Cow Calf Risk Strategies

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Cow Calf Risk Strategies Overview

• Two-day workshop
• Production, Financial and Marketing Risk
• Case study example
• Exercise with your farm data
• Reacting to risk situations

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What are production risks?

• Input cost changes
• Weather impacts
• Market fluctuations
• Changes in direction of operation
• Loss of pasture land
• Health problems or disease outbreaks

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What do you think?

• Are there some issues?
• What are the strengths?

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Issues

• Frank is unhappy that 12 of his cows were open
  this fall when he preg checked, and he did not
  think the calves were as large as past years.
  His neighbor says the fescue in his pastures is
  the problem what should he do?

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Issues

• The Case family has been very happy with the
  local feeder calf market, but they wonder if they
  should retain ownership and take advantage of the
  good genetics they have been using.

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Issues

• Some of the pastures may need to be improved
  they may decide to raise row crops on 20 of the
  pasture ground for two years. Should they cut
  back the cow herd, change management or rent more
  pasture?

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Issues

• The Case cowherd has been profitable and the
• family is looking to expand. Is this the right
  time to expand? How should they go about it?
• improve carrying capacity on current pasture
• convert cropland to pastures
• rent or buy more pasture

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Resource Inventories

• Animal - requirements
• Forage quantity and quality
• Feedstuffs quantity and quality
• Available Labor
• Equipment and Facilities

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Animal Inventory

• Classes of cattle
• Weight
• Age
• Stage of production
• Calving season

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Animal Inventory

• Complete Animal Inventory Worksheet

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Summer Grazing Inventory

• Acres
• Type of forage
• Management scheme
• Continuous vs rotational
• Percent open vs timber
• Summer annuals

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Summer grazing

• Fertility/soil productivity
• Length of grazing season
• Water availability
• Supplementation
• Weed and brush control

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Summer grazing example

• Fill out worksheet
• Determine livestock needs
• Estimate available forage
• Identify surplus or shortfall by grazing season

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Summer grazing example

• Complete worksheets on summer animal requirements
  and forage supply.

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Review Summer Grazing Balance

• Is there a surplus or shortfall for grazing
  season?
• Are there monthly shortfalls?
• How much surplus do you need to manage reasonable
  risks?

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Case Farm Example

• Grazing from April 15 to October 15
• Grass growth shortfall in August
• May be enough excess growth from earlier to make
  up shortfall

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Stored and Stockpiled Feed Inventory

• Available acres and yield
• Tons of hay and silage
• Quality of hay and silage
• Cornstalk acres
• Fall saved grass

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Stored and Stockpiled Feed Inventory

• Grazing standing corn
• Purchased feeds
• Home raised grains
• Winter annuals
• Length of feeding program

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Stockpile grazing example

• Fill out worksheet take home
• Determine livestock needs
• Estimate available forage
• Identify surplus or shortfall by grazing season

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Home Work!!
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Review Stockpile Grazing Balance

• Is there a surplus or shortfall for grazing
  season?
• Are there monthly shortfalls?
• How much surplus do you need to manage reasonable
  risks?

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Case Farm Example

• Cornstalk grazing from October 15 to December 1
• Stockpiled grass grazing December 1 to December 15

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Extended heat wave

• shorter plants smaller leaves, lower yield
• reach flower or seedhead sooner
• higher fiber levels fewer sugars and starch
• lower nutritive value for livestock

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Drought

• shorter plants, smaller leaves, lower yield
• slightly higher sugar and starch content
• slightly higher nutritive value for livestock

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Extended cloudy wet

• taller plants, thinner leaves
• lower sugars starches, lower protein
• neutral effect on yield, slightly lower quality

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Late Spring frost

• can injure or kill new seedlings
• can damage crown buds and new shoots
• in extreme cases, frost injured plants will die
• in moderate / light cases, reduced spring yields

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Early Autumn freeze

• reduced storage of winter carbohydrate reserves
• in extreme cases, some plants will winter-kill
• in moderate / light cases, slow spring recovery

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Spring dry weather - pastures

• Apply N fertilizer to grass pastures only if
  rainfall is adequate
• Reduce stocking rates if possible
• Wean spring calves early
• Begin supplement hay or feed before you run out
  of grass
• Dont over graze pastures, remove livestock from
  pastures when grass is gone.

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Spring Dry - Hay Meadows

• Apply N fertilizer to grass and grass-dominant
  hay fields only if rainfall is adequate
• Applied needed P K to hay meadows, but dont
  expect much yield response until rainfall resumes
• Maturity may be earlier than normal. Harvest hay
  meadows based on forage maturity, even though
  yields may be low

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Spring - Excessively wet Weather

• Pastures - pasture growth may be slower than
  normal, and appear N deficient
• Apply N fertilizer to grass pastures when wheel
  tracking damage will be minimal
• Consider using a sacrifice pasture or paddock
  during muddy periods

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Spring wet weather

• Hay Meadows - forage growth may be slower than
  normal, and may lodge
• Apply fertilizer to hay fields when wheel
  tracking damage will be minimal
• Plant maturity may be delayed. Monitor crop
  maturity. Weigh the risks of wheel tracking of
  wet fields against declines in forage quality
  from delayed harvests due to rain.

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Forage Quality
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Livestock Nutrient Needs
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Feeding Losses

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Dry Matter Storage Losses

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Round Bale, Hay Storage Losses
Storage Conditions Approximate Dry Matter
Losses, Outside, on ground, without
cover 13-30 Outside, on ground, plastic or tarp
cover 8-9 Outside, on drained surface, without
cover 7-8 Outside, on ground, net wrapped
6-7 Outside, on ground, full plastic sleeve
5-6 Outside, drained surface, plastic of tarp
cover 5-6 Inside bale storage 5
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Impact of Rain on Cut / Curing Forage
Losses from Rainfall of Dry Matter
Quality loss Early in the curing period
Leaching 1-3 Small Leaf loss 1-5 Small When
forage is nearly dry Leaching 1 5 Small
Leaf loss (with extral handling) 5 to 40
Large short duration relatively low long
duration relatively high
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Weathering Losses from Outside Stored Hay
(Combined losses form leaching, heating and mold)
Examples 1st Year 2nd Year Hay
Type Fraction Crude Protein IVDMD Crude Protein
IVDMD () () () ()
() Legume Unweathered 13.5 58.5 Weathered 16
.4 42.5 Grass Unweathered 12.5-14.2 56.5-66.8
14.2 65.8 Weathered 14.5-16.9 34.2-46 19.1 32
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Winter Feeding Example

• Fill out worksheet
• Determine livestock needs
• Estimate available forage and feed
• Identify surplus or shortfall by month

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Winter Feeding Example

• Complete winter hay equivalents requirements and
  supply worksheet.

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Review Stored Feed Balance

• Is there a surplus or shortfall for feeding
  period?
• Are there quantity or quality shortfalls for
  groups of cattle?
• How much surplus do you need to manage reasonable
  risks?

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Case Farm Example

• Hay feeding from December 15 to April 15
• Slight excess of hay BEFORE adjusting for losses
• Need 19 tons per week if winter stockpile not
  available

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Homework

• Two scenarios
• Drought, July 1 - Sept 1
• Lost 25 of pasture acres

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