Feeding Strategies

West: Optimizing late-gestation nutrition for a successful calving season

cwillmore@uidaho.edu — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Cow nutrition remains one of the most important management concerns for producers heading into calving.

South Central: Hay feeding considerations

jason.banta@ag.tamu.edu — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0500

To best utilize hay, it is important to consider hay quality, nutrient requirements of the cows it is being fed to and how the hay will be fed.

Midwest/North: When do cows feel the cold?

wmeteer@gmail.com — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0500

With winter weather and lower temperatures setting in, it is time to talk about when cows feel the cold. The big factors that determine the lower critical temperature for cattle are temperature, wind speed and heaviness of winter hair coat.

Southeast: Reducing hay waste: How to manage expensive inputs

kmason21@utk.edu — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 00:00:00 -0500

With careful attention to utilization, producers can significantly reduce hay waste and get more nutrition from every bale.

South Central: Understanding your hay test report

jason.banta@ag.tamu.edu — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

A good hay test can prove valuable when designing a winter feeding program. There can be a lot of information on a hay test, and knowing which numbers to focus on may not always be clear.

Nutrients, inventory and Mother Nature

troy.walz@unl.edu — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Can you outguess Mother Nature? What is a “normal” year for weather? What do you consider a normal year? Every rancher has an idea in their mind what a normal year entails for their production cycle of cattle and grass for the area where they live and ranch.

Midwest/North: Is it time to bale graze?

wmeteer@gmail.com — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 00:00:03 -0400

Adding nutrients, organic matter and ground cover to poorly productive lands have some raving about bale grazing.

South Central: Reducing hay storage losses

jason.banta@ag.tamu.edu — Tue, 20 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Hay is a major component of winter feeding programs for many cow-calf operations. Reducing hay losses during storage is critical to reduce overall winter feeding costs.

Addressing a beef cow herd’s needs during winter

bglaze@uidaho.edu — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The way in which beef producers manage the tasks of "housing" and watering and feeding their cattle during the winter will have a significant impact on the productivity and profitability of the herd.

Cattle handling 101: 7 strategies for optimal winter feeding

kaydence.michalsky@arrowquip.com — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0500

The key to support your cattle is finding the right feeding practices to minimize waste.

The case for confinement

katie_raver@rockriverlab.com — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 00:00:04 -0500

Even with a smaller 2023 calf crop, we are seeing increased cattle numbers. This means that feed inventories are likely increasing.

A critical profit: Effectively managing late-season grazing

sprinkle@uidaho.edu — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0500

A two-year study was initiated in southeastern Idaho to evaluate non-lactating cow performance with only the benefit of dormant forage and no protein supplementation.

Winter rate of gain and implant strategies for stockers

erin.laborie@unl.edu — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Winter backgrounding systems can vary greatly from backgrounding in a drylot to grazing cornstalks or native range.

Reframing perspectives on grass- and grain-finished beef sustainability

j.prestegaard@ag.tamu.edu — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 15:16:51 -0400

“Sustainability” is undoubtedly a buzzword, and buzzwords elicit passionate opinions. Such is the dilemma of the word sustainability. It is a multifaceted, emotionally charged and oftentimes controversial topic.

4 steps to decrease winter carrying cost of the cow herd

makalelivestockllc@gmail.com — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 15:37:25 -0400

Sometimes what looks cheaper may not be when all costs are considered.

3 cattle management options during drought

baileyeric@missouri.edu — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 14:46:23 -0400

Rain has abandoned us during a vital forage-growing period. In tall fescue pastures, two-thirds of forage growth comes in the spring, and one-third grows in the fall.

What keeps the 'easy-keepers'

woody@woodylane.com — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 12:51:00 -0400

We’ve all known animals we call "easy-keepers" – memorable cows that always seem to hold their own or even gain weight on overgrazed pastures of rocks and cactus.

Formulating a dynamic and profitable nutrition plan

dusty_abney@cargill.com — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 17:16:37 -0400

When people hear that they need to “make a plan,” it can seem overwhelming, which leads them to looking for anything else to do instead. If I say, “Make a nutrition plan,” you are probably going to suddenly decide it sounds like a great time to fix all your water gaps and check the wheel bearings on your trailer.

Is your grazing ground providing the right minerals?

janna.block@ndsu.edu — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 17:07:52 -0400

A properly balanced mineral program is important for optimum immune function, calf health and growth, milk production, and reproductive performance of beef cattle.

Rethinking winter supplementation for weaned calves

kjenkins2@unl.edu — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 15:41:41 -0400

Backgrounding spring-born calves on winter range or cornstalk residue after weaning is a way to increase weight and add value to weaned calves. However, calves grazing low-quality dormant forages or residues need protein supplementation to support gain.

South Central: Testing hay and crop residues

jason.banta@ag.tamu.edu — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 10:51:36 -0400

Hay testing is always valuable, but it is especially helpful when using crop residues and developing diets to stretch limited hay supplies. Before sending a sample in for analysis, it is always good to visit with a nutritionist to see what labs they recommend and what tests would be most appropriate for the sample being analyzed.

Get more out of your forage

zeb_gray@diamondv.com — Tue, 24 May 2022 14:00:01 -0400

The keystone to any cow-calf producer or stocker operator in the past was having cattle to graze forages. Allowing cattle to graze pastures and crop fields has traditionally been the cheapest way to feed and maintain these animals.

Managing for animal performance in a grass-finished program

bruce.carpenter@ag.tamu.edu — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 14:00:01 -0400

Cattle will gain weight when nutrient intake meets metabolic requirements for a targeted average daily gain (ADG). This is true regardless of the feeding method, whether in a feedyard with grain and roughage or in a pasture with forage only.

3 considerations for mineral supplementation during grazing

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 22:19:55 -0500

Forty years ago, it was far less common to provide a complete mineral supplement, yet cattle survived. True, they got by, but is “getting by” good enough?

Evaluating changes in revenue against changes in cost of feeding

justin.benavidez@ag.tamu.edu — Fri, 24 Dec 2021 15:00:01 -0500

It’s no secret that agricultural costs climbed through 2021. Nitrogen is twice as expensive as it was last year, natural gas is about 50% more expensive than this time last year and the price of gasoline more than doubled as well.

Cow nutrition considerations at calving and early lactation

troy.walz@unl.edu — Fri, 24 Dec 2021 15:00:01 -0500

During any given production year on the ranch, cows and heifers are faced with nutritional and environmental stressors. They have periods of high and low nutritional demands.

Feeding supplemental fat to beef cattle

cadra.krueger@alltech.com — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 22:08:07 -0400

Beef cattle have been supplemented fat for years. The primary reason being that supplemental fats are a concentrated source of energy containing nearly two to three times the net energy of cereal grains.

Receiving cattle nutrition: 4 keys to success

dloy@iastate.edu — Wed, 29 Sep 2021 18:21:46 -0400

Well begun is half done. This old idiom could be restated, “A calf well started is half finished.” If done well, a receiving program sets cattle up for a successful closeout. However, if done poorly, it can set cattle back so there is no catching up.

Strategies to improve operational feedyard efficiency

mcorrigan@axiota.com — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 18:51:23 -0400

All beef producers understand the importance of feed efficiency; it’s the ratio of the pounds of feed required to achieve a pound of gain.

A methane lover’s delight: Garlic

woody@woodylane.com — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 15:43:14 -0400

Methane emissions from ruminants do play a factor in a warming planet. But there are feeding options being researched that could help reduce that impact.