flexible. If cows flesh up quickly, in about 30 days reduce the feed offered by 10%-20%. He erred on the side of too much feed in these examples, calculating for a 1,400-lb. Angus cow that produces a lot of milk. If you have questions, reach out to your area Extension agent to help develop a plan for you.