At this time of the year, all forages have been harvested, hopefully, manure has been applied and you’re checking your shopping list for the holiday, hoping you are on your family’s “nice” list.
It was a beautiful summer and fall, and many hours of work on the farm occurred. It is a time to rest, enjoy family and reflect on the blessings of the year.
Still, the daily care of the herd continues, and as you reflect on the year ahead, have you accurately accounted for your forage supply? During 2024, many areas had less rainfall compared to an “average” year, and several areas have remained in drought status since about May. Some areas had lower forage yields than 2023, especially beyond first or second cutting.
It’s a good time to estimate forage supply on hand and project needed supply until next harvest — May 15 for grass or legume and Sept. 1 for corn silage.
Time to assess
The following steps can be followed to assess forage supply from now until harvest:
Determine tonnage from first-cutting forages, assess quality and budget it accordingly (if any supply is still left) based on quality for the productive state of the animals (heifers versus dry cows versus lactating cows) on the farm.
The second-plus cuttings should be of higher quality that can be budgeted for the lactating cows, but assess its quality and tonnage yet available.
How much corn silage is available until the 2025 harvest? Plans need to be made immediately for not running out of corn silage before next year’s harvest.
Guidelines for calculating feed quantities and costs for dairy herds are provided in Appendices A and B in the 15 Measures of Dairy Farm Competitiveness available at dairy.osu.edu
If the 2024 forage supplies are going to be rather limited to meet the needs for the herd in 2025, practices need to be implemented to reduce forage usage and stretch the supply available. Purchasing additional hay is an option, but prices are high and these price hikes will continue until at least the 2025 spring harvest.
If high quality forage is going to be limited, also remember you can reduce the supply needed by culling some of the lower-producing cows from the herd. If there is overcrowding in the herd, then milk yield of the animals remaining on the farm after culling the lower producers often increases. Also, forage supply needs can be reduced on some farms by reducing the number of heifers in inventory.
Another way to stretch forage supplies is to decrease forage in the diet and use non-forage fiber sources to manage the starch level in diets.
Some examples of NFFS are whole linted cottonseed, soybean hulls, brewers grains, distillers grains, wheat middlings and others.
Make sure you monitor the cost of such ingredients to make sure they are economical purchases. The value of such ingredients can be compared by checking the feed price article in the bi-monthly issue of Buckeye Dairy News: dairy.osu.edu/newsletter/buckeye-dairy-news.
When budgeting for forage supply, estimate intake on the high side and be conservative on weights of hay bales and densities of silage in storage so you are more apt to have plenty of forage rather than run out. Now is the time to strategize with your nutritionist in balancing your supply of forage and making sure plenty of high quality forage is available until the harvest season in 2025.
This is somewhat like the timing of an end-of-the-year health checkup given that your insurance deductible has been reached; you may be able to reduce your insurance premiums by completing a yearly physical exam, and you just want to be proactive toward your health.
Be proactive with your herd by making a list of your forage needs and check it twice. Have a wonderful holiday season with your family and friends.
