Cow-Calf Corner | August 12, 2024
Early Thoughts on Winter Wheat Grazing
Derrell S. Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist
Although it is only August, some forage-only and dual-purpose wheat producers in Oklahoma are already thinking about planting winter wheat for winter grazing. Early planted winter wheat is fraught with agronomic challenges and risks. Soil moisture has generally been very short the last few weeks making wheat planting a bigger risk. Storms and rains in some regions of Oklahoma this past weekend may provide moisture to facilitate early wheat planting in some areas. In other cases, producers may “dust in” wheat into dry soil to await rain. High soil temperatures in late summer can delay germination in many years, though that seems to be less of a concern this year. Early planted wheat established in late August or September is subject to more weed and pest problems. Army worms are a particular threat to early emerging wheat in the fall. Grain-only wheat producers will not plant wheat until October and thus avoid or minimize some of these agronomic challenges.
Assuming wheat stands are established and wheat forage prospects develop, stocker producers will be planning purchases this fall and looking ahead to feeder market prospects next spring. Stocker production is tricky in the current market and requires careful planning. Stocker calf prices have risen farther and faster than feeder cattle prices since 2022. This means that the general buy/sell margin for stockers is narrowing. Generally uptrending feeder cattle markets have partially offset this with the time lag between stocker purchase and feeder sale allowing for feeder prices to close the gap somewhat. Risk management is important but feeder futures are not generally offering good opportunities to protect feeder cattle value. However, put options or LRP will provide minimum price protection from the enhanced volatility typical in current cattle markets.
In an average year, stocker calf prices would be expected to decrease seasonally from summer to a fall low. The current market is anything but average and seasonal patterns may not happen. Calf numbers will be relatively tight this fall, meaning that it may be hard to find stockers and they are likely to be expensive – especially if there is wheat pasture to keep stocker demand strong.
The cost of gain in feedlots has decreased this year and is expected to drop farther with corn prices remaining low in the coming months. This gives feedlots more ability to bid for feeder cattle and outcompete stocker producers for limited feeder cattle supplies. Feedlots are expected to place some feeder cattle that are lighter weight than usual as they attempt to maintain feedlot inventories. In the current market environment, prices across the spectrum of feeder cattle prices by weight generally suggest that stocker producers are increasingly relegated to the small end of feeder cattle – the basic signal is for stocker producers to purchase lighter cattle and turn them over more quickly. In general, the market signals are to move limited feeder cattle supplies through the system more intensively to keep beef production as high as possible with fewer cattle. This does not mean that other stocker programs, e.g. owning cattle longer and putting on more weight, will not work but will require careful planning at the outset.
A Rancher’s Thursday Webinar Series from 2020 covered the basics of wheat production for grazing, supplementation, grazing practices, and managing market expectations, these videos can be found at Cattle on Wheat and Small Grains.
2024 Creep Grazing Options
Mark Z. Johnson, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Breeding Specialist
As opposed to creep feeding a traditional grain based diet, creep grazing has potential to be a more cost effective solution. There are many ways to adapt this system to each individual situation, but the bottom line is that it must be profitable.
Most forages can be used for successful creep grazing as long as they are high in nutrient quality and readily available. Time of year will affect which forage is used for creep grazing. During the cool season months, annual grasses like rye, oats, wheat or ryegrass will be used. During the warm season months, most producers will use legumes, Bermuda grass, pearl millet, or sorghum-sudan grass. With the potential of high nitrate millet or sorghum-sudan grass due to heat stress and spotty rainfall during the Oklahoma summer of 2024, calves are a safer bet to utilize those standing forages than cows. If you have done a forage analysis on millet or sorghum-sudan, you have likely seen the following information regarding the safest way to utilize these forages based on nitrate levels.
Generalized interpretation for Nitrate test (ppm-dry matter basis):
- 0-3,000 = generally safe for all cattle
- 3,000 – 5,000 = generally safe for non-pregnant cattle. Low risk of reduced breeding performance and early term abortion
- 5,000 – 10,000 = some risk for cattle, May cause mid to late term abortions and weak newborn calves. May decrease growth and milk production.
- 10,000 = potentially toxic for all cattle. Can cause abortions, acute toxicity symptoms and death.
Similar to grain creep feeds, the added weight gain from creep grazing depends on pasture quality. Regardless of forage quality, if forage quantity is a problem, creep grazing should have a positive effect on calf performance. Daily gains tend to be less than the full fed energy creep systems but are usually increased by 10 to 20 percent with creep grazing. This underscores the effects that pasture quality and quantity exert on gains of creep-grazed calves.
Creep grazing has a few other indirect benefits. One is that calves do not get as fat as when they are fed a grain-based creep feed and may not receive price discounts often applied to calves fed an unlimited high energy creep feed. Replacement heifers may get too fat if fed a grain-based creep feed and have reduced milk production. This problem is less likely to occur when using forage as a creep feed.
Remember most experiments that track cow weight change and calf milk intake show that calves consume all the milk available whether they are fed creep fed or not. Creep feeding simply does not change or improve cow weights or body condition. Calves prefer milk first, palatable creep feed second, then forage. Accordingly, the primary benefit of creep grazing is cost effectively put pay weight on calves.
Reference
Creep Feeding Beef Calves. University of Georgia Extension Bulletin 1315
Grazing Forage Brassicas
Mike Trammell, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service Southeast Regional Agronomist
Forage brassicas have been used in the U.S. for more than 100 years. The biggest factor affecting the popularity for brassicas as forages in the U.S. may be their suitability as cover crops as well. Many producers are attracted to the idea of improving their soil health while also feeding their livestock. This has led to an increase in brassica seed availability and new varieties. Brassica crops were developed by selective breeding and crossbreeding of a few species into many forms designed for different uses as forages, vegetables, oilseeds, and cover crops. In the U.S., turnips, rape, and kale are old standby forages. Newer additions to this group include swedes (rutabagas), forage collards, mustards, radishes, and a few interspecies hybrids selected for various traits like the production of high levels of secondary compounds to combat soil pests in crop rotations as cover crops. However, if the primary reason for growing them is for grazing, be sure the variety purchased was developed for that purpose.
The strength of brassicas as a forage crop is their cold tolerance allowing them to provide high-quality pasture well into the fall and winter when most other forages are dry and brown. Little new growth will occur after temperatures fall below freezing at night, but existing forage remains and holds its nutritional value very well. Brassicas extremely high moisture content makes preservation as a hay crop impractical. Brassicas that form big bulbs, such as turnips, swedes, and radishes, can be grazed but are less suitable for multiple grazing’s than varieties that do not elevate their crowns on top of bulbs. However, there are turnip and radish varieties selected for grazing that have an increased proportion of top growth relative to the bulb and livestock readily learn to dig up brassica forage bulbs. Another strong point is a fast growth rate that, under good growing conditions, can provide emergency forage in as little as 45 days. Forage brassica yields are quite variable, ranging from 2 to 5 tons of dry matter per acre depending on species, variety, and environmental conditions.
Nutritionally, forage brassicas behave like a high moisture concentrate feed. Crude protein is typically sufficient to meet the needs of livestock on pasture. Brassicas are naturally low in fiber compared to grass and legume pasture. Brassica neutral detergent fiber (NDF) can range from 11 to 44 percent and has NDF digestibility up to 70 percent. Brassicas that form stems (rape and kales) will be at the higher end of the range, and leafy brassicas like turnips and radish will be at the lower end. Due to their high nutritive value, brassicas can produce excellent animal performance but require adjustments to grazing management. Animals should be introduced to brassica-based pastures slowly to allow the rumen time to adapt and should never be grazed on pure brassica pastures. Effective fiber can be provided by planting brassicas in mixtures with small grains (oats, cereal rye, triticale, or wheat) or other forages, supplementing pastures with hay or providing access to a separate grass pasture. A good rule of thumb is to limit brassicas to no more than 70 percent of the diet.
Forage brassicas do best on productive, fertile, well-drained soils and do not tolerate waterlogging. They are responsive to nitrogen (N) fertilizer up to 100 pounds per acre, which should be applied in split applications before planting and about three weeks post-planting. Phosphorus and potassium should be applied according to a soil test. Seeding rates are 2 to 4 pounds per acre for turnips, 4 to 5 pounds per acre for swedes, 5 to 6 pounds per acre for rape and kale, and 4 to 20 pounds per acre for radish.
Although infrequent, brassica crops can cause animal health disorders if grazing is managed improperly. Most brassica-related disorders in cattle tend to occur during the first two weeks of grazing while adjusting to the forage. The primary potential disorders are polioencephalomalcia or PEM, hemolytic anemia (mainly with kale), nitrate poisoning, and pulmonary emphysema. In general, potential problems can be minimized by feeding brassicas as no more than 70 percent of the dietary dry matter intake, introducing animals to brassica pasture slowly, never turning hungry animals onto a brassica pasture, providing a trace mineral supplement that includes iodine, not grazing immature rape (safe maturity is indicated by a reddish/bronze tint to leaves) and avoiding excessive N and sulfur fertility.