Is Your Forage Management Compromised? These Tips Could Save Your Bottom Line

Production costs - It has been the topic as of late for Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Market Economist Dr. Derrell Peel. He says to get the most profitability out of their cattle, producers need to squeeze every penny, and realize that better management habits by the producer can often make all the difference. One area in particular, he says, that can easily be better managed and add a great deal to your bottom line, is in your forage and grazing programs.

“I think we really have lost sight of how much hay costs relative to grazing,” Peel said. “There’s a lot of savings to be had by extending that grazing season a couple weeks or a month in the fall, or picking it up a couple of weeks or up to a month ahead of the spring.”

Dr. Peel says that with some better pasture management, perhaps considering different combinations of forage and grazing systems, producers can potentially save close to $100 per cow per year.

In some recent calculations based on the rental rates of different pasture types around Oklahoma, Dr. Peel discovered that grazed forage actually comes in at about a penny and a half per pound. Hay, on the other hand, after considering all the labor, storage and other factors, costs four to five cents a pound at today’s hay market prices.

“Cows are grazing machines,” Peel said. “And it comes down to the fact that again, we’re in the grass business and we have a very efficient harvesting machine in the form of the cow and we need to emphasize and maximize the use of that machine.”

Dr. Peel has explored this topic over the last two weeks in his monthly newsletter, Cow/Calf Corner, posted every Monday to okfarmreport.com. To read more on his analysis of lowering cost of production through better forage management, click here to read last week’s article, or click here to read his follow up article from this week.

Also, be sure to visit the Samuel Robert Noble Foundation online at noble.org for information on their sustainable forage system called, Forage365, available for interested producers.