I have been at a meeting for a couple days this week. Went to the soils session which ended ahead of schedule so I ducked over into the beef session which was running long.

They were very big on grazing stalks as a way to reduce hay needs but said to provide at least some hay to keep the rumen going in the grazing mode rather than the straight corn/feedlot mode.

Grazing stalks if you can certainly is cost effective. I think they said something about taking them off before the ground thaws. I know my own cattle loved the stalks in the fall. They would be out there now except there is an incredible amount of snow on the ground in some areas of W WI. There are places where the snow and winds have covered the fence posts, let alone stalks!

The stalks reduced hay consumption way below what I was expecting but with the snow cover they are really hitting the hay now. And mineral licks.

They will be calving starting in mid march. I didn't know if the increase in hay and mineral is related to getting closer to calving or just lack of stalks. I do provide average of 5-6 lb of grain a day. That training to grain sure makes about every operation with cattle a lot easier. I actually had to lock them OUT of the corral where I feed them today while I mixed the grain!

It was like free beer night at a Wisconsin tavern! I guess they deserve some cow equivalent of free beer the way temperatures have been lately. I can't remember this many nights with temps below zero deg F for a long time, and this is without the windchill.

Related question - it is mentioned here that mineral intake is a measure of how they are doing on the hay. Are you guys using dry loose mineral or lick tubs or liquid?

Jim at Dawn