Some Georgia cattlemen face a critical shortage this winter.
Scarce hay supplies cause
problems now and far into the future.
"There is definitely a hay shortage in Georgia this
winter," said Robert
Stewart, an animal scientist with the University of Georgia
Extension Service. "And
other problems associated with the extreme cold weather have
made the situation even worse
for many cattle producers."
Stewart said 1995 produced normal hay yields in Georgia,
which should have been enough
to carry the state’s beef cattle through a normal winter.
"But the weather this winter has been far from
average," he said.
In cold weather, cattle rely on feed to keep them warm.
Digestion produces much of the
body heat that keeps them warm.
Like humans, cattle like to feel full, especially when it’s
cold. Stewart said a cow
needs about 25 pounds of dry feed every day to maintain her
weight.
Hay is the main feed for Georgia cattle. It makes up 70
percent to 100 percent of a
cow’s diet.
Other feed sources include cotton seed, peanut hulls,
commercial feed, broiler
litter, corn, oats and grazing. These are added to hay and
provide fiber, protein, energy
and micronutrients.
If cattle farmers run out of hay, they must look to other
sources to balance their feed
plan.
Quality Georgia hay will sell for about $40 per ton at
harvest. With short supplies,
though, it’s bringing $60 to $90 per ton now. So many farmers
have turned to their winter
grazing to keep their cows fed and happy.
But a frigid December slowed the growth of winter grazing
crops like oats and rye.
"That forced many cattlemen to start feeding hay until
the weather warmed up
enough for winter grazing crops to grow," Stewart said.
Continued cold has kept winter grazing crops from growing as
they should. And farmers
who started feeding hay early have had to keep feeding hay.
Until the weather warms to 45 degrees at night, winter
grazing can’t grow. Most grazing
crops won’t come out of dormancy for another 30 to 45 days in
north Georgia and 60 to 90
days in south Georgia.
"That’s a long time to keep feeding hay," Stewart
said.
He tells farmers to apply nitrogen to encourage their winter
grazing crops to grow.
Those who haven’t applied nitrogen in the past 60 days should
consider topdressing one
pound of nitrogen for each remaining expected grazing day per
acre.
When the crop grows to eight inches tall, Stewart said,
farmers can safely start
limited grazing. But he warns them against overgrazing.
"That could significantly increase regrowth time and put
farmers back into the
same situation," he said.
When farmers face feed shortages, their normal reaction is to
sell some of their
cattle. That may be a good final option, Stewart said. But
farmers should look for other
feed strategies first.
Cattle prices are low now. If farmers sell their cows they
could drive prices even
lower. "That just makes it harder for producers to
financially justify high feed
costs," he said.
Pregnant or lactating cows need more feed to maintain their
body weight and fill their
calves’ nutritional needs. Poor nutrition now can mean low
weaning weights for calves this
fall.
It can mean low conception rates this season for cows and
heifers, too. And that can
result in fewer calves born in 1997.
Cattle famers shouldn’t panic. But knowing how feed problems
now can affect cattle
production over the next two years is important.
"The most urgent requirement for cattle farmers is to
fill up those cows," he
said. "Even at inflated prices, good-quality hay is still
the most economical feed
source for cattle.
"Georgia farmers in the pinch," he said, "will
just need to ration it
carefully with other feed sources to make it last."
