Tight hay supplies put producers’ focus on nutrition, efficiency during winter feeding

“Hay stocks are certainly lower than ideal,” he says. “There’s still quite a bit of hay coming to market. But it’s $100 to $120 per bale for decent quality stuff.”

Wall says farmers are motivated to keep their cattle, and those who sold crops at high prices have some options.

“Some of the diversified farmers are shoving some of those corn profits into keeping their cow herd,” he says.

He says the reasoning differs by farmer, whether it is optimism for the cattle market in 2023 or just not wanting to get rid of their cows.

“Some folks are just flat not going to give up their cow herd,” he says.

Gene Schmitz, a University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist, says there is variety based on where producers are located.

“The feed situation seems to be area specific,” he says. “Some areas of the state got adequate rain and some didn’t.”

Schmitz, who is based in Pettis County, says overall the hay supply was down in Missouri.

“How much it was down was just where you happen to be,” he says.

In addition to the weather, Schmitz says the hay supplies were down due to high fertilizer costs in the spring and farmers making calculated decisions.

Wall, who is based in Marion County in south central Iowa, says the first cutting was decent for most producers, but then the second and third cuttings were short of nonexistent. He says many farmers looked to bale up cornstalks.

“There were more cornstalk bales rolled up in this area than I’ve ever seen,” he says.

Wall says adding liquid protein to cornstalk bales can be beneficial, and the leaves soak it up.

“It just makes the feed value better,” he says.

Schmitz says cornstalk bales can have a lot of waste, as their main value is in the leaves and husks. He says they are most useful if they can be ground, and producers can supplement cornstalks to help meet nutritional needs. Another option is just turning cattle out on cornfields if that is possible, because then they can also eat stray ears of corn that did not make it into the combine.

“The most cost-effective way is to graze those stalks,” he says.

When it comes to managing the nutritional needs of cattle during times of tight feed supplies, Wall says it is important to remember those animals’ needs remain the same whether hay is short or there is plenty. Also, if spring-calving cows faced reduced forage from drought into the fall and are not in good body condition, now is the time to try to add to their body condition, as he says it will not be possible once they calve and start feeding their calf.

In areas where the corn crop was a failure due to drought, Wall says a lot of it was chopped for silage. He says silage can be a beneficial feed source even in corn that did not produce an ear.

“It’s still really valuable,” he says.

When it comes to getting through times of short hay supplies, Schmitz says the familiar strategies apply. Farmers should get a hay test so they know what they need to supplement, and sort cows by body condition and age to put them in groups based on what their needs will be.

“It makes more groups, more chores, but it can be cost effective,” Schmitz says.

He says producers can also look to cull cows that are due to calve later. This will tighten up calving windows, and get cattle in more similar management groups. Energy requirements differ significantly once cows calve, and getting cows more on schedule with each other and calving times can make it easier to manage nutritional needs. Schmitz says producers can also sort cows into early and late calving groups.

He says reducing hay waste is another key strategy. For cows in good body condition with high quality hay, limiting hay access to 12 hours a day can reduce waste by 5 to 10%, Schmitz says.

“They do need to make sure every animal has a space to eat,” he says.

Using a bale ring with sheeting around the bottom can also reduce hay waste, as opposed to an open bottom feeder. Also, cone-shaped feeders can also lower the amount of hay that is wasted.

“That is savings that can be done depending on your methods,” Schmitz says.

To give producers an idea what this can mean financially, Schmitz says figuring for a 1,200-pound bale and a 1,200-pound cow, at $65 a bale, reducing hay waste from 20% down to 10% can save $52.80 in feed costs over 120 days. Figuring with 1,000-pound bales, that savings goes up to $66 per cow over the 120 days.

Schmitz says he also recommends people buy and sell hay based on weight rather than per bale.

“We don’t sell corn by the semi load,” he says.

Looking ahead, Wall says some farmers might need to make more culling decisions, although he says some are really not wanting to get rid of any more cows.

“If you’re paying $120 for a round bale of hay, you’ve probably gotten rid of all the cows you’re going to get rid of,” he says.

Wall also thinks earlier culling due to drought has made the feed situation more manageable.

“There’s been enough liquidation in the cow herd that hay stocks needed are less than it was,” he says.

Schmitz says it is good to “push the pencil” and figure out whether it makes sense to keep all the cows or cull some. He says it could be a challenging winter for many farmers and their hay supplies.

“It’s pretty tight in some places,” Schmitz says.