A general rule of thumb is: It takes 2 to 3 tons of hay to winter a beef cow. If $125 per ton and feeding for 150 days, it’s going to cost $1.70 to $2.50 per cow per day in feed expenses alone – without labor costs and machinery expenses.
Here are some tips to make the most of the resource you’re feeding this winter.
1. Reduce nutrient requirement and feed intake. This includes some of the more obvious strategies, like weaning fall calves to reduce demands and following through on marketing cows you held off on selling until a new tax year. Additionally, consider environmental factors that impact requirements and intake. Examples include providing windbreaks to combat cold stress and controlling mud. Research shows that 4 to 8 inches of mud reduces feed intake by 15% and increases requirements.
2. Look for ways to minimize feed waste. Bale storage methods and bale feeders have been extensively studied to compare feed waste. Bales should be smaller in diameter than the feeder, as it increases hay falling into the bottom of the feeder rather than on the ground as cows pull out and consume it. Although associated with a high capital cost, improving storage or feeding methods doesn’t take long for hay savings to pay for the investment.
3. Limit access to hay. Research has demonstrated that a cow consumes her intake of dry forage within six hours, and restricting time of hay access reduces intake and waste by around 20%. This setup requires knowing the hay feed value to ensure hay alone is meeting nutritional requirements. Otherwise, a supplement will be needed. Adequate feeder and bunk space are critical. The same concept applies when limit feeding hay in the field by ensuring cows have the hay cleaned up with six hours of feeding with minimal waste.
4. Consider a supplement. While feeding a supplement should reduce forage intake, remember that a pound of supplement is not equivalent to a pound of forage. Often, especially in third trimester, hay quality is insufficient to meet cow requirements, so supplementation is already needed. When comparing costs of feedstuffs, evaluate based on cost per unit of energy or protein rather than cost per ton.
5. Use an ionophore in supplements. Ionophores can improve efficiency up to 10% by lowering maintenance requirement of rumen microbes, therefore lowering feed intake.
