Don't Roll the Dice on Forage Quality -- Feed With a Plan
Not all forage is created equally, and not all cows in a beef cattle herd have the same nutritional requirements. Strategically matching forage quality to a herd’s nutritional needs throughout the production year can save a beef producer dollars and boost productivity. But here’s the key: you can’t do that just by looking at the forage.
Even though the forage may look good, it doesn’t mean it is good. Hay that smells sweet and looks green may still be short on protein. Silage that was harvested at the right moisture and maturity may not ferment properly if inadequately stored. And when forage quality is poor, it impacts your herd long before you notice.
Start With a Feed Test
Forage quality will vary depending on species, maturity, weather conditions and harvest methods. Whether you are feeding grass forage, alfalfa, silage, or a mix of these, a simple feed test will let you know what you are working with for nutrients such as crude protein (CP), fibre, energy, moisture and minerals. More specialized tests may also include results for pH, undegradable protein, nitrates, toxins, relative feed value (RFV) and other parameters.
While feed testing is an important tool when tackling feed management, it is only as good as the sample you collected. Therefore, it is critical to follow recommended sampling methods to ensure the sample is representative of the forages you are testing.
What Are the Numbers Saying?
A feed test result is filled with numbers and acronyms that can be confusing at first glance.
The BCRC Tool for Evaluating Feed Test Results allows you to input some of these numbers to evaluate whether that feed will meet the basic nutritional requirements of selected classes of cattle in different stages of production under normal circumstances. The outputs can alert you to potential issues with individual feed ingredients; however, it is recommended to seek advice from a qualified nutritionist or use CowBytes Ration Balancing Software to develop a balanced ration for all classes of cattle or for evaluating ingredients when backgrounding calves and developing heifers.
There are four simple steps to this tool:
Step 1: Select the class of cattle you are feeding – options are first calf heifers, mature cows and mature bulls.
Step 2: Select the stage of production for the class of cattle.
Step 3: Enter the average weight of the cattle you are feeding, in pounds.
Step 4: Enter your feed test results on a dry matter basis, starting with Dry Matter (%DM).
Click “Calculate Single Feed Data” to return your results.
Figure 1: Inputs for the Tool for Evaluating Feed Test Results.
A color-coded response indicates the suitability of the feed for the cattle you have selected:
- Green indicates that the nutrients are adequate to meet nutritional requirements.
- Yellow is within +/- 2.5% of TDN requirements, +/- 5% of CP requirements and 0.05% below mineral requirements.
- Red indicates the feed does not meet animal requirements.
Having an indication whether a single feed will meet the requirements of a specified group of cattle can help to allocate feed resources throughout the year.
Let’s walk through an example:
Assume you have good quality grass hay that is 57% TDN, 10.1% CP, 0.53% Ca, 0.17% P, 0.17% Mg and 1.32% K. The goal is to feed this hay to 1,300 lb. mature beef cows throughout the production cycle.
Figure 2: Suitability results of grass hay for 1,300 lb. beef cows in early gestation, mid-gestation, late gestation and lactation.
Based on the results in Figure 2, this forage meets the specified requirements for 1,300 lb. beef cows in both early and mid-gestation. However, when we evaluate this feed for the same beef cow in late gestation, her energy requirements are no longer met. Similarly, during lactation, when her protein and energy needs are the highest, this forage does not provide enough of these nutrients.
Therefore, you might want to look at allocating this forage to mature cows in early and mid-gestation and feeding a higher-quality forage or providing supplementation during late gestation and into lactation.
We can further expand on this example and assume we are also feeding a group of first calf heifers. Due to facility and labour constraints, we would like to feed this group along with mature cows in early and mid-gestation. However, based on the results displayed in Figure 3, the grass forage is not meeting the energy and protein requirements for first calf heifers, meaning that this group is short on nutrients. In this situation, looking at alternative feeding options or separating these two groups of cattle is recommended to ensure nutrient requirements are met.
Figure 3: Suitability of grass forage for mature beef cows and first-calf heifers in early gestation.
The above examples can help a beef producer determine the suitability of the grass forage to meet the requirements for mature beef cows and first-calf heifers. From this point, you have an idea of how to allocate these forages and work with a nutritionist or CowBytes to formulate balanced rations.
Don’t Guess — Feed with a Plan
Nutrition drives reproduction and productivity. Guessing what is in the forages you are feeding leaves money – and performance – on the table.
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