|
2002 Annual Report Grassland Section |
Dickinson
Research Extension Center
1089 State Avenue Dickinson, ND 58601 |
Pasture
and Forage Costs of Management Strategies
for
Range Cows during the Third Trimester Production Period
Llewellyn
L. Manske PhD
Range Scientist
North
Dakota State University
Dickinson Research
Extension Center
Introduction
The beef production industry
in the Northern Plains has a low profit margin. A logical response to this situation
is the scientific evaluation of management-practice effectiveness in reducing
production costs by reducing pasture and harvested-forage costs, which constitute
the greatest portion of the total annual production costs for a beef cow and
calf. Because the daily requirements for cows differ with production period,
proper evaluation of management strategies requires two steps: evaluation of
pasture and forage costs related to each production period and evaluation of
the management strategies for livestock production periods as components within
a complete 12-month pasture-forage management system. Achieving reductions in
livestock production costs for range cows in the third trimester production
period requires an understanding of the production costs of common traditional
practices and the costs of readily available alternative management practices.
This study evaluated several pasture-forage management strategies to determine the pasture-forage costs for range cows in the third trimester production period. The pasture management strategy was native rangeland pastures reserved for late-season grazing. The harvested-forage management strategies were crested wheatgrass, forage barley hay, oat hay, pea forage hay, forage lentil hay, and oat-pea hay. The management strategy costs evaluated were pasture or land rent values per acre, production costs per acre, costs per unit of forage dry matter, costs per unit of nutrient, land area per animal unit, and forage feed costs per day, per month, or per production period.
Procedure
This study was conducted at the NDSU Dickinson Research Extension Center, located in western North Dakota. Pasture-forage costs were evaluated from data collected on projects conducted between 1983 and 1999. Native rangeland herbage weight data were collected from ungrazed plots. Forage dry matter yield per acre and percent crude protein data for perennial domesticated grass hay and annual cereal and annual legume hays were taken from a previous study (Manske and Carr 2000). Pasture rent value of $8.76 per acre for native rangeland pasture, land rent value of $22.07 per acre for cropland, and land rent value of $14.22 per acre for domesticated grass hayland were used in the determination of production costs for forage types. Range cow daily nutritional requirements, which change with cow size, level of milk production, and production period, were taken from NRC (1996).
Pasture and forage costs of feed to meet livestock dry matter and crude protein requirements were determined during this study. Production costs per acre were determined by adding average land rent per acre, custom farm work rates, seed costs per acre, and baling costs at per half ton rates. Costs per ton of forage dry matter (DM) were determined by dividing production costs per acre by pounds of forage dry matter yield per acre and multiplying the quotient by 2000 pounds. Costs per pound of crude protein (CP) were determined in two stages: first, pounds of forage dry matter per acre were multiplied by percentage of forage crude protein to derive pounds of crude protein per acre; then, production costs per acre were divided by pounds of crude protein per acre. Pasture land area per animal unit per month was determined in two stages: first, pounds of forage dry matter per acre were divided by pounds of forage dry matter required per animal unit per day to derive number of grazing days per acre; then, the average number of days per month was divided by the number of grazing days per acre. Harvested-forage land area per animal unit per month or per production period was determined in two stages: first, pounds of crude protein required per animal per day during a production period were divided by percentage of crude protein of forage type to derive pounds of forage dry matter to provide as feed per animal unit per day; then, pounds of forage dry matter to feed per day were divided by pounds of forage dry matter per acre, and the quotient was multiplied by 30 days per month, 30.5 days per month, or the number of days per production period. Forage feed costs per animal per day, per month, or per production period were determined in three stages: first, production costs per acre were divided by pounds of forage dry matter per acre, and that quotient was divided by percentage of forage crude protein to derive cost per pound of crude protein; next, the cost per pound of crude protein was multiplied by pounds of crude protein required per animal per day during a production period; then, the feed costs per day were multiplied by 30 days per month, 30.5 days per month, or the number of days per production period.
Treatments
Native rangeland pastures were reserved for late-season grazing and had no grazing during the growing season. Harvested forages were cut by swathing and were then rolled into large round bales. Mature crested wheatgrass hay was cut at a mature plant stage. Early crested wheatgrass hay was cut at the boot stage. Forage barley hay was cut both at the milk stage and at the hard dough stage. Oat hay was cut both at the milk stage and at the hard dough stage. Pea forage hay was cut at both early and late plant stages. Forage lentil hay was cut at both early and late plant stages. Oat-pea forage was cut for hay.
Results
Forage dry matter and crude
protein costs (tables 1, 2, and 3) were determined for a 1200-
pound range cow during the 90-day third trimester production period. The cow
required a daily intake of 24 lbs dry matter (DM) at 7.8% crude protein (CP)
(1.9 lbs CP/day).
Native range pasture during
the fall and winter dormancy period has a crude protein content of around 4.8%.
Late-season native range forage has production costs of $8.76 per acre, forage
dry matter costs of $120.83 per ton, and crude protein costs of $1.26 per pound.
A cow grazing during the third trimester requires 4.97 acres of native range
pasture per month, at a cost of $1.45 per day, $43.54 per month, or $130.61
for the 90-day production period. The crude protein content of mature native
range forage is below the requirements of a cow in the third trimester, and
crude protein would need to be supplemented at 0.72 lbs per cow per day, or
64.8 lbs per cow for the 90-day period.
Crested wheatgrass cut
late, at a mature plant stage, has a crude protein content of around 6.4%. This
low-quality hay has production costs of $28.11 per acre, forage dry matter costs
of $34.80 per ton, and crude protein costs of $0.28 per pound. This late-cut
hay would need to be fed at 29.7 lbs DM/day to provide 1.9 lbs CP/day. The nutrient
content of mature crested wheatgrass hay is below the dietary requirements of
a cow in the third trimester. An additional 0.33 lbs of crude protein per day
would need to be provided when mature crested wheatgrass hay is fed at the dry
matter requirement. Production of mature crested wheatgrass hay to feed a cow
in the third trimester requires 0.57 acres per month and costs $0.52 per day,
$15.71 per month, or $47.13 for the 90-day production period.
Crested wheatgrass hay
cut early, at the boot stage, has a crude protein content of around 14.5%. This
high-quality hay has production costs of $26.50 per acre, forage dry matter
costs of $40.80 per ton, and crude protein costs of $0.14 per pound. This early
cut hay would be fed at 13 lbs DM/day to provide 1.9 lbs CP/day. An additional
11 lbs of roughage per day would need to be provided. Production of early cut
crested wheatgrass hay to feed a cow in the third trimester requires 0.30 acres
per month and costs $0.27 per day, $7.99 per month, or $23.97 for the 90-day
production period.
Forage barley hay cut early,
at the milk stage, has a crude protein content of 13.0%. This forage barley
hay has production costs of $68.21 per acre, forage dry matter costs of $28.80
per ton, and crude protein costs of $0.11 per pound. Early cut forage barley
hay would be fed at 14.5 lbs DM/day to provide 1.9 lbs CP/day. An additional
9.5 lbs of roughage per day would need to be provided. Production of early cut
forage barley hay to feed a cow in the third trimester requires 0.09 acres per
month and costs $0.21 per day, $6.42 per month, or $19.25 for the 90-day production
period.
Forage barley hay cut late,
at the hard dough stage, has a crude protein content of 9.2%. This forage barley
hay has production costs of $70.35 per acre, forage dry matter costs of $27.40
per ton, and crude protein costs of $0.15 per pound. Late-cut forage barley
hay would be fed at 20.7 lbs DM/day to provide 1.9 lbs CP/day. An additional
3.3 lbs of roughage per day would need to be provided. Production of late-cut
forage barley hay to feed a cow in the third trimester requires 0.12 acres per
month and costs $0.29 per day, $8.57 per month, or $25.70 for the 90-day production
period.
Oat hay cut early, at the
milk stage, has a crude protein content of 11.5%. This oat hay has production
costs of $69.17 per acre, forage dry matter costs of $29.60 per ton, and crude
protein costs of $0.13 per pound. Early cut oat hay would be fed at 16.5 lbs
DM/day to provide 1.9 lbs CP/day. An additional 7.5 lbs of roughage per day
would need to be provided. Production of early cut oat hay to feed a cow in
the third trimester requires 0.11 acres per month and costs $0.25 per day, $7.41
per month, or $22.23 for the 90-day production period.
Oat hay cut late, at the
hard dough stage, has a crude protein content of 7.8%. This oat hay has production
costs of $74.53 per acre, forage dry matter costs of $26.40 per ton, and crude
protein costs of $0.17 per pound. Late-cut oat hay would be fed at 24 lbs DM/day
to provide 1.9 lbs CP/day. Production of late-cut oat hay to feed a cow in the
third trimester requires 0.13 acres per month and costs $0.32 per day, $9.69
per month, or $29.07 for the 90-day production period.
Pea forage hay cut at an
early plant stage has a crude protein content of 18.9%. This pea hay has production
costs of $79.96 per acre, forage dry matter costs of $55.00 per ton, and crude
protein costs of $0.15 per pound. Early cut pea forage hay would be fed at 10.1
lbs DM/day to provide 1.9 lbs CP/day. An additional 13.9 lbs of roughage per
day would need to be provided. Production of early-cut pea forage hay to feed
a cow in the third trimester requires 0.11 acres per month and costs $0.28 per
day, $8.34 per month, or $25.02 for the 90-day production period.
Pea forage hay cut at a
late plant stage has a crude protein content of 14.4%. This pea hay has production
costs of $86.87 per acre, forage dry matter costs of $37.40 per ton, and crude
protein costs of $0.13 per pound. Late-cut pea forage hay would be fed at 13.2
lbs DM/day to provide 1.9 lbs CP/day. An additional 10.8 lbs of roughage per
day would need to be provided. Production of late-cut pea forage hay to feed
a cow in the third trimester requires 0.09 acres per month and costs $0.25 per
day, $7.41 per month, or $22.23 for the 90-day production period.
Forage lentil hay cut at
an early plant stage has a crude protein content of 21.8%. This lentil hay has
production costs of $59.69 per acre, forage dry matter costs of $71.60 per ton,
and crude protein costs of $0.17 per pound. Early cut lentil hay would be fed
at 8.7 lbs DM/day to provide 1.9 lbs CP/day. An additional 15.3 lbs of roughage
per day would need to be provided. Production of early cut forage lentil hay
to feed a cow in the third trimester requires 0.16 acres per month and costs
$0.31 per day, $9.42 per month, or $28.27 for the 90-day production period.
Forage lentil hay cut at
a late plant stage has a
crude protein content of 14.7%. This lentil hay has production costs of $71.48
per acre, forage dry matter costs of $37.00 per ton, and crude protein costs
of $0.13 per pound. Late-cut lentil hay would be fed at 12.9 lbs DM/day to provide
1.9 lbs CP/day. An additional 11.1 lbs of roughage per day would need to be
provided. Production of late-cut forage lentil hay to feed a cow in the third
trimester requires 0.10 acres per month and costs $0.24 per day, $7.07 per month,
or $21.22 for the 90-day production period.
Oat-pea forage hay has
a crude protein content of 12.5%. This oat-pea hay has production costs of $95.52
per acre, forage dry matter costs of $37.20 per ton, and crude protein costs
of $0.15 per pound. Oat-pea hay would be fed at 15 lbs DM/day to provide 1.9
lbs CP/day. An additional 9 lbs of roughage per day would need to be provided.
Production of oat-pea hay to feed a cow in the third trimester requires 0.09
acres per month and costs $0.30 per day, $9.12 per month, or $27.36 for the
90-day production period.
Pasture-Forage
Costs
Pasture and forage costs
of pasture and harvested-forage management strategies for range cows during
the third trimester production period are shown in table 4.
Production costs per acre
for harvested forages were greater than pasture rent per acre. Production costs
per acre for annual cereal and annual legume hays were considerably greater
than those for perennial grass hay. Production costs per acre for harvested
forages cut late were greater than production costs per acre for the same forage
type cut early because the greater forage dry matter yield of the late-cut forages
resulted in increased baling costs. The relationships of forage production costs
among pastures, perennial hays, and annual hays are often interpreted to indicate
that feeding livestock annual cereal and annual legume hays is more expensive
than feeding livestock perennial grass hay, which in turn is more expensive
than grazing livestock on perennial grass pasture. This interpretation of pasture-forage
production costs per acre has been the basis for numerous management strategies
for range cows during the third trimester production period. However, neither
production costs per acre nor pasture rent per acre accurately reflects livestock
production costs because forage dry matter weight per acre and nutrient weight
per acre captured through grazing or haying vary with forage type and plant
growth stage, and the variations are not proportional to these per acre costs.
The costs per unit of forage
dry matter reflect the relationships between the pasture rent per acre or production
costs per acre and the amount of dry matter consumed by grazing livestock or
cut for hay. Cost of harvested forage per unit of weight is commonly used to
compare different forage types, but cost of pasture forage dry matter livestock
consume by grazing is generally not considered by livestock producers when they
compare costs of management strategies. The dry matter costs for fall and winter
forage on native range pastures were very high ($120.83/ton) and were greater
than the dry matter costs for perennial grass hays ($34.80 and $40.80/ton) and
annual cereal ($26.40 to $29.60/ton) and annual legume ($37.00 to $71.60/ton)
hays. Forage dry matter costs per ton were greater for harvested forages cut
early than for the same forage type cut late because the production costs per
acre were shared by fewer pounds of forage dry matter yield for the early cut
forages. Forage dry matter costs per unit of weight do not accurately reflect
livestock production costs because of the variable quantity of nutrients contained
within the dry matter and the resulting differences in the amount of dry matter
needed to provide adequate quantities of nutrients for livestock.
Cost per unit of nutrient
is an important indicator of livestock pasture-forage costs. Nutrient cost per
unit of weight is related to the forage dry matter cost and the quantity of
nutrients per unit of forage weight. The crude protein costs ($1.26/lb) on fall
and winter native range pastures were very high and were considerably greater
than the crude protein costs per pound for harvested forages. Crude protein
costs for early cut perennial grass hay ($0.14/lb) and annual cereal hays ($0.11
and $0.13/lb) were lower than crude protein costs for the same forage types
cut late ($0.28, $0.15 and $0.17/lb, respectively). Crude protein costs for
late-cut annual legume hays ($0.13 and $0.13/lb) were lower than crude protein
costs for the same forage types cut early ($0.15 and $0.17/lb). High-quality
forages have lower costs per unit of nutrient than low-quality forages at the
same cost per unit of dry matter. Even high-quality forages with a higher cost
per unit of dry matter may actually be less costly feed because less of the
high-quality forage is needed to meet the nutritional requirements of the livestock.
Crude protein content of late-season native range pastures and mature crested
wheatgrass hay is below the requirements of cows during the third trimester
production period.
Land area per animal unit
has not been traditionally recognized as an important factor in beef production
costs. Land area per month required to provide adequate forage for a cow during
the third trimester production period on reserved native range pastures was
high (4.97 acres). Land area required to produce one month of forage for a cow
in the third trimester ranged between 0.09 and 0.57 acres for harvested forages.
Crested wheatgrass hay cut at a mature plant stage required the larger land
area, and forage barley cut at the milk stage, pea forage cut late, and oat-pea
hay required the smaller land areas. Costs of the land area required to provide
adequate quantities of forage for a cow contribute substantially to total production
costs. The greater the amount of the produced nutrients captured from a land
base, the smaller the land area required by an animal unit and the lower the
production costs.
Livestock forage feed costs
on late-season grazed native range pastures were high ($1.45/day and $43.54/month)
because the forage quantity and quality were low. Feed costs per day and per
month for early cut crested wheatgrass hay ($0.27/day and $7.99/month) were
about half the feed costs for mature-cut crested wheatgrass hay ($0.52/day and
$15.71/month). The feed costs for annual cereal and annual legume hays were
less than $0.32 per day and $10.00 per month. The feed costs for early cut annual
cereal hays ($0.21 and $0.25/day) were lower than the feed costs for late-cut
annual cereal hays ($0.29 and $0.32/day). The feed costs for late-cut annual
legume hays ($0.24 and $0.25/day) were lower than the feed costs for early cut
annual legume hays ($0.28 and $0.31/day). The feed costs for oat-pea hay ($0.30/day)
were similar to the feed costs for late-cut annual cereal hays and early cut
legume hays.
Perennial grass hays yield
greater pounds of crude protein per acre when harvested during early developmental
stages, around the boot stage to the flowering stage. Annual cereal hays yield
greater pounds of crude protein per acre when harvested during early developmental
stages, around the flowering stage to late milk stage. Annual legume hays generally
yield greater pounds of crude protein per acre when harvested during the middle
and late stages of development. Cereal-legume mixed hays have generally not
produced greater quantities of forage dry matter or pounds of crude protein
per acre than have annual cereals or annual legumes seeded separately, because
of the differences in the optimum times to harvest annual cereals and annual
legumes. Cutting forage hays at their optimum harvest times reduces livestock
feed costs per day and per month because the cost per pound of crude protein
is lower when greater pounds of crude protein per acre are captured during harvest.
The pasture-forage management strategies with livestock forage feed costs at
$0.25 or lower per day and lower than $8.00 per month were forage barley cut
at the milk stage, oat hay cut at the milk stage, pea forage cut at the late
stage, and forage lentil cut at the late stage. Forage barley cut at the milk
stage had the lowest feed costs for range cows during the third trimester production
period.
Discussion
Grazing native rangeland
during the fall and winter is commonly accepted as a low-cost, innocuous practice;
however, costs of forage dry matter and crude protein on native rangeland during
fall and winter are extremely high, and fall and winter grazing has the potential
to degrade grassland ecosystems. The cost of grazing native rangeland during
the fall and winter is high because the weight of the herbage on late-season
pasture is only about half of the mid summer herbage weight and grazing livestock
therefore require about twice as many acres per month in the fall and winter
as they do during the summer. The nutritional quality of mature herbage during
fall and winter is about half of the herbage nutrient content during summer:
the crude protein content of mature native range forage is below the requirements
of cows during the third trimester, and supplementation is needed.
Grazing mature rangeland
during the fall and winter can have negative economic consequences beyond the
fall and winter because the practice can remove or damage fall growth and other
leaf material that the grass plant depends on to survive the winter and resume
growth the next spring. Perennial grasses are perpetuated primarily through
vegetative reproduction by tillering rather than through sexual reproduction.
Very few perennial grasses grow from seed in established grasslands. Perennial
grasses start growth of next year's plants in late summer or early fall, during
winter hardening, the process of physiological preparation for the winter season.
Warm-season grasses produce a relatively large bud but suspend additional growth
until the next spring. Cool-season grasses produce tillers with one and a half
to four leaves.
Fall tillers grow from
axillary buds on the crowns of perennial grass species between mid August and
the end of the active growing season and remain viable over the winter. These
fall tillers continue growth as lead tillers the following spring, producing
a high proportion of that season's herbage. After the lead tillers have flowered,
secondary tillers can grow from axillary buds.
During the later portion
of the growing season, the grass plant population consists of mature lead tillers,
secondary tillers, and fall tillers. Mature lead tillers that are near the completion
of their life cycle and secondary tillers that have developed seed heads will
not overwinter but will progress through a natural aging process called senescence.
During this aging process, the cell components of the aboveground structures
are translocated to belowground structures. The translocation of cell contents
reduces the nutritional quality and the weight of the herbage. The nutritional
quality of mature herbage during fall decreases to about 4.8% crude protein.
The weight of the herbage is about 40% to 60% of the herbage weight during mid
summer. Secondary tillers that have not entered the sexually reproductive stage
and fall tillers will overwinter. These tillers retain active leaf material
until the end of the growing season, when the chlorophyll fades and the leaves
lose their green color, appearing brown like the leaves of lead tillers that
have completed their growth cycle.
Perennial grasses remain
alive and maintain physiological processes throughout the year, even during
the winter. Winter dormancy for perennial grasses is not a period of total inactivity
but a period of reduced biological activity. The crown, some portions of the
root system, and some leaf tissue remain active by using stored carbohydrates.
Winter survival and spring regrowth of secondary tillers and fall tillers depend
on the plant's having adequate carbohydrate reserves.
The quantity of carbohydrates
stored during the winter hardening process is closely related to the amount
of active leaf material on each tiller. Tillers with abundant leaf area during
late summer and early fall can store adequate quantities of carbohydrates to
survive the winter and produce robust leaves the following spring. Generally,
the greater the number of active leaves on tillers during the fall, the more
robust the plants will be the following spring. Heavy grazing of grasslands
during August to mid October removes sufficient leaf material from secondary
and fall tillers that quantities of carbohydrates stored will be low. Tillers
with low carbohydrate reserves may not survive until spring. It is suspected
that fall tillers with fewer than one and a half leaves may be unable to store
adequate carbohydrate reserves to survive the winter. Plants that have low carbohydrate
reserves and survive the dormancy period produce tillers with reduced height
and weight.
The rate at which plants
respire, or use, stored carbohydrates during the winter is affected by the amount
of insulation standing plant material and snow provide from the cold winter
air temperatures. The greater the amount of insulation, the more slowly the
plant draws on its carbohydrate reserves. When the standing herbage on a grassland
is grazed short and most of the snow is blown off, very rapid respiration can
occur and deplete carbohydrate reserves before spring, causing plant death called
"winter kill".
On tillers that have overwintered,
the leaf portions with intact cell walls can regreen early in the spring. The
leaf portions with ruptured cell walls remain brown. The surviving leaves, with
their brown tops and green bases, are most obvious soon after the snow melts.
When the current year's early leaf growth has been exposed for several hours
to air temperatures below 28oF, it may have large dry portions and
appear similar to overwintering leaves. The green portion of the overwintered
leaves provides photosynthetic products that, in combination with remaining
stored carbohydrates, support the development and growth of new leaves and roots.
The robustness of spring growth in plants that overwinter is dependent on the
amount of surviving leaf area.
Removal of the leaf area
of the overwintering tillers by grazing during fall or winter deprives developing
tillers of a major source of nutrients, increases the demand on low levels of
carbohydrate reserves, and results in reduced leaf production. Reductions in
leaf height for the major graminoids during the succeeding growing season range
from 17% to 43%, and the contribution of herbage weight to the ecosystem biomass
is greatly reduced.
The common assumption that
grazing perennial grasses after they turn brown following a hard frost will
not harm grass plants guides numerous fall and winter grazing practices. This
popular belief is not consistent with the biology of grass growth and should
not be used as a foundation for grazing management decisions because of the
resulting reductions in grass production and increases in pasture-forage costs
the following year. Management strategies coordinated with the biological requirements
of grass plants promote vigorous growth of the plants and efficient capture
of forage dry matter and nutrients produced. These characteristics result in
considerable reductions in pasture-forage costs for cows and calves.
Feeding low-cost harvested
forages is an economically and ecologically sound alternative to grazing livestock
on fall and winter native range pasture. Harvested forages are usually viewed
as expensive feeds because the production costs per acre are greater than pasture
rent per acre and a high percentage of the harvested-forage production costs
consist of labor and equipment costs. Some harvested forages are expensive,
but not all harvested forages are high-cost feeds. Harvested forages cut at
plant stages that yield great amounts of dry matter and low amounts of crude
protein per acre have high costs per unit of nutrient and are generally expensive
forages that increase livestock production costs. However, harvested forages
cut at plant stages that yield greater amounts of crude protein per acre have
lower costs per unit of nutrient and are relatively low-cost forages that help
reduce livestock production costs. Early crested wheatgrass, early forage barley,
early oat hay, late pea forage, late forage lentil, and oat-pea hay have crude
protein costs below $0.25/lb and feed costs below $0.62/day. Use of these forages
should help reduce livestock production costs so that profit margins are positive
even when calves are sold at $0.70/lb.
Conclusion
The traditional pasture-forage
management strategies used in the Northern Plains were developed during the
era of low-performance livestock. During the past several decades the type of
livestock in the region has shifted to a fast-growing, high-performance animal,
but pasture-forage management strategies have not been adjusted to take full
advantage of the livestock's genetic potential. The use of slightly modified
low-performance pasture-forage management strategies with high-performance livestock
results in calves with weaning weights below potential and in high annual expenses
for cow maintenance.
Attempts to produce high-performance
livestock by using traditional low-performance management strategies have led
to high production costs and low profit margins. Evaluation of production costs
and profit margins from total cash expenses and cash receipts or from the information
included on income tax and bank loan forms may be adequate to determine the
financial status of a livestock operation, but these financial records do not
provide adequate information for the evaluation of the effectiveness of specific
pasture-forage management strategies. Traditional comparisons of pasture or
land rent values, forage production costs per acre, and forage dry matter bulk
weight costs do not accurately reflect livestock production costs and the effectiveness
of pasture-forage management strategies.
High-performance pasture-forage
management strategies combine pasture and forage types so that herbage production
curves and nutritional quality curves coordinate with the twelve-month dietary
quantity and quality requirement curves of cow production periods. High-performance
pasture-forage management strategies meet the nutritional requirements of high-performance
livestock during the entire year at low costs per unit of saleable product.
Evaluation of the effectiveness of management strategies in reducing livestock
production costs can be accomplished through comparisons of costs per unit of
nutrient; land area per animal unit; forage feed costs per day, per month, or
per production period; and costs per pound of calf weight gain. Implementation
of high-performance pasture-forage management strategies will result in improved
livestock weight performance, reduced livestock production costs, and increased
profit margins.
Acknowledgment
I am grateful to Amy M.
Kraus for assistance in the preparation of this manuscript. I am grateful to
Sheri Schneider for assistance in production of this manuscript and for development
of the tables.
Literature
Cited
Manske, L.L., and
P.M. Carr. 2000. Determination of costs of harvested forage types to
help reduce beef production costs. NDSU Dickinson Research Extension Center.
Range Research Report DREC 00-1029. Dickinson, North Dakota. 18p.
National Research Council. 1996. Nutrient requirements of beef cattle. 7th rev. ed. National Academy Press, Washington, DC.
Tables and Figures
| Table 2. Forage costs of annual cereal management strategies for range cows during the third trimester production period. | ||||||
 |
|
Forage
Barley Hay |
Forage
Barley Hay |
Oat
Hay
|
Oat
Hay
|
|
| Growth Stage |
|
Milk
|
Hard
Dough
|
Milk
|
Hard
Dough
|
|
| Herbage Weight |
lb/ac
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Forage DM Weight |
lb/ac
|
4733
|
5133
|
4667
|
5667
|
|
| Costs/Acre |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Land Rent |
$
|
22.07
|
22.07
|
22.07
|
22.07
|
|
Custom Work |
$
|
16.08
|
16.08
|
16.08
|
16.08
|
|
Seed Cost |
$
|
4.69
|
4.69
|
6.00
|
6.00
|
|
Baling Costs |
$
|
25.37
|
27.51
|
25.02
|
30.38
|
| Production Costs |
$/ac
|
68.21
|
70.35
|
69.17
|
74.53
|
|
| Forage DM Costs |
$/ton
|
28.80
|
27.40
|
29.60
|
26.40
|
|
| Land Area/Month |
ac
|
0.09
|
0.12
|
0.11
|
0.13
|
|
| Land Area/Period |
ac
|
0.28
|
0.36
|
0.32
|
0.38
|
|
| Land Costs/Month |
$/month
|
2.06
|
2.67
|
2.35
|
2.80
|
|
| Land Costs/Period |
$/period
|
6.18
|
8.01
|
7.06
|
8.39
|
|
| Feed Costs/Day |
$/day
|
0.21
|
0.29
|
0.25
|
0.32
|
|
| Feed Costs/Month |
$/month
|
6.41
|
8.57
|
7.41
|
9.69
|
|
| Feed Costs/Period |
$/period
|
19.25
|
25.70
|
22.23
|
29.07
|
|
| Crude Protein |
%
|
13.0
|
9.2
|
11.5
|
7.8
|
|
| Crude Protein Yield |
lb/ac
|
606
|
468
|
535
|
435
|
|
| Crude Protein Cost |
$/lb
|
0.11
|
0.15
|
0.13
|
0.17
|
|
| Table 3. Forage costs of annual legume management strategies for range cows during the third trimester production period. | |||||||
|
|
Pea
Forage Hay |
Pea
Forage Hay |
Forage
Lentil Hay |
Forage
Lentil Hay |
Oat-Pea
Hay |
|
| Growth Stage |
|
Early
|
Late
|
Early
|
Late
|
|
|
| Herbage Weight |
lb/ac
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Forage DM Weight |
lb/ac
|
2800
|
4650
|
1667
|
3867
|
5143
|
|
| Costs/Acre |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Land Rent |
$
|
22.07
|
22.07
|
22.07
|
22.07
|
22.07
|
|
Custom Work |
$
|
16.08
|
16.08
|
16.08
|
16.08
|
16.08
|
|
Seed Cost |
$
|
23.80
|
23.80
|
12.60
|
12.60
|
29.80
|
|
Baling Costs |
$
|
15.01
|
24.92
|
8.94
|
20.73
|
27.57
|
| Production Costs |
$/ac
|
79.96
|
86.87
|
59.69
|
71.48
|
95.52
|
|
| Forage DM Costs |
$/ton
|
55.00
|
37.40
|
71.60
|
37.00
|
37.20
|
|
| Land Area/Month |
ac
|
0.11
|
0.09
|
0.16
|
0.10
|
0.09
|
|
| Land Area/Period |
ac
|
0.32
|
0.26
|
0.47
|
0.30
|
0.26
|
|
| Land Cost/Month |
$/month
|
2.39
|
1.91
|
3.46
|
2.21
|
1.91
|
|
| Land Costs/Period |
$/period
|
7.16
|
5.74
|
10.37
|
6.62
|
5.74
|
|
| Feed Costs/Day |
$/day
|
0.28
|
0.25
|
0.31
|
0.24
|
0.30
|
|
| Feed Costs/Month |
$/month
|
8.34
|
7.41
|
9.42
|
7.07
|
9.12
|
|
| Feed Costs/Period |
$/period
|
25.02
|
22.23
|
28.27
|
21.22
|
27.36
|
|
| Crude Protein |
%
|
18.9
|
14.4
|
21.8
|
14.7
|
12.5
|
|
| Crude Protein Yield |
lb/ac
|
526
|
685
|
361
|
567
|
611
|
|
| Crude Protein Cost |
$/lb
|
0.15
|
0.13
|
0.17
|
0.13
|
0.15
|
|
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