In order to understand the nutritional need of your cattle you need to have some knowledge about forage quality and ruminant nutrition. Most cattle in the United States have a diet that is composed of at least some type of forage such as grass, vegetables, or silage. While it can be used for grazing, it is best adapted for hay or silage. Warm-season perennial grass provides good grazing from April through June and again from July through … Be aware that it can cause bloat when grazed by livestock and purchase improved varieties with good winter hardiness, disease and potato leafhopper resistance. Hay for Cattle. Cornstalks are considered forage if they don’t contain grain. A hay analysis is important to determine if hay will meet a cow herd’s nutrient requirements during winter. Cattle fed hay with moldy sweet clover could be consuming the toxin dicoumarol. For example, a mature beef cow in the mid trimester of pregnancy requires about 7 percent crude protein and 48.8 percent TDN. Most of these mixes are designed for the cow/calf producer and those raising stocker cattle or dairy heifers. The beef pasture mixes are designed not only for good animal performance but also solid agronomics. Hay containing greater than 10 parts per million of dicoumarol should be fed with caution. Back to our 1,100# beef cow: after we gave her the calculated 24.2# of average quality grass hay, free choice water and free choice trace mineral salt each day, we would monitor her for evidence that her nutritional requirements were being met (see inset box). All cattle are susceptible, but younger cattle seem to be more susceptible than mature cows. The quality of the hay needed will also depend on whether you are feeding mature beef cattle, young calves, or dairy cattle. Actually, most beef cattle are raised on pasture from their birth in the spring and until autumn, which means seven to nine months. 3. You can enter numbers for the hay you are considering, and it will give you the best value hay, not just the lowest cost hay. For beef cattle, Timothy has been known to enhance beef flavor, and is fed to world popular wagyu and Kobe cattle in Japan. Keep in mind, however, that some types of mold may cause abortion in pregnant cows. Alfalfa (green or fed as hay) is better for calves, younger cattle, or dairy and pregnant cows in late gestation. When you buy hay, choose well. Hay Analysis Guide for Beef Cattle Amy Radunz, UW Extension Beef Cattle Extension Specialist Gene Schriefer, Iowa County Extension Ag Agent Winter feed costs typcially represent the largest portion of cow/calf expenses. Good-quality hay, silage, or haylage meet supplement criteria for grass-fed beef. Nebraska has an online tool called the Feed Cost Cow-Q-Lator. Compare the requirements of the beef cattle with the nutrient content of the hay. First off, you will need to assess your cattle’s nutritional needs. Either mid-bloom alfalfa or grass hay provides an adequate level of the nutrients. Recent analyses show that hay costs between $0.02 and $0.07 per pound of dry matter; usually more than double the cost for the same amount of nutrients from pasture. Unfortunately it doesn’t take much dicourmarol to cause a problem. While the nutritional value of hay for beef cattle isn’t as crucial as dairy, it is still something for producers to think about, especially pre-calving and while nursing a calf. Maximizing forage quality Grass-fed cattle are held to high standards of feed and care, and the meat from these cattle is known to be tender, firm, with good marbling and a unique flavor. Ohio BEEF Cattle Letter. Nutritional Needs. For pasture-fed animals, the grass is the forage that composes most of their diet. Simply put, what to feed Angus beef cattle for optimum growth is so much more than a bale of hay. 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