As we move closer to winter, work in the field begins to slow as livestock management ramps up. Winter feeding/grazing becomes top of mind for many livestock producers this time of year, especially after the last few years of low hay stocks. Managing grazing livestock can be a complex process; interactions with weather, topography, soil type, and plants & animals in the environment all effect grazing systems.
Winter feed represents one of the largest investments for a livestock producer. Stockpiling winter pasture grass certainly has benefits, one of the largest being that it is typically much more efficient, both environmentally and financially, as compared to feeding hay all winter. Crude protein is typically the most limiting nutrient during winter grazing as dormant grasses are ~3-7% CP and may continue to decline throughout the winter months.
Many pastures in South Dakota are primarily cool-season dominated. Cool-season grass pastures may provide feed higher in crude protein as the weather becomes colder (with CP declining more slowly as compared to warm season grasses), but this will decline as winter continues. Supplementation of protein for grazing animals over the winter months typically allows cows to maintain appropriate body scores. Testing available forages (via clipping) is the most accurate way to estimate supplementation needs for animals. Check out https://extension.sdstate.edu/protein-supplementation-options-grazing-cattle for a more thorough listing of considerations when dealing with feed proteins in a grazing environment. Next to protein supplementation, dont forget to consider the appropriate free choice salt and mineral as well.
In order to determine what is available in your pastures for winter feeding, observation and clipping can provide a reliable estimate of total feed availability. Unlike the typical growing season, the only major limitation to estimating feed resources available for winter grazing is snowfall. Since dormancy is inevitable, grass tonnage will not drastically change over winter months. However, there should be consideration to plant health, not simply animal health, as cold temperatures approach. The take half, leave half approach to grazing is still appropriate for winter grazing. Grasses (especially warm season species) can be susceptible to close (short/heavy) winter grazing due to substantial carbohydrate storage located above the ground near the base of the stem. This makes leaving a few inches of grass cover vital to plant health; leaving half also helps protect soils and captures snow.
To best manage winter grazing acres, rotational grazing is often the most suitable option to allow for a somewhat consistent quality diet during winter months. Rotational grazing generally allows more feed to be harvested at a higher (more consistent) quality and less animal selectivity. Since winter grasses are cured, a managers ability to control the quantity and quality of feeds available throughout the winter is an important tool for overall livestock diet management. If properly monitored, high quality feed availability should be spread throughout the winter grazing season, rather than being consumed initially due to cattle selectivity. Moving cattle to fresh pasture even just 2-3 times during the winter helps to distribute grazing pressure across more plant species and maintains better livestock nutrition as compared to the continuous feed quality decline that happens with one large winter pasture.
Creating small paddocks and moving animals from one area to another is more time and labor consuming than turning livestock into one large pasture, but the benefits of rotational grazing are known to outweigh the extra labor. Well-managed rotational grazing systems see an increase in desirable grass and pasture yield, more grazing days, and reduced hay feeding costs. In addition, decreased runoff/erosion, faster drought recovery, higher stocking rate capacities, and long term profits are all cited as benefits of rotational grazing systems (Park et al., 2017; Wang et al., 2016, 2018).
Other important factors to consider before winter grazing include livestock water source, cross-fencing, and windbreaks.
Each of these are a necessary part of ensuring the health of your livestock and a successful winter grazing program. SDSU Extension as well as other listed resources can provide guidance on all of these topics.
Maybe winter grazing is something you want to try this year, or consider a more intensive management approach to what youre already doing. Sustainable grazing systems are not simple, and require much planning, monitoring and management. For more information on grazing management, feel free to reach out to any of our SDSU Extension Range Specialists (contact details at extension.sdstate.edu), speak with your local NRCS Rangeland Management Specialist (https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/conservation-by-state/south-dakota/south-dakota-contacts) , or connect with the SD Grassland Coalition (https://sdgrass.org/contact/).
Upcoming events
Find more info for any Extension events at https://extension.sdstate.edu/events):
- Dec. 1 Northern Plains Forage Association annual meeting and seminars: noon-4:30 p.m. in Brandon. A $10 registration will be charged for non-members (free to members).
- Dec. 5, 12 and 19 Sustaining the Legacy at Winner: 10 a.m. to 4p.m. each day of the meeting..
- Dec. 5 Garden Hour Webinar: 7-8 p.m. (bimonthly). Online program with no cost.
- Dec 6 Environmental training for CAFOs: 8:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Huron. The cost $50 with binder or $25 without.
- Dec. 12 Managing Soil: Maximizing Profit Conference (and SE Research Farm Annual Meeting): 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Colton or you may attend online. There is a $25 registration.
- Dec 13-14 Range Beef Cow Symposium: in Loveland, Colorado. The cost varies, depending on in-person or virtual post-attendance.
- Jan. 9 to March 7 (every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thurday)- Crop Hour Webinar Series: Be on the lookout for updates on our upcoming Crop Hour webinar series that will be offered online this winter.
- Jan. 9, 16 and 23 Sustaining the Legacy at Mitchell: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day of the meeting. Early registration $70 (by Dec/26).
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