Fall and Winter Beef Cattle Management

Many may think that cowherd management hits cruise control once the hustle and bustle of spring calving, breeding season, summer grazing, and weaning are over. Well, that is not the case!

We have entered a time when most spring calving cowherds are at a simpler time of year. Calves have been weaned and potentially marketed, so the nutritional needs of the cowherd have decreased for a period. However, this is the time to evaluate body condition and match that with available feed resources for the balance of the year.

Fall is a good time of the year to inventory your feed resources and create a management map of which cattle need what resources when they need them. Hopefully, your operation has had some much-needed rains, which have helped create fall regrowth in your pastures. Producers should also consider utilizing crop aftermath, or residues, to extend grazing or feed resources.

Temporary fences and portable water supplies can be added to the current pasture to allow the cowherd to utilize forages that may have otherwise gone to waste. Because the mature cowherd is at a time of lesser nutritional needs, crop residues can fit very nicely into the fall window to supply feed at decreased cost and labor. When grazing these fall resources, do it with a common sense approach! If extended periods of wet weather are forecasted, remove the animals from the fields so you do not create mud issues. Don’t feel like you must use every bit of available feedstuff. Not only is leaving some residue behind a good agronomic practice, but cattle that are not forced to clean everything up will also not start testing your temporary fence as quickly. Remember that the water requirement and the daily temperature are lower so cattle can walk further to get their daily water intake.

If you have high-quality stockpiled grass, matching that grazing opportunity with cattle that need a higher quality feed may be best. Bred heifers, two- and three-year-olds, and even weaned heifer calves can do really well on these higher-quality fall regrowth areas. You may consider adding energy supplementation because these young cattle are still growing and may need to regain a body condition or two after raising a calf. This is particularly true this year, with the short rain supply experienced in much of the Northeast.

If these grazing opportunities do not exist on your farm, then you need to look at utilizing your poorest quality feeds at the time of lowest nutritional need for the cowherd. Cowherds that don’t calve until March or later have a few months of time where relatively poor-quality forages meet the cow’s needs just fine. This allows you to keep better forages that can be fed during peak needs. Spring-calving cows that calve in January or February will enter the third trimester before long and may need to switch to better feed sooner.

Have your forages tested to know what should be fed, when, and if additional supplementation is needed to balance your cattle's needs? Young cattle, first calf heifers or young bulls, older thin cows, and females approaching or following calving should get the highest quality feeds.

All stages of cattle should be on a yearlong balanced mineral supplementation program. Minerals are vitally important to body function, as they allow proper growth, breeding, maintenance of pregnancy, and creation of high-quality colostrum.

Producers must also look at other timely management practices that drop into the fall workload. Pregnancy checking, in my opinion, pays dividends. Pregnancy checking allows you to market cows that will not create revenue next year. Hopefully, you had a defined breeding season that will be reflected in a short calving window. Getting cows bred quickly with your management and feed resources is essential for long-term profitability in a cowherd. Cowherds that focus on fleshing ability, short calving seasons, and maternal traits while creating a calf that the marketplace desires will find greater success over the years.

Next, producers should look at health programs that should be performed this time of year. Hopefully, the weaned calves went through a health program at weaning time that added value to the calves and kept them healthy as they transitioned into the next stage of production.

Many producers will take the time during pregnancy checks to deworm young, bred females as parasites often challenge those females in the first or second year of production. The other management task that may come into play is administering vaccines to pregnant cows late in the fall or mid-winter so that they can incorporate the vaccine's benefits into the colostrum the cows will soon be producing. Always work with your local veterinarian to develop a vaccination and herd health protocol that meets the needs of your operation.

Let’s not forget the bull at this time of the year! Young bulls often need additional feed resources to regain weight and reach their full genetic potential after their first or second breeding season. All bulls should be evaluated this time of year to see if they are still sound and if they are the focused genetics that you want to keep and use next year. Bulls that don’t fit your future needs are much like open cows; they contribute to the operation best with a truck ride to the sale barn before winter feed is expended.

Balancing your forage resources and animal needs and implementing a few management tasks will set your cowherd up for success as we flip the calendar pages again. So, take the time to enjoy fall colors and upcoming holidays, knowing you have done your best for your cows!

First published in Lancaster Farming

Edited by Melanie Barkley