OLDS, Alta. – Swath grazing could be the cheapest way to feed cows over the winter.
Long-term feeding projects in Alberta show costs can be reduced by nearly half when cows do the work rather than a producer hauling hay to the field.
Using information from producers and research from the Western Forage Beef Centre, costs were estimated at $1.50 per cow per day under traditional systems and 85 cents per cow per day when the animals were turned out on swaths.
However, costs vary between farms, said Grant Lastiwka, a grazing specialist with Alberta Agriculture who works with the Agricultural Research and Extension Council of Alberta.
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He told a recent ranching seminar in Olds that winter feed is a big cost on any operation.
“Two-thirds of the cost of production to produce a calf to sale came from winter feeding,” he said.
“It is really important to put your energy where you can get the best returns on the investment you put in.”
Lastiwka said the economic crisis created by BSE market disruptions has prompted more producers to look for ways to economize by changing their management programs.
They are grazing longer and have added swath grazing in the winter in an effort to deliver winter feed as cheaply as possible.
“They had no choice but try to address the weakest link in the system.”
He said the most common factor in cow-calf profitability is the amount of hay that is fed – the more hay fed, the bigger chance of losing money.
It may take more time to manage a swath grazing program, but producers save money because feed is not hauled to the field and cattle graze through the windrows and spread their own manure and urine to fertilize the field the following year.
Cattle still waste up to 15 percent of the feed by trampling it, defecating in it and grinding small particles into the ground, but it still remains an economical feed plan.
Almost all the systems cause waste unless the feed goes into a trough.
Bales shredded on the snow create waste when smaller pieces disappear into the ground.
Lastiwka said producers who want to save money should evaluate wasted feed because the savings that are gained may be moot if feed is lost.
Besides swaths, producers may consider bale or corn grazing during the winter. Each has its advantages and producers must evaluate their individual operations and methods.
“The bottom line is, it is cheaper to graze,” he said.
In addition, cows need to go into the winter fat because they lose weight as they work their way through fields.
He said it is also a good idea to know how much the cows weigh so that their nutritional needs are matched closely. Most people think their cows weigh around 1,250 pounds but the provincial average is really 1,450 lb.
