As feed prices have skyrocketed over the last several months, many producers are rethinking their winter feeding strategy in the southeast U.S. While weather is a big driver of our forage growing conditions, there are many forage management strategies that allow us to extend the grazing season well into the fall forage gap.
Stockpiling, or the practice of allowing forage to accumulate for later use, is one way to “save” some forage for early winter feeding. The use of stockpiled tall fescue or bermudagrass followed by grazing of cool-season annuals can significantly reduce winter feed inputs. Stockpiled fescue can often be grazed as early as November, or grazing can be deferred into January or February because of the ability to maintain relative quality, depending on when the producer needs forage.
Multiple on-farm demonstrations in Arkansas have demonstrated that common or hybrid bermudagrasses can be stockpiled and provide 30 to 60 days of grazing, depending on management and weather conditions. An Auburn University research trial in Headland, Alabama, reported that fall-calving cows maintained good body condition and production when wintered on stockpiled Tifton 85 bermudagrass for 60 days with little to no supplementation.
Some supplemental feed may still be required to meet nutrient demands, but hay needs are essentially eliminated during stockpiled grazing. Cool-season annual forages can also decrease the hay and supplemental feeding season length. Systems overseeded with small grains, annual ryegrass or clovers have been reported to support up to an additional 0.5 pound per day gain for cows, 0.3 pound per day for calves and 150 pounds of gain per acre compared to feeding hay and supplement during the winter months. This effect carries over through weaning, with calves from cows that have grazed cool-season annuals having greater weaning weights than those fed hay and supplement for the duration of the winter.
Everyone’s winter feeding program, like their Thanksgiving plate, looks a little different based on their choices. Stockpiling perennial grasses and the use of cool-season annuals provide options to complement your winter management program and make steps toward more grazing days per year, thus reducing winter feedstuff needs.
