If you didn’t make hay, what could you do instead?
Carson Roberts, Missouri extension state forage specialist, says the consensus in the beef industry is making your own hay is the cheapest way to feed cattle through the winter.
“This couldn’t be further from the truth,” he explains. “Hay is expensive to make and expensive to feed.”
Encouraging producers to think outside the box, Roberts recently shared “10 Reasons You Should Quit Making Hay.” His point No. 6 suggests producers consider profitable alternatives instead of traditional hay production.
He recommends these four alternatives will often pay more per acre than producing hay:
1. Stockers
“Often, you’re lucky to break even on your hay enterprise — especially if you’re a small operation with a lot of overhead,” Roberts says. “With stockers, you’re looking at $766 per acre in gross revenue.”
He refers to research done by Eric Bailey, Missouri extension beef nutrition specialist, that found one acre can produce approximately 350 lb. of beef and with a $2.19 value of gain. If you add in the cost, it is about $200 more per acre than a hay crop.
He adds this approach can be nearly as profitable as crop production in some years. This year, crop production is not profitable at all, meaning that you would make approximately $200 more by running stockers than row crops, too.
2. Custom Grazing
“Custom grazing offers lots of flexibility with very little expense,” he explains.
Roberts says, on average, custom grazing rates are $1.75 to $2.50 per day per head.
“Let’s say a cow is consuming 30 lb. of forage per day. During that spring flush, you’re able to produce 1,000 to 3,000 lb. of grazable forage. Let’s be conservative and assume that we can harvest 1,500 lb. of forage. Divide that by 30, and you’ll see that you can graze 50 animals per acre for one day. At a rate of $1.75 you’re looking at $87 per acre or $116 per ton of forage during that 3-month spring flush.”
3. Grazing Home-Raised Cattle
He says this option is particularly effective for fall-calving herds using excess springtime forage when cattle can gain up to 3 lb. per day during spring flush, increasing their market value.
Home-raised stocker calves are a great low-hanging fruit. They are already adapted to your farm and management style. You can utilize the spring flush to put weight on weaned calves to sell them mid-summer.
4. Cull Cow Grazing
Roberts says cull cows may be the only class of animals that increases in per pound value as they get fatter. Traditionally, the cull cow market is at its annual peak during mid-summer, which is a perfect time to start destocking in preparation for stockpiling fescue.
He suggests purchasing or retaining thin cull cows in the spring and then grazing for a few months. You can then sell in July or August for a profit with a cheap cost of gain.
Roberts summarizes the goal of all these enterprises is to turn that cheap springtime grass into a high value product. These alternatives focus on maximizing land use, reducing feed costs and creating additional revenue streams beyond traditional hay production
“The key is matching cattle production cycles with forage availability,” he says.
He emphasizes these strategies are most applicable in the fescue belt but can be adapted to various regions across the U.S.
“You must have an open mind if you want to make a profit,” he adds. “Things are different now than they were 50 years ago. We can be far more profitable if we adapt.”
Your Next Read: 10 Reasons You Should Quit Making Hay
