SG_USA_August_2021

FEED PRICES GOT YOU DOWN? SANTA GERTRUDIS Product ion By Randy L. Stanko, Ph.D., Texas A&M University-Kingsville I know we all thought 2020 was a year for the record books. I had high hopes for 2021. Oh well! If you have been to the feed store, gas station or grocery store lately, you

used by rumen microbes to make more microbes. Microbes allow cattle to consume forages and roughages, which supply an animal’s energy needs. In turn, when the microbes die and pass through the remainder of the digestive tract, they will be digested for the animal’s protein needs in the small intestine. If too little protein is consumed, energy cannot be harvested from forages and other roughages. If protein is consumed in excess, the microbes will remove the nitrogen from the amino acids (deamination) and the protein remain- der will be used as an inefficient and very expensive energy source. In general, cows need an 8 to 13 percent protein diet (dry matter basis). Similar to DMI, lactating cows need the most protein, followed by gestating cows and then dry, open cows. Younger females within each production category will also require a larger percent protein. For example: a mature 1,300-pound beef cow would consume 28 to 35 pounds of dry matter per day while dry and lactating, respectively. Of those specific amounts of DMI, 2.2 to 3.6 pounds must be protein. Whereas when this same cow was a 950-pound pregnant replacement heifer, her DMI would have been 28 pounds and it must contain approximately 2.75 pounds of protein. Thus, if you know the forage/hay quality and protein content, providing an effective/economical protein feed supplement is possible. Energy is required in diets to carry out daily activities, including grazing, walking, thermoregulation, digestion and waste elimination. Dietary energy is also critical for all pro- duction activities such as growth, reproduction, tissue repair and building, and lactation. Cattle fulfill the energy require- ment by consuming forage and other roughages. Growing forage and harvested hay typically have between 50 to 65 percent energy (TDN) content on a dry matter basis. On the other hand, corn (and similar cereal grains) will contain 85 to 90 percent TDN. Beef females at various stages of production need to consume a diet that has at least 53 percent (at most 65 per- cent) TDN. This equates to approximately 15 to 18 pounds of energy per day. Whole cottonseed, if available, can be a good option for supplemental cattle feed because it contains 93 percent TDN and 23 percent protein on a dry matter basis. Whole cottonseed is 91 percent dry matter and only 9 percent water. Therefore, feeding 3.3 pounds. of whole cot- tonseed (as fed) will provide a cow 0.69 pounds of protein and 2.73 pounds of energy. Figure out what your cows need to maintain production, find the best and most economical source of protein and/or energy (on a cost-per-pound basis for each), and we can all weather this “storm” together.

have experienced a severe case of sticker shock. Moreover, I hope you do not need a new vehicle because there are none. Typically, cattle- men are planning for droughts, poor markets, summer flies, too much rain or winter storms. Unfortunately, we

do not have much experience (thank goodness) dealing with unprecedented cattle feed prices, which are due mostly to the market price of corn and protein/oil seeds (soybean and cottonseed). I have great sympathy for the ranchers who are experiencing concurrent drought or very dry conditions with very little grass and/or extreme hay prices. Fortunately, in south Texas, we have had plenty of rain. Thus, forage and reasonably priced hay are readily available. The bad news is, it will cost you $500 for a semi-truck the first 100 miles loaded with your round bales. So how do cattlemen stay in the black during 2021? First, we need to remember the principles of body condition scor- ing the females and judiciously practice it on a regular basis. Second, we all are going to have to reduce purchased feed and hay, and only provide these items to meet cattle production needs. Third, when feed and hay are purchased, know what we are buying and how much it costs per pound of protein or per pound of energy (TDN). This year is not one for having over-conditioned cows. We simply cannot afford it. Dry matter intake (DMI) is a nutrition measure of what a cow should consume per day based on weight, stage of production, milk production, age and forage quality. Understanding DMI is a great place to begin. See table below. DAILY DRY MATTER INTAKE as a percentage of body weight Forage Dry Lactating Young Super Quality Cow Cow Cow (<4 yrs.) Milk Production High 2.5 2.7 increase by 25-50% increase by 25-50% Average 2.2 2.5 increase by 25-50% increase by 25-50% Low 1.8 2.2 increase by 25-50% increase by 25-50% Within that daily DMI, two major constituents must exist: protein and energy. Protein is the most expensive constitu- ent in a feedstuff or formulated ration. All ruminant animals require protein to sustain sufficient rumen microbe popula- tions (bacteria, protozoa and fungi). Most dietary protein is

George West, Texas (361) 566-2244 lacampanaranch.com campana@granderiver.net

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