By Larry Stalcup Contributing Editor
Fall rains kick-started early-planted wheat fields that were dying of thirst over much of the High Plains. The precipitation was also needed to complete winter wheat planting. And with high cattle prices providing better profit opportunities, pastures are hopefully producing the forage needed to put on the pounds.
However, as it often does, the weather stopped cooperating with many producers and stocker operators. Late-year dry weather pressured those promising pastures, creating a need to double-check supplemental feeding requirements to help maximize strong cattle performance, notes Paul Beck, Oklahoma State University (OSU) beef cattle nutrition specialist.
“We need to accumulate 4 to 5 pounds of forage dry matter per pound of steer bodyweight at turnout on wheat pasture to maximize grazing performance through the fall and winter,” Beck says. “That equals about 2,500 pounds of forage for a 500-pound calf. At a stocking rate of 2 acres per steer, we need 1,200 to 1,300 pounds of forage growth per acre.”
Beck says that with an estimated 200 pounds of forage per inch of forage height, wheat should average 6 to 7 inches deep across the field. “Wheat and other small grains produce about 3.3 pounds of forage dry matter per growing degree day,” he explains. “This concept is based on the critical temperature for growth of each forage species.”
When Supplements May Be Needed
For wheat, Beck uses a “critical temperature” of 42 degrees for proper growth. For rye and triticale, it’s 38 degrees.
If small-grain pastures have less forage available due to poor growing conditions or are slightly overstocked, a forage allowance of 3 pounds can provide enough forage for about 2.5 pounds of gain per day. “But we can increase performance by feeding a small-package energy supplement to growing calves at 2 pounds per day, three days per week,” Beck says. “That should increase gain by 0.5 pound per day.
“This supplement should provide digestible energy and does not need to be high in protein because of the high protein content of the wheat forage,” he explains. “The supplement can be composed of ground corn or milo and digestible grain milling products with low protein content, such as soybean hulls or wheat midds.”
Beck points out that extra protein can be provided from corn gluten feed or dried distillers grains if they are competitively priced on an energy basis. Supplements should carry required minerals such as calcium and magnesium, which are often deficient in wheat pasture.
An ionophore, such as monensin, at a rate of 100 to 200 mg per calf per day, should also be considered as a way to increase daily gains and reduce the incidence and severity of potential bloat. Beck says OSU research has shown that providing a free-choice complete mineral designed for grazing cattle on wheat pasture along with the energy supplement is as effective as feeding it in a complete package.
As a precaution, Beck warns producers that monensin is highly toxic to dogs and horses, so care should be taken when storing and feeding feeds containing monensin to keep it out of reach of non-targeted animals.
The density of wheat pasture varies across the Southern Plains. In late December, wheat pasture was fair, notes Mike Schultz, superintendent of the OSU Altus Research Unit. “We had nearly 12 inches of rain in November,” he says. “We had a lot more wheat growth than we thought we would see in mid-fall.
“But December was dry and I don’t see many fields where guys need to put on more cattle. Wheat pasture is still sparse in parts of western Oklahoma. As high priced as cattle are, that’s sure not what we want.”
Wheat pasture varied in the Texas Panhandle. Many fields were stressed for moisture after the dry December. But some fields were lush enough to help promote solid gains. In Oldham County outside of Vega, wheat pasture was providing plenty of forage to stockers. That were several days before temperatures dropped below freezing and into the teens at night.
Meanwhile, Beck encourages producers not to stock wheat pastures too soon. “Waiting just a few days for the stand to adequately develop will make a huge difference in the longevity of the stand and the performance of the calves on pasture,” he says.
Battling Bitter Cold
When the southern end of the early January polar vortex nearly paralyzed much of Kansas and threated areas of Oklahoma and Texas, OSU Beef Cattle Nutrition Specialist Paul Beck suggests these feeding considerations to offset the lack of access to small-grains grazing or native pastures:
- Make sure cattle have access to as much hay as they want to eat. Ruminal fermentation helps keep animals warm.
- If increasing supplementation rates to help offset energy deficiencies, it’s best to feed supplements every day.
- Feed cattle beside or in a grove of trees or some other windbreak that is large enough for all the animals to gather. The better the windbreak, the lower the animal’s cold stress.
- If there is no natural or constructed windbreak available near a water source, consider placing a line of round bales of straw or low-quality hay where cattle can bed down.
- Ensure cattle have unrestricted access to water. If water intake is limited, hay intake is reduced and ruminal fermentation is affected. The farther away the water source, the longer they will wait to get a drink.
- Unrolling low-quality hay as bedding will help provide relief from the extreme temperatures.
