LEEDALE, Alta. – Feeding cows stockpiled forage or encouraging swath or bale grazing could reduce winter feed costs by more than half, says a professional grazing mentor.
Swath grazing is fast food for cows, Jim Stone said during a fall grazing day in west-central Alberta.
He said sustainable grazing works because cows feed themselves and scatter their own manure, but selling the concept to a tradition-bound industry is difficult.
However, tradition can also be linked to lack of profit.
“Maybe one in 100 knows what it cost to grow a calf,” Stone said.
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A former instructor at Olds College in Olds, Alta., Stone estimates feed costs for swath grazing are 35 to 50 cents per cow per day, compared to traditional systems that cost as much as $1.60 per cow per day.
Research at Agriculture Canada’s research centre in Lacombe, Alta., showed that carrying capacity on swaths ranged from 195 to 355 cow-days per acre over four years. Costs per acre were the same no matter what the carrying capacity.
Swath grazing consists of late seeded crops cut at the soft dough stage for winter feed. Most producers cut it with a swather and the overall quality, palatability and colour remains good over the season.
Stone said some producers are reluctant to try it because they worry about the cows’ ability to forage through deep snow, but cows will dig through the snow if they know where to look.
“The biggest reason people demure is snow depth. That is a fallacy.”
He recommended keeping extra bales on hand in case the weather is extremely cold or the snow crusts over.
Cows do not paw through snow like horses, but they will push snow aside with their heads and noses once they find the feed. If the snow is crusted or iced over, cows’ noses can become sore and they stop foraging. Ranchers can plow down the side of the windrow and break the crust.
Stone recommended always letting cows in at the end of the swath they had finished the previous day so that they can see the feed.
Other producers prefer bale grazing because it is less work than shredding bales.
“Wastage is no greater with bale grazing than if you shredded the bale on the snow,” said Albert Kuipers, manager of the Grey Wooded Forage Association.
Both methods waste about 18 percent of the feed.
Soil samples where bales have been grazed show higher levels of nitrogen from manure and urine. Regrowth the following year appears in dark green strips in the fields.
Sustainable grazing takes more planning. The cows need a watering system because snow is not a reliable source.
They also need shelters because they are spending more time and energy eating than those on conventional feeding plans.
Stone said producers need to watch their cattle because mineral deficiencies can occur. Cattle may need some grain to provide additional energy in cold weather. If cattle are losing weight, check them because it could be something like a magnesium deficiency.
Good fencing is part of a grazing program and without proper planning there will be trouble, especially in dry years. Don’t just turn cattle loose in the field because they will eat all the heads first and have nothing but straw left for later, Stone said.
“Control of the animal is very important. There are some things that work against us more in the winter than in the summer.”
He recommended setting up electric fences across the swathes in winter with a permanent fence around the entire paddock.
The permanent fences should be parallel to the wires. A permanent fence around the field can be made from 12.5 gauge wire. It does not have to be barbed wire.
When installing an electric fence, Stone recommended using a rechargeable battery as opposed to solar power, which could be unreliable during cloudy periods.
“Get the biggest battery you can afford,” he said.
He suggested getting two: one in the field charging the fence and the other plugged in at home recharging.
