SG_USA_October_2019

IS ANOTHER DROUGHT ON THE HORIZON? SANTA GERTRUDIS Product ion By Randy L. Stanko, Ph.D., Texas A&M University-Kingsville I know many Santa Gertrudis USA readers live outside the great state of Texas and may have had a better and wetter summer than most of us. I hope that you have had many opportunities to put up plenty of hay or stockpile winter forage. Hay in

have been thinking about selling. There is no need to feed them precious hay you may need for the “keepers.” Second, consider sacrificing a pasture and using it to limit access (limit feeding) of cows to hay for nine hours per day or fewer. To meet the cow’s nutritional needs you will have to make this up by feeding an energy- and protein-dense feed like dried distiller’s grains or whole cottonseed. The cow will eat less but still have her nutrient requirements met. Moreover, these nutrient-dense feeds and lower quality hay or forage can be a cost-effective method to weather an extended dry spell. If you limit hay access, be sure to have plenty round-bale feeder space when you turn cows into the hay, as they will be look- ing for some rumen fill. Most cows can and will consume 30 or more pounds of hay in a 24-hour period, so the goal of limit feeding hay is to reduce consumption by 50 percent or about 15 pounds. The remaining 10-15 pounds of feed consumption per day and nutrient content of that feed will depend on stages of production. For basic nutritional requirements, see Table 1 on page 16. On an “as-fed” basis (the natural state of all feeds), here are a few feeds for comparison: corn grain (9 percent protein and 80 percent TDN); oats (11.8 percent protein and 68.5 percent TDN); whole cottonseed (22 percent protein and 88.3

some places is starting to get scarce. If we do not get much fall rain, we better prepare and have a plan for a tough winter. Grazing fall forage too soon or with

too much pressure can severely damage the root systems for the rest of the year and even into next spring. It is always good to remember that what you see above the ground is a mirror image of the root system below the ground. If we graze short, drought-stressed plants, they will have trouble producing, even in the case of good fall rains. Therefore, the very first planning step is to consider all of our options and how best to stretch our limited supply of hay, just in case we are heading for the next drought. First, take a good look at all cows at weaning, or now if you have already weaned. Market those females that you

percent TDN); cottonseed meal (41.1 percent protein and 69 percent TDN); better hay (10 percent protein and 55-60 percent TDN); mature hay (8 percent protein and less than 55 percent TDN). Some feed mills may offer a 10-12 percent protein, textured cow feed designed to stretch forage or hay and can be economical (around $300-$330 per ton). The energy content on such feed is between 60 and 65 per- cent on an as-fed basis. Other pre-drought strate- gies should include minimiz- ing hay storage and feed- ing waste. Storing densely bailed hay on an elevated and well-drained part of the

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

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