Cattle Country - June 2022 by ManitobaBeefProducers

CATTLE COUNTRY June 2022

StockTalk Q&A Feature Brought to you by Manitoba Agriculture Pam Iwanchysko Livestock Specialist Manitoba Agriculture

pamela.iwanchysko@gov.mb.ca Question: Grazing livestock on pasture is certainly the most economical method of reducing feed costs in any livestock operation, and being able to graze cattle on pasture longer during the summer grazing period is key. One of the best ways to improve productivity is to implement a planned rotational grazing system on that pasture. It is very important to provide adequate rest and recovery for the plants specific to the growing conditions and to start planning well in advance of the start of the grazing season. An applied research trial at the Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives Brookdale Farm north of Brandon for the past six consecutive years showcased how management can play a key role in extending the grazing system. Fifty cow-calf pairs were randomly divided each year for summer grazing on either a continuous or planned grazing system. Each grazing system was approximately 90 acres and subdivided into seven-paired replicates to evaluate the impact of improved grazing management. In the planned grazing system, the cows were moved on a daily basis targeting one acre paddocks using a single strand, portable electric fence. The continuously grazed pasture consistently recorded reduced grazing days by approximately one month compared to that of the planned rotationally grazed paddocks. The planned grazing system not only created more grazing days with increased productivity, but also reduced the need for winter feed supply, increased the amount of calf gain on pasture and increased forage stand health and sustainability of the pastures. Average Animal Unit Months per acre on the Planned and Continuous Grazing Paddocks at the MBFI Brookdale farm. AUM/Acre

AUM/Acre

Paddock

2019

2020

2021

AVERAGE AUM/Acre over the 3 years

1.31

2.87

1.28

1.82

2.57

2.24

1.48

2.09

1.04

1.21

1.22

1.16

1.07

1.01

1.11

1.06

2.95

2.25

3.33

2.84

1.01

1.05

2.12

1.39

2.54

1.18

2.32

2.01

Continuous Pasture

1.28

1.42

1.08

1.26

voluntarily consume 2.5 per cent of body weight or 25 lbs. per day. The 25 lbs. is based on 100 per cent dry matter. A 1,400 lb. cow, for example, will eat about 160 lbs. of fresh grass per day. It is imperative to determine how much the cows weigh and how much feed is available to the animals, which depends on grass and forage species, precipitation, soil type and other environmental factors. 3. Balance shortfall by looking for additional pasture, selling off animals, and later spring turnout. Identify a “sacrifice” pasture and only graze it or supplemental feed on that portion until summer pastures are ready for grazing. It is recommended that grass plants are at the full three-leaf stage before they are ready to graze. The next steps: 4. Sub-divide the pasture into multiple paddocks to allow rest and recovery. This can be done with a single-strand, non-permanent electric fence in many cases. 5. Seed annuals for grazing or greenfeed for extended feeding into the fall or plan on grazing hayland stockpile forage, for example. Seeding of annuals, such as oats or millet, in Manitoba can be done into the first part of July, pending moisture conditions, for this purpose. If you are interested in setting up a rotational grazing system and need assistance in doing so, Manitoba Agriculture and the Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives research farm have developed a series of grazing workshops to be held this spring and summer. These workshops are designed to complement resources that will be available through a new grazing mentorship training program starting this summer as well. Along with Manitoba Agriculture livestock staff, grazing mentors will be able to assist in the development of grazing plans that will be an asset in determining the best approach for your farm to apply for capital funding purchases through the many funding programs in the province. The grazing workshops were developed with all factors that need to be considered when developing a rotational grazing system, including electric fencing and off-site watering, pasture and soil health and even using diverse annual forages for extended grazing. For more information, call Manitoba Agriculture at 1-844-769-6224 or please check out the MBFI website for more information about the upcoming in-field demonstration workshops at www. mbfi.ca/registration.

We want to hear from you For the next issue of Cattle Country, a Manitoba Agriculture forage or livestock specialist will answer a selected question. Email your questions to Elizabeth.Nernberg@gov.mb.ca.

When developing a rotational grazing system some key points to consider are as follows: 1. Estimate the length of the grazing season by using past records and estimate the percentage shortfall in dry areas. Be very conservative and reasonable. Try to aim to leave 50 per cent residue on the pastures after each graze. Moving the cattle after they’ve eaten about 50 per cent of available forage will leave the paddock in good condition for regrowth. 2. Do an inventory on paper of previous pasture yields and hay land condition and estimate projected yields. Balance this to animal numbers and desired length of the grazing season. Cows will

StockTalk Q&A for Cattle Country is brought to you by Manitoba Agriculture. We encourage you to email your questions to our department’s forage and livestock team, who have a combined 175 years of agronomy experience. We are here to help make your cattle operation successful. Contact us today. Shawn Cabak

Portage

204-239-3403

Shawn.Cabak@gov.mb.ca

Pam Iwanchysko

Dauphin

204-648-3965 Pamela.Iwanchysko@gov.mb.ca

Elizabeth Nernberg

Roblin

204-247-0087

Elizabeth.Nernberg@gov.mb.ca

Juanita Kopp

Beausejour

204-825-4302

Juanita.Kopp@gov.mb.ca

YEAR ROUND

Forage and Grazing

CANADA’S GRAZEFORAGE YEAR INNOVATORS ROUND

PERENNIAL FORAGES • ANNUAL COVER CROP FORAGES • DROUGHT GRAZING FORAGES

Perennial Forages | Annual Forages High Performance Alfalfa | Hybri d Fall Rye Graeme Finn, Union Forage ......................................................... 403-312-2240

Amber McNish, Union Forage ...................................................... 204-264-0609 Jonathan Bouw, Edie Creek Angus ............................................. 204-471-4696 Jason Bednarek, 2B Land & Cattle .............................................. 204-768-0184 Ben Fox, Fox Technologies................................. 204/638/4181 / 204-647-5060

Toll Free: 1-877-COW-CHOW

Ken Van Driesten, Nutrisource/Dairytech/Bullseye ................... 587-727-0433 Michael Mott, Michael Mott Livestock ........................................ 204-861-0319 Joey Bootsman, Bootsman Ag Enterprises ................................ 204-720-8386 Darren Keown, 3K Holdings.......................................................... 204-937-7333 Scott & Darryl Perkin, Perkin Seed & Soil Company .................. 204-534-8137