I regret I cannot be a better source of optimism for producers during this ongoing extreme drought and high temperature weather pattern. With dryland fields burned up, irrigated farms and orchards facing water cut off or wells running low or dry, and high temperatures constantly above 100 and several days in a row above 110, it wears you down.
However, there are a few bright spots and some options and help available for local livestock producers.
Here are a few management options that most are aware of, but here is a refresher: For those spring calving herds, it is certainly not too early to consider weaning.
This option will reduce grass and feed requirements quickly. You could either choose to go ahead and sell those calves or wean and feed them separately.
It is typically more cost effective to feed early weaned calves through a drought than lactating cows. In addition, the maintenance requirements of a dry cow are about half that of a lactating cow. As mentioned, dry cows have very low nutritional requirements compared to lactating cows and require 30% less feed than a lactating cow.
You can maintain your dry cows on pretty poorquality forage without the need to supplement. If you feel your calves are just too small and young to wean then consider creep feeding them. The only time creep feeding is economically feasible is during a drought situation.
Creep feeding can take considerable pressure off your cows and lower their nutritional requirements.
If you still have some grass left and you have already culled and early weaned, supplementing your herd can help you to extend grazing on the grass you have without having to rely totally on a feed bucket.
Finally, if it gets to the point where your pastures are gone and you have culled as much as you can stand, you will have to step up your supplemental feeding.
You will have two options: 1. Purchase hay or 2. Purchase a hay replacement. Limit-fed grain-based rations can be very economical.
However, you will need some hay and unlike last year, there is at least some hay available in certain areas of Texas. Portions of East and Northeast Texas have received good rainfall and there should be some hay available in those locations.
I know despite the current conditions you are an eternal optimist at heart and are planning to make up for this summer’s forage losses by planting grain this fall.
There is no better way to put pounds on calves than by grazing grain, but planting small grains is not cheap and there are certainly no guarantees of success.
Fertilizer prices are down somewhat, but still high, and every other aspect of planting grain is expensive these days. I would encourage you to really pencil out how much you should plant versus saving a portion of that planting money for feed and hay.
While feed and hay are high, the risk is almost nil- you get what you pay for without worrying about weather.
Finally, for some good news and opportunities, we are out of the La Nina weather system and are moving into the El Nino pattern which should eventually bring us better moisture, “eventually” being the key word.
There are a couple of good programs available through the Farm Service Agency (FSA) that can at least help offset some costs.
The first is the Livestock and Forage Program that pays based on drought stage, number of head, and/or acres. If you have not done so, I encourage you to go sign-up for this program.
Another FSA program is the Feed Transportation Program.
This program will help cover the cost of hauling or having hay hauled into your farm. It might make some of the hay in east and northeast Texas, or elsewhere, more affordable.
I am not an expert on these programs so please give the good folks at the Comanche County Farm Service Agency a call and they can explain the program and help you get signed up.
I thought I might try to end this article with a good positive quote, but the best most fitting I could come up with was this one.
“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” – Winston Churchill