Be sure cattle are getting enough protein for winter forage

By MONETTE TAYLOR | South Central Texas Edition

Charles Stichler, an Extension agronmoist, explains how forage management impacts cattle growth, and in winter, growing the very best forage can have its challenges. -- Staff photo by Taylor -Staff photo by

Nov. 18, 2004 - "Overgrazing is the biggest problem with forage management," Charles Stichler of the Texas Agricultural Extension Service, Uvalde, stressed to the overflowing crowd which met in Elgin on Oct. 28 for the 2nd Annual Central Texas Ag Conference.

Stichler emphasized forage "management is to key to getting the growth of the animals" and animal growth is generated from the forage's protein. Achieving optimum protein in the winter can be a challenge since 42 percent of forage stops growing, so the type of winter grasses planted by producers is very important.

Producers can tell the quantity of protein their cattle is ingesting by sampling from the "cow pies" in the fields. Within 48 hours, the grazing cattle digest their feed, and the forage passes completely through the animals, noted Stichler.

Stichler said everyone needs to "start with a plan." He explained that each producer needs to study which type of forage works best in his area; figure out the best planting date; have a fertility program in place; and know what their stocking rates are going to be for the winter.

Along with these points, Stichler noted there needs to be some kind of disease, weed and insect controls in place, too. While legumes produce consistent high protein amounts, ryegrass produces the best, longest crop in most parts of South Central Texas. Small grains need cool weather, but they do require some warmer weather to grow properly.

According to Stichler, wheat crops had "lots of disease, last year, due to the dampness." Soft wheat is more disease tolerant, he told the producers. While he said that he thought the best variety of forage for this area is ryegrass, he said it's "not always the variety you grow, but the management you put into the growing."

In a handout written by Stichler and Steve Livingston, associate Texas A&M professor and Extension agronomist, several varieties of forage for the area are addressed. They suggest that oats are a good grazing in the early fall, but have little tolerance for cold or disease. Wheat, while drought- and cold-tolerant, is the least productive cool-season grass, and it has a low disease tolerance and causes bloating and grass tetany problems in some cattle.

Barley has good drought tolerance, but lower forage qualities, and "beards" on the seeds can cause mouth problems in cattle.

Finally, while ryegrass is the most popular cool-season grass, it provides poor grazing when the weather turns colder. Rye seems to be the "most drought and cold tolerant," and has "rapid fall growth, but it has the disadvantages of early maturity and termination and being "unpalatable at boot stage."

Stichler explained that while clover is a good cover and feed, it needs a lot of sun to produce a successful crop, and does not grow well with Bermuda grass.

Before deciding on which crops to plant, he suggested taking a soil sample to see which nutrients are available in order to facilitate a good crop, and which are lacking.

"A good rule to remember is that it takes .36 pounds of nitrogen to produce 10 pounds of forage to produce one pound of gain in livestock ...," explained Stichler and Livingston in their "Managing Annual Winter Grasses in South and Southwest Texas" publication.

Stichler said most grasses use nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) in a 4-1-3 ratio. They suggest using a program that uses 80-40-0 at planting, adding 60 pounds of nitrogen in late December or early January, and applying 80 more pounds of nitrogen in early March, if the fields are irrigated and grazed heavily.

Insects to watch for include Hessian flies in wheat, green bug aphids, fall armyworms and the yellow-striped armyworms. Other worries include rusts in wheat and small grains, or powdery mildew.

Another point made by Stichler involved the root systems of crops. He said in order for roots to grow well, there must be leaves on the top of the ground to take in moisture and fertilizer.

"The closer you graze any pasture, the less potential that pasture has to grow," he noted about overgrazing stresses.

In closing, he told producers that even though they were in the "cattle business ... you're really in the business of growing grass!"