Beef Tips

Tag: supplementation

Supplementation of Dried Distillers Grains to Yearling Heifers Grazing Native Range: A Potential Management Strategy During Drought

Jason Warner, extension cow-calf specialist and Dale Blasi, stocker, forages, nutrition and management specialist

Maintaining the delicate balance of cattle performance and rangeland health is part of the overall goal of managers each year.  It becomes easier for these two components to become imbalanced during drought, with several consecutive years of overgrazing contributing to long-term negative consequences on rangeland productivity.  While conditions certainly vary, much of the major beef cattle production areas of the central U.S. are in some degree of drought to start the 2023 growing season.  Can strategic supplementation of a protein and energy source such as dried distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS) to cattle on grass mitigate the potential negative impacts of grazing in years following drought?  Continue reading “Supplementation of Dried Distillers Grains to Yearling Heifers Grazing Native Range: A Potential Management Strategy During Drought”

Supplementation Considerations during Drought

Justin Waggoner, Ph.D., Beef Systems Specialist, Garden City

Drought-stressed pastureTraditionally, when cowherd supplementation is discussed we focus on meeting the protein needs of the cow, with the goal of maximizing forage intake by supplementing protein, the most limiting nutrient in dormant native forages. However, drought often limits the supply of both grazed and harvested forages in many regions. In this scenario both energy and protein are limiting cow performance and therefore, supplements should be evaluated on both their energy and protein contributions to the nutrition program. When evaluating potential feedstuffs as supplements consider both the cost per unit of energy (TDN, net energy maintenance or metabolizable energy) and crude protein basis Continue reading “Supplementation Considerations during Drought”