Farm & Ranch
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
By Rayford Pullen | [email protected]
Now that we are entrenched in the dog days of summer, calves being held over for winter forage or being backgrounded do not gain much as our forage quality bottoms out. From personal experience, stocker calves I ran during July through September had rates of gain of half a pound of gain per day. I realized then we had to supplement these cattle if we wanted better gains.
The limiting factor restricting our gains is protein. If you have a good source of grass, supplementing your cattle with a pound or more of cotton seed cake will increase gains by roughly 30 to 40 percent according to trials conducted by Oklahoma State University.
If calves are worth $3 per pound, this extra gain, according to trials that began on August 16 and continued for 56 days, equals 27.44 more pounds and is worth $82 per head at a cost of $18. We can feed the protein every day, every other day, or Monday, Wednesday, Friday, as long as we average a pound or more per day. Yes, you can substitute 20 percent protein cubes, but you will have to double the amount fed daily, and it will also increase our cost.
To read more, pick up a copy of the August issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Tony Dean
In volume 1 of “Old World Bluestems”, Tony Dean addressed issues surrounding the Old World Bluestem family, including the invasive nature of these grasses. In this issue, he examines OWBs as a forage for livestock.
OWBs were intially brought to the US as foragr for livestock and for erosion control capability. Ironically, some of the characteristics that make these species invasive also cause them to be desirable grass for grazing.
One of the primary survival characteristics of OWBs is their ability to withstand heavy grazing. OWBs are genetically prone to grow upright like our native bluestems; however, with heavy grazing pressure, plants begin to take a sod growth form.
To read more, pick up a copy of the September issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Tressa Lawrence
It has been a hot, dry summer across northeastern Wyoming. Many ranchers are weaning and shipping early due to the dry conditions and lack of grass.
By: Lindsey Monk
The Four Mile Fire was 2,082 acres and very close to three other fires all started by lightning the same night. Together, the four fires burned a total of approximately 47,827 acres. That is a lot of feed for cattle, and ranchers were moving the cattle out of the way. They are mostly contained now, but it has been a very hot and dry summer.
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