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Drought Could Make Winter Feeding Challenging
By
Aimee Nielson
LEXINGTON, Ky., (Aug. 29, 2007) – This year began with a
brutally cold winter followed by a late and detrimental frost
and so far, Kentucky is experiencing the third driest
May-through-August in 113 years. Any of these weather events
alone could create challenges for farmers in terms of feeding
livestock in the upcoming winter, but combined they are a real
cause for concern, said University of Kentucky Extension
Livestock and Forage Economist Kenny Burdine.
“Since hay was short coming into this year, cattle producers are
starting to get nervous about winter feeding,” he said. “Those
who aren’t nervous should probably start thinking ahead, because
winter is just around the corner.”
Burdine said there are two ways to make up for the expected
shortfall. One is to purchase additional feed and the second is
to lower the amount of feed needed from outside sources.
“Stockpiling fescue might be the easiest way to delay winter hay
feeding,” he offered. “Fescue doesn’t grow much in summer, but
it will pick back up in September. By all means, don’t waste any
forage this fall. Rotational grazing can double forage
utilization and stretch additional grazing days out of your
pastures.”
Another option is fall fertilization if farmers want additional
growth this fall. Burdine said that with adequate moisture, fall
response to fertilizer is good and can stretch out the grazing
season.
“However, with nitrogen prices as high as they are, I would make
certain that I was strip-or rotationally grazing this growth to
get the most nutrients to my cattle for the money I spent,” he
said.
Some farmers are opting to look at less traditional feeding
options such as chopping corn for silage, rolling soybeans for
hay and grazing or rolling corn stubble after the fall harvest.
“Still, a lot of cattle producers are going to be purchasing
feeds this winter,” Burdine said.
“The same advice applies in drought years as in nondrought
years. You need to meet the nutritional needs of your cow herd
as cheaply as possible. Farmers want to make sure their cows are
adequately nourished because they don’t want to suffer the
consequences with their next calf crop. But they also want to
manage their costs as much as possible.”
Purchasing hay from other states may be very expensive and
Burdine said he continues to hear some very high prices for that
hay. He emphasized though, that hay is only one potential feed
in a drought year.
“Farmers should price hay, corn and commodity-based rations to
see which will get them through the winter with the least
expense,” he said. “Hopefully a combination of extending
grazing, alternative feeds and management of winter feeding
costs will position cow-calf producers to enjoy, what I hope is,
a much better 2008.”
If farmers do need to purchase hay from other sources, a good
place to start the search is with the hay hotline. The hotline
is a joint effort between the UK College of Agriculture and the
Kentucky Department of Agriculture, designed to help farmers
find hay resources. The number for the hotline is 888-567-9589
and the web site is
http://www.kyagr.com/marketing/forage/HayForageDroughtRelief.htm.
Additional
drought information can be found at the UK Cooperative Service’s
drought information Web site. |
Contact: Kenny Burdine, 859-257-7273
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The UK College
of Agriculture, through its land-grant mission, reaches across
the commonwealth with teaching, research and extension
to enhance the lives of Kentuckians. |
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