Feed & Nutrition

As I put this article together in mid-June, much of the central and eastern Corn Belt is in need of precipitation.

The summer sun provides a reprieve from cold winters in the North and a change of pace from mild temperatures in the South but can be detrimental to lactating cattle if not managed properly.

Feeding routines, ration adjustments and consideration of feed additives can keep cows productive while temperatures sizzle.

Feed is a significant portion of annual production costs in a cow-calf operation.

These high costs make a supplement strategy with price control guidelines an important part of the management plan.

Summer annuals are often used by cattle producers for summer grazing or harvested for hay. Plants such as Sorghum-Sudan hybrids, Sorgo-Sudan hybrids, Sudan-Sudan hybrids and millets all fall in this category.

These summer crops can be very productive and high quality but can also accumulate toxic levels of nitrate when stressed. The heat and dry weather of the past two weeks has caused many of these plants to become very stressed.

We all hope that the severe drought of 2011 is over. If it is, we need to use what we learned and write a preparation plan for the next one.

Though technology and management practices have evolved over time, grass continues to be the critical component of most cow-calf operations.