Winter Hay Situation

Derrell S. Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist

 

The Crop Production 2023 Summary recently released by USDA included data on hay production and December 1 hay stocks.  All hay production in the U.S. was 6.3 percent higher year over year from drought-reduced production in 2022 but was 7.8 percent below the 10-year average from 2012-2021.   Total alfalfa hay production in 2023 was 2.2 percent higher year over year but remains 9.8 percent below the 2012-2021 average.  Total other hay production was up 9.5 percent year over year in 2023 but was 6.3 percent below the ten-year average.  Total December 1, 2023 hay stocks were 6.9 percent higher than one year earlier but were 10.8 percent below the ten-year average from 2012-2021 (Table 1).

 

Table 1.  

All Hay Production and December 1 Hay Stocks, Top Ten Beef Cow States, 2023.

 

Table 1 shows the hay situation for the ten largest beef cow states.  These states account for 57.8 percent of the total beef cow inventory in 2023 and represent nine of the top ten states for December 1 hay stocks.  Hay stocks in the top ten beef cow states were up 18.5 percent year over year but were 7.3 percent below the 2012-2021 average for these states.   Total December 1 hay stocks in these states represented 52.8 percent of total U.S. hay stocks.  Table 1 shows that hay stocks were higher year over year in eight of the ten states, with decreases only in Kansas and Kentucky.  Among the top ten states, Oklahoma stands out with December 1 hay stocks up 96.7 percent year over year and 32.4 percent higher than the ten-year average.  Oklahoma had 2023 hay production up 88.0 percent year over year and up 36.8 percent over the 2012-2021 average.  Oklahoma and North Dakota were the only top ten beef cow states with December 1 hay stocks that were larger than the ten-year average.  

 

In general, the hay situation is better this winter than one year ago, but hay stocks remain below long-term averages in most states.  The current severe winter weather will significantly increase hay usage and highlights the reality that the overall forage situation is questionable going forward.

 

 

Managing Cows in Severe Cold Weather

Mark Z. Johnson, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Breeding Specialist

 

Winter has arrived in Oklahoma. Hopefully all your cows are at a Body Condition Score (BCS) of 5 or better. When this is the case, cows can remain comfortable at temperatures in the 20 – 30 degree Fahrenheit range as long as it is dry with little wind. Adequate BCS means cows have adequate fat reserves to provide some insulation and to be used as an energy reserve. Nutritional requirements of cows can be found in the OSU Cooperative Extension Fact Sheet E-974. Severe cold, wet and windy conditions will drive up the nutritional requirements of your cow herd. 

 

Relative to nutrition, keep the following in mind during severe wintry weather:

1. As a general rule of thumb, for each 1 degree Fahrenheit the average daily temperature is below 30 degrees a cow in moderate BCS will need an additional one percent in daily energy requirement. For example, if the average daily temperature is 10 degrees Fahrenheit, a cow will need approximately 20% more energy. If the cow needs 10 pounds of TDN per day during normal weather, this requirement will increase to approximately 12 pounds per day. 
2. Wind chill and wet hair coats should be accounted for in determining daily energy needs.  Cattle in thin condition, with wet hair coats and under windy conditions may not be able to produce enough heat to stay warm. The Mesonet Cattle Comfort Advisor is an excellent resource to monitor cold stress. It can be accessed at the website address referenced below. 
3. When additional supplemental feed is needed for cows on roughage diets, use feedstuffs which are high in digestible fiber and energy dense. For example, soybean hulls and distillers grains fit this criteria.
4. Windbreaks and shelter can be a huge benefit to reduce cold stress. Bedding to create a dry place to lie down can aid to reduce the stress of frozen ground. 
5. If calving during severe cold, take extra precaution. Frozen ground and severe cold, windy weather pose an immediate threat to newborns. Be there to provide immediate assistance and a warm, dry environment for newborn calves.  

 

References

Nutritional Requirements of Beef Cattle. OSU Cooperative Extension Fact Sheet E-974

 

Caring for Cattle in Cold Weather

 

Paul Beck has advice for producers to help cattle manage strong cold snaps from OSU SUNUPTV on February 8, 2021.

 

 

Calving Interval and Gestation Length

Brian Freking, Oklahoma State University SE Extension Livestock Specialist

 

Breeding efficient cows is usually measured by a cows’ ability to calve each year and maintain a yearly calving interval.  Recently, one of my cows provided a calf on February 14, 2023 and turned around and provided another one on December 20, 2023.  This cow has reached the pinnacle of reproductive efficiency.  Normal beef cow gestation length is 283 days therefore subtracting those number of days from the latest calf puts conception for March 12.  Now subtracting this conception date to the valentines’ day calf only allows for 26 days of uterine involution and recovery from the previous birthing process.  This is quite unusual.  My management has bulls exposed to the cows during a limited breeding season resulting in a defined calving season so apparently there was a visitor during the night to allow this immaculate conception to occur.

 

This example shows that selecting for reproductive efficient cows can be achieved.  One of my main recordkeeping goals is to keep track of birth dates and target for the start of calving season around March 1 which has a corresponding Julian Day of 60.  Some cows will not read the book and can have unique gestation lengths.  The easiest way to find these cows is through artificial insemination because then you know the day of hopeful ovulation/conception and once the calf is born then gestation length can be calculated within an individual or breed differences.

 

Here is a chart showing breed differences in gestation length and age at puberty:

Source: USDA-MARC Germ Plasm Evaluation Project Cycles I, II, and III.

 

KOMA Cattle Conference Flyer

 

Direct link to register.