Management
Many times , that means keeping lighter , younger cows , as well those cows with a reduced body size , to decrease total feed needs and , at the same time , keeping open the opportunity to add more cows in the future if the seasons normalize .
In an effort to add more options , the Dickinson Research Extension Center has increased cropping systems ’ plant diversity by focusing on crops that will provide forage even if the plants do not reach a growth stage for grain production . Shifting acres to fall-seeded winter intercrop mixes allows the center to take advantage of available cool-season growth following the spring thaw .
These planting thoughts have increased beef average daily gain on annual crops successfully and provided profit opportunity with improved forage production per acre . Despite the need to reduce the overwinter mass of cattle , the center ’ s yearling stocking rates have increased .
The other significant change at the center is avoiding feeding lactating cows in winter dry lots and moving cows to pasture prior to calving . The 1,400- to 1,500-pound cow needs just less than 30 pounds of dry matter before calving , more than 35 pounds of dry matter right after calving and
50 | MARCH 2018 just less than 40 pounds after calving if she milks well .
More hay is needed , more water is needed and more waste is generated . So , the center has taken seriously the later spring calving as an opportunity for North Dakota beef producers .
Think about it : Producers depend on the annual plant cycle , a cycle one cannot change , to grow and produce beef . Plants have a growing season set by forces cattle producers do not control . When producers understand the development of a sustainable forage and plant world , they integrate beef production into that system .
Too often , and to the detriment of the beef production system , the beef cow plan is laid out first , leaving forage and plant production to a later discussion . The beef-first , plantslater philosophy increases demand for hay and other processed feed and increased equipment needs to haul in inputs and haul out waste .
This is a commodity-based system that may very well lack system sustainability in the long run . This approach leads to watching markets : Buy low , sell high . This is not criticism but reflective of the majority of the models beef producers utilize for beef production systems .
But is that the only model ? No . Expandable and , we hope , more sustainable systems are available . Producers need to understand and take seriously the need for sustainable beef systems that integrate production strategies matching forage , plant and cattle conditions to the land .
Including forages into traditional cropping systems can provide the resources necessary to develop integrated production strategies that increase sustainability and profitability . Matching cattle inventory and calving date with appropriate foragebased systems is critical as producers seek later calving .
Turnout to cool-season grass is around May 1 in the northern Plains . Warm-season grasses are ready for grazing around June 1 . Cows turned out to calve in May convert very admirably to grazing crop residue , standing corn and cover crops as the perennial grasses start to prepare for winter .
The system works . Realistically , change at one end of a chain affects other links , complicating the effects of change . But for those who have spent a lot of time pushing chains , why not grab the other end and pull ? Change can happen . Life can be simpler . I