What's Your Goal for This Winter? - Dr. Roy Burris, Beef Extension Specialist, University of Kentucky

The current feed shortage has stimulated a lot of "panic buying" of low quality feeds and producers are baling anything that will roll up. We have to ask the question "what is your goal for this winter?" Some people would say "just keep 'em alive until spring". In that case, you might be okay. But, if the goal is to maintain a productive herd, some feedstuffs which are very low in their nutrient content will be a problem. If we don't address this problem, Kentucky beef producers will see the effects of the '07 drought on their 2008 and 2009 calf crops.

There are at least three areas of concern for this coming winter/spring. They are: (1) very low protein levels prior to calving can cause weak calves, (2) low energy levels and poor body condition can cause cows to produce low quality colostrum milk that is much lower in maternal antibodies causing lower calf survival rates, and (3) poor body condition of the cows in the spring will dramatically decrease pregnancy rates.

These problems can be anticipated with extended feeding of corn stalks, CRP residue and soybean stubble. These "feeds" are generally lower than 5% crude protein and 50% TDN. Intake by cows will also be much lower than for good quality hay. In a demonstration at Princeton, cows which were offered 28 lb of baled corn stalks daily actually consumed about 18 lb and refused (wasted) 10 lb of the stalks.

According to NRC requirements, an 1100 lb cow would have the following nutrient needs according to her stage of production:

There is a dramatic increase in nutritional needs of the postpartum cow during the first 60 days of lactation. About 18 lb of stalks, for example, will provide only 0.9 lb CP and 9 lb of TDN compared to the required 2.9 and 15.9 lb of CP and TDN, respectively. That leaves a lot of protein and energy which must come from other sources. This difference can not be met by simply providing a pound or so of a protein supplement. Cows will lose weight/condition rapidly without a great deal of supplementation after calving. We simply must meet their energy and protein needs at this time.

In my opinion, the best approach is to limit feed good quality hay and provide the needed supplementation. Low quality feedstuffs can also be limit-fed successfully but are worth considerably less than good hay and require a lot of supplementation. On a "per nutrient basis" commercial feeds are also a better buy than low quality roughage at current prices.

If we don't feed the cows adequately this winter, we can expect increased calving losses in 2008 and decreased pregnancy rates in the spring which will impact the 2009 calf crop. The following table illustrates the effect that body condition at breeding can have on pregnancy rates:

* JAVMA 207:1292

If cows are permitted to lose weight or if thin cows don't regain weight before calving, low pregnancy rates will result. Body condition scores of 3 may not be uncommon on many Kentucky farms. Thus, pregnancy rates of about 50% can be expected unless we (1) purchase more nutritionally dense feeds than the nontraditional feedstuffs like corn stalks, (2) have good quality hay available, or (3) feed limited amounts of roughage with adequate energy and protein supplementation. It's really a matter of "pay now or pay (more) later".

Forage Focus: Corn Stalks and a Protein Block . . . That All You Got? - Kevin Laurent, Beef Extension Associate, University of Kentucky

Feeding the cow herd this winter will be a challenge that will have farmers looking at all options for meeting the nutritional needs of their cattle. Corn fields are dotted with large rolls of baled corn stalks, which have prompted even non-farm folks to wonder about this unusual sight. We know from the numerous questions we get that many producers plan to use stalks as a significant part of their winter feeding program.

How good are rolled corn stalks as winter feed? Will stalks and a protein block be enough? How much stalks will a cow eat? These are just a few of the many questions we are receiving daily.

To help answer these questions, we decided to do a quick demonstration with four cows at the research farm in Princeton. Not a controlled trial but just a quick test to get a handle on how cows would adjust and perform when placed on a rolled corn stalk diet.

Jay Stone, CEA in Christian County, was very helpful in locating, delivering and ultimately donating the stalks for the trial. The bales weighed from 30 to 40 lbs each and were weighed individually before feeding each day. Feed bunks were cleaned each day and stalks that the cattle refused were also weighed to get an estimate of waste or refusal. A certain amount of stalks were pulled out of the bunk and into the pen and was not weighed due to soiling by the cattle. The cattle chosen for the trial were two dry cows with an average weight of 1265 lbs. and two lactating cows with newborn fall calves that averaged 1280 lbs. The pairs were penned separately from the dry cows and both pens had access to a 37% protein block (19%NPN) throughout the three week period. The pens had concrete floors and were bedded with sawdust so cows had access to no other feed or dry matter.

The results of this 3 week trial are in the table below:

Performance and Intake of Cows Fed Rolled Corn Stalks

These data indicate that building a winter feeding program around rolled stalks and protein blocks is not a very sound option. Energy supplementation will be needed to allow even dry cows to gain adequate weight for spring calving. A very high degree of waste or refusal will likely be associated with feeding rolled stalks. Cattle performance may even be worse for producers using CRP hay. Most of the CRP hay samples have been consistently yielding TDN values lower than corn stalks. Following are sample scenarios using rations calculated with the UKBRF program.

The next 90 days will be very critical for producers with spring-calving herds to ensure that their dry cow feeding program adds enough condition to drought stressed cattle.