The weather this week is going to be interesting. The National Weather Service is forecasting a couple of nights in the lower to middle 20s for the middle part of the week and the cold weather will be back on Saturday. The drought monitor that was released last Thursday (January 11, 2024) indicates no drought conditions for South Georgia.
Colquitt County Peanut Production Meeting
Just a reminder about the Colquitt County Peanut Production Meeting that will be held on Tuesday, January 16, 2024. The meeting will start at 6 PM and will be held at the Colquitt County Extension office. Dr. Scott Monfort, UGA Peanut Agronomist, will discuss variety selection, and other agronomic topics in peanut production. Dr. Mark Abney, UGA Peanut Entomologist, will discuss topics such as Lesser Corn Stalk borers and burrowing bugs. If you are interested in attending please call the office at 229-616-7455 or you can text my cell phone.
Cold weather and cattle: Here are a few tips from Dr. Lawton Stewart, UGA Beef Cattle Specialist, to help cattle through this stretch, especially for those who have started the calving season.
Windbreak: This may be the biggest factor to help cattle get through the extreme wind chill. Cattle will often seek out relief from wind more so than food or water. This can be stands of trees, stacks of round bales, or man-made structures. Placing this close to the location of feeding will help ensure they find the windbreak, as well as consume the proper amount of calories.
Bedding: Keeping cattle dry is the second most important factor for cattle. Move cattle to a dry pasture for the next several days.
Nutrition: Cattle need more calories to maintain their body heat in extreme cold; up to 30% more. Starting at least 1-2 days before the expected weather, plan on offering higher quality hay or feeding 4-6 pounds of supplement. If cattle are not already receiving corn, do not start feeding straight corn. I would recommend that the supplement be greater than 70% TDN and 15% CP. A few simple options:
Whole cottonseed
Dried distillers grains
Corn gluten feed
50:50 of corn gluten feed and soybean hulls
33:33:33 of corn gluten feed, corn, and soybean hulls
Commercial feed
Water: Most waterers will freeze in this weather. Be sure to check water sources to be sure cattle have access.
The weather this week gives us a great opportunity to discuss cold weather and how it affects beef cattle. If you would like more information on this subject please go to the information provided by Kim Mullenix, Alabama Extension, Conserving Energy for a Cold Winter – Calories and Cattle. Energy requirements are affected by animal hair coat. The lower critical temperature is the breakpoint where we see the energy requirements of cattle change. When cattle begin to shiver, more energy is needed to maintain the cow. Another question is how well developed is the hair coat? As hair coat changes from summer to winter, an animal in good body condition can handle harsher environments. Below is a table that illustrates critical temperature based on hair coat when your cattle have a body condition score of 5.
The lower critical temperature for a brood cow is 320 F under cold, dry conditions. A general rule of thumb is that cow energy requirements increase 1% for each degree that the wind chill is below 320 F. If the conditions are cold and wet, the critical temperature increases to 590 F. If the weather is cold and wet and the wind chill is below 590 F, the energy requirement for a cow increases by 2%.
In our example above, we would need a 68% increase in energy supply to the animal to meet this need. A 1,200-pound brood cow in peak lactation needs about 16 pounds of total digestible nutrients (TDN) per day. Under these conditions, she would need an additional 10 pounds of TDN per day.
Research indicates that cattle will increase forage intake by about 30% under cold conditions. The animal is using most of its energy for increased maintenance requirements. Forage testing is important to make sure the hay or forage will meet the needs of the increased energy requirements.
Mr. Kichler, is there a simple way to balance beef cattle rations? I am glad you asked. Dr. Lawton Stewart, UGA Beef Cattle Specialist, has provided the spreadsheet called the UGA Basic Balancer to county agents and beef cattle producers. The UGA Basic Balancer is intended to be a simple ration balancer that addresses the energy (TDN) and crude protein (CP) requirements of cattle. The nutrient requirements used in this program are adapted from guidelines presented in the 2000 National Research Council publication “Nutrient Requirement of Beef Cattle: Seventh Revised Edition: Update 2000.” This program consists of a feed library, a least-cost feedstuff analyzer, a ration analyzer, and sections to balance rations for brood cows, bulls, heifers, and stockers. This document gives step-by-step instructions on how to use this program. The program is available for download on the UGA Beef Team Website (www.ugabeef.com/tools.html) or at https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B1371. If you have questions about the Basic Balancer please contact your local county Extension agent.
Tips on feeding hay!!
Below are some helpful hints to avoid feeding losses:
- Minimize waste
- Feed hay in small amounts – This will limit trampling and spoilage.
- Use a feeder – Feeding hay in a rack or a “hay ring” also limits the opportunity that animals have to trample or soil hay, and will reduce waste substantially. Feed hay in well-drained areas – Standing in mud and water increases stress levels.
- Move hay-feeding areas around the farm – This minimizes the damage to any one area of the pasture and spreads nutrients over a larger area since cattle congregate at feeders. If you intend to feed hay in one location, provide a footing such as crushed gravel or concrete to help minimize mud.
- Feed hay stored outside before feeding hay stored inside.
When can I graze my winter annuals? The dry weather this past fall has made establishing winter annual forages a challenge. I received numerous calls last week about how to manage late planted ryegrass and other winter annual forages. Grazing winter annuals when they are 4 inches or less in height significantly reduces total forage yield for the season by as much as one-third. Most growers are going to see a yield reduction from late planting. Grazing before plants are well-established and 6 to 8 inches high can set plants back to the point they will never fully recover. The cold weather this week is going to make fertilization and weed control a challenge.
Have a safe week and stay warm!!
Jeremy M. Kichler
Colquitt County Agent
The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension does not endorse or guarantee the performance of any products mentioned in this update.