Drought!

1. Drought! Can I Survive it? Yes Can I Stay In Business? Yes Can I Make A Profit? Maybe

2. Objectives • Stretch available supplies of fiber • Get cows bred back • Meet weaning weight goals • Minimize cow holding cost • Make it until forage can support my herd

3. Strategies • Evaluate resources, how much of what do I have • Reduce cow numbers to the most productive, no second chance cows • Reduce brood cow forage intake to the minimum • Pasture management – rotate, rotate, rotate. More temp. fence for smaller units • Early wean calves

4. 1200# Cow – Fed at 1.5%-2% Bd.Wt. Dry Matter of A Balanced Diet • She will not appear full • She will want more and bawl for it • She will chase the pick-up • She may gain only slight BCS • She will support a fetus • She will not milk heavy • She will have a properly functioning system • She will do O.K.

5. Supplement/Hay/Pasture • Any source of fiber can be used: • Good hay • Low quality hay • Gin trash • Poultry litter • Wheat/Oat Straw • Must test for TDN value to balance total feed intake with supplement and minerals • Lower quality fiber requires more supplement • Holding BCS is ½ the cost of adding it back

6. Pasture Management • Rotation is a must • Do not graze forage to the ground, destroys the growth crown • Allow as much rest and re-growth as possible between grazing • Allow limited hours of grazing – restrict intake to save forage, supplement to meet minimum needs • Use lowest value hay during mid-gestation and limit feed – test to know value • Meet with Agronomist to manage fert. to optimize growth relative to moisture. • No fertilizer = very poor re-growth and volume

7. Early Weaning Calves Yes, it does work Yes, it is easy Yes, they do well

8. Changes in Major Nutr. Req. from Post-calving to Mid-Gest. – Brood Cow • C. Protein – down by 35-40% • TDN –down by 30-35% • Cal. & Phos. –down by 40% • Dry Matter Intake minimum reduced by 30%

9. Early Weaning Calves • Why early wean? • After 90 days, cow milk production is declining rapidly, more so in a drought • Allows the cow to drop back to maintenance only needs saving much feed requirement • Very expensive to create gain for a calf by feeding the cow – you can’t afford it • Calf is a very efficient converter of feed to gain • Calf is the only unit creating pounds to sell for income

10. Early Wean Management • Easiest to do by “Fence Line” weaning • Place creep feeder in pasture where calves will stay using Jump Start • Start 2-4 weeks prior to weaning date to train calves • Vaccinate, castrate now and turn back to cows – greatly reduces stress and weight loss. Follow on correct date with 2nd vacc. w/mod. live • At weaning, move cows to pasture next door, do not move calves. Calves know feeder, holes, water etc.

11. Early Wean Management • Bawling is reduced, both cows and calves • Cows drop milk production in about 24 hours and shift to maint. mode • Creep becomes the surrogate mother and calves continue to eat and gain weight • Key is having calves trained to the feeder • If needed, can move calves after first week, they will follow the feed.

12. Early Wean Management • Feed Jump Start free choice – calves are efficient converters and gain well • In dry lot, hay can be limited to 2-3# per head per day • Feed conversion on a properly designed ration such as Jump Start is 3-4# per pound of gain and ADG of 2#+ • Calves also can be qualified for a certified preconditioned calf sale – keep all records

13. If I Don’t Early Wean • Cow tries to milk, but at the expense of BCS, thus reducing breed-back • Cow is in the lactation mode and needs much more feed volume • Calf gain will be quite low, approximately ½# - ¾# per day vs. 2# + • Much greater cost, less return per calf

14. Commodity Conversions SOYHULLS NCSU – Poore 10:1 U. of KY – VanZant 10.5:1 Dried Distillers Grains Kansas State 9.75 : 1, 11.1 : 1, 11.7 : 1

15. Corn Gluten Feed NCSU – Poore 11.26 : 1 Cracked Corn U. of KY - Van Zandt 11.76 : 1 Okla. St. –Gill Creep = 20:1

16. 14% Jump Start 16% Stocker Heifer • CRF and Producer Records 4:1 – 5:1

17. What’s In Your Bin? • If 14% Jump Start/16% Stocker Heifer = $200/ton. What is the most you can pay for a commodity to equal cost of gain? • Soyhulls @ 10:1= $90/ton • Gluten Feed @ 11:1 = $81.81/ton • DDGS @ 11:1 = $81.81/ton • Corn @ 10:1 = $90/ton

18. Now that the calves have been handled, what about my brood cow herd???

19. Save Hay, Manage Cost, Buy Feed Hay @ $150/ton (50 TDN) Beef Blend Pel.#3 @ $205 ton • 1100# Cow : 25# hay =$61.87/cow/mo. ($120/ton hay = $49.50) • 1100# Cow – 10# hay + 10.7# Beef Blend #3 = $56.52/cow/mo ($120/ton hay = $51.80)

20. Save Hay, Manage Cost, Buy Feed • Cow Cost? $150/ton Hay • A. 30 cows @ hay/mo. = $1856/mo. • B. 30 cows @ hay+ Beef Blend #3= $1608/mo • Hay Purchases • A. 30 cows = 24,740# or 12.37tons hay/mo • B. 30 cows = 9,450# or 4.725 tons hay/mo • 5 month feeding period savings/30 cows = $1,240