Using Alfalfa as a Supplement for Beef Cows
It is well past time to consider supplementation options for getting our cows through the winter while preparing them for spring calving. Although down some, feed prices do not feel like they have returned to levels we are used to. Good growing conditions have blessed us with better hay production than we have seen in the last couple of years, so using high-quality hay as a supplement can definitely be an option this winter. The USDA Oklahoma Direct Hay Market Report for December shows (https://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/ams_3095.pdf) that Good/Premium grade alfalfa in 4 x 4 large square bales is pricing at $180/ton while Premium/Supreme alfalfa is pricing at $200 per ton. Compare this to 20% Range Cubes priced at $10/bag ($400 per ton). Good grade alfalfa is 18 to 20% crude protein and 58-60% total digestible nutrients. Premium grade is 20 to 22% crude protein and Supreme is >22% crude protein. These nutritive qualities make alfalfa hay an attractive option compared to feeding cubes.
Using the Cowculator Beef Cattle Nutrition Evaluation program (available at https://extension.okstate.edu/programs/cowculator.html) we see that a 1250 pound cow in the third trimester of gestation grazing stockpiled native range in January and February would need 6 pounds of supplemental 20% Range Cubes per day to meet protein and energy needs. This would cost $1.67 per cow each day.
Compare this to Premium alfalfa hay. The same cow would need 9 pounds of alfalfa per day to meet protein and energy requirements, but the daily cost decreases to $1.19/cow. Both research and past experience has shown us that alfalfa is an effective supplement for wintering beef cows.
There are several points to consider:
- Supplementing forage will result in reduced intake of other forages, but will have less impact on forage digestion than concentrate supplements at higher feeding levels.
- Do not feed every day, cows have been known to wait at the gate when they know that supplemental hay will be delivered daily (Dana Zook OSU NW Area Livestock Specialist calls this “Spoiled Cow Syndrome”).
- Provide supplements on alternating days or up to every 3rd day to balance distance of travel and amount of supplement required even at high supplementation rates does not appear to disrupt grazing activity during off days.
- Dana Zook presented ‘Alfalfa as a Winter Protein Supplement’ as part of the Ranch’s Thursday Lunchtime Webinar Series on October 21, 2021. Her slide set is available at https://extension.okstate.edu/programs/beef-extension/ranchers-thursday-lunchtime-series/site-files/docs/supplementing-alfalfa-ranchers-lunchtime-series.pdf
Dana’s Rancher’s Thursday presentation along with a presentation by Dr. Shane Gadberry, University of Arkansas, on using feed additives and probiotics for beef cows from October 21, 2021 are available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3FvqJ9NoIM&t=1825s
