This is a guest post written by Karin Schmid, Beef Production Specialist with the Alberta Beef Producers, in collaboration with Dr. Reynold Bergen, BCRC Science Director.
Extended grazing systems have a number of benefits. By extending grazing into the winter months, costs related to traditional winter feeding and the labour it requires can be significantly reduced. For example, research indicates that swath grazing can reduce total daily feeding cost per cow by 41 to 48%. This is based on a 78% reduction in yardage costs and a 25% reduction in feed costs. Extended grazing can also have environmental benefits, such as residue and manure management.
However, extended grazing in our Canadian winters requires some added planning and management. Replacement heifers, young cows and mature animals all have different nutritional requirements due to their age and physiology. These differences are fairly easy to manage in a confined feeding system; however, managing the different classes of cattle during winter grazing requires more care. Continue reading →