Grazing Management for Rebuilding the Cow Herd
Use available land, labor and knowledge resources to expand the cow herd.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Feb. 4, 2015) — The national cow herd is in a rebuilding stage, but how can cattlemen have more cattle on current land resources? Ted McCollum told attendees of the 22nd Cattleman’s College®, part of the 2015 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show in San Antonio, Texas, Feb. 4-7, that there are four considerations to keep in mind when broaching the topic of expansion.
The Texas AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist iterated these four considerations:
- 1. What is the objective for rebuilding or expansion?
- 2. What resources are available on the ranch? This can include more than just pasture, like knowledge, labor, finances and more.
- 3. What are any additional grazing needs, if any?
- 4. How can your current grazing resources or land use be adapted to fulfill objectives?
He urged cattlemen to evaluate the opportunities to enhance the utilization of the existing forage production; enhance production of existing forage resources; add forage production by redirecting land use; and increase stability by creating a drought cushion.
To enhance the production of existing or established resources, McCollum suggested grazing management techniques deferment periods or change in stocking intensity.Additionally, he suggested evaluating resources at your disposal. What are your management capabilities in time and expertise? Look at your current livestock production model and think about what you’d like do with more cows. This can be done with a stock flow plan and comparing that to a forage production plan. This should highlight supply and demand compatibility, and any gaps in forage production. He recommended addressing the most critical forage limitation for the total operation first.
Evaluate the current vegetation and the productive potential and the water availability, both surface water and groundwater. Developments like needed fencing and supplemental water sources will need to be considered, he added. Financial considerations will also play a large role, and he said to weigh total ranch benefits vs. cost.
However, with high calf prices right now, he emphasized using that available cash flow to make long-term improvements like equipment upgrades or eliminating brush cover.
To enhance the production of existing or established resources, McCollum suggested grazing management techniques deferment periods or change in stocking intensity. Brush suppression allows more resources to go into producing useable forage. He also recommended testing for soil fertility and forage nutrition. Introduced pastures may also need renovating. Do not rely heavily on annual forages for cows. With some thought and planning, current land resources can support more cows, he concluded.
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