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"There are a number of options to manage dry conditions," said Dan
Faulkner. "The best options will vary from farm to farm, but it is
important to develop a plan." One option is to wean the calves
early and place them on feed. U of I research indicates that calves
can be weaned early and placed directly on a high-grain finishing
diet.
"These calves will be very efficient and will have
superior-quality grades when marketed," said Faulkner. "Weaning the
calves will reduce the grazing pressure on pastures by about 35
percent. This will help to cope with dry conditions and should be
done before conditions become severe and there is no grass to extend
the grazing period."
Dry conditions also provide a good time to get rid of
unproductive cows, he noted.
To maximize forage production under dry conditions, Faulkner said
pastures should be divided and grazed rotationally.
"Even dividing the pastures into at least three or four paddocks
-- eight is better -- will dramatically increase forage production
under dry conditions," he said.
There are a number of options for feeding beef cows under dry
conditions, he noted. The first step is to wean the calves because
it is much more economical to feed the calves than to feed the cows
to produce milk for the calves.
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"You can limit feed corn or use byproducts," he said. "This is a
low-cost alternative because a dry cow can be maintained on as
little as 10 pounds of corn and corn gluten feed. You can limit-feed
high-quality hay at about 15-20 pounds per day. It is possible to
limit hay feeding by limiting the amount of time the cows have
access to the round bale feeder.
"Corn silage is another attractive alternative under drought
conditions. Often there is standing corn available on a producer's
farm or neighbors' farms that will not have much grain production.
This corn will produce silage that is comparable in feeding value to
silage from corn with a normal amount of grain. The ensiling process
will reduce nitrate levels by about 50 percent, which reduces the
chance of nitrate poisoning."
Faulkner said more detailed recommendations are available on
BeefNet, located at
http://www.ansci.uiuc.edu/beefnet/.
[News release from the
University of Illinois College
of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences]
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