Strip-grazing milo (grain sorghum) is a money-saving various winter feed plan for cattle, in response to College of Missouri Extension agronomy specialist Rusty Lee.
“Winter feed bills are the killer of income,” stated Lee. “It is the highest purpose for whether or not a cattle producer will make a revenue or loss.”
SPA (normal efficiency evaluation) information of Iowa beef producers present the highest 25% of cow-calf producers earn money whereas three-fourths lose cash yearly in herds from 30 to 300 cows.
“Herd measurement just isn’t a giant predictor of revenue or loss,” stated Lee. “Feed prices are.”
Milo is drought tolerant
Anytime drought causes grazing and hay points, this technique seems to be higher and higher, stated Lee. Could is an efficient time to plant grain sorghum. Farmers have the choice of planting it after wheat, however he recommends the complete rising season.
There are solely two weeks cattle can’t graze within the fall when frost/freeze harm induces the formation of prussic acid, which takes time to dissipate.
“It takes a number of frost occasions then a killing freeze to have the ability to graze,” he stated. “Usually, the grazing interval is Nov. 1 till finish of March.”
Some supplemental protein
Lee has discovered the whole digestible vitamins (TDN) for grain sorghum in cattle is excessive, often above 70%. Protein, at round 7%, requires supplementation with a high-quality hay, bean meal or different supply.
Lee has labored with Eric Bailey, MU Extension state beef vitamin specialist, on a balanced rationing plan, and stated a good-quality hay that has good protein worth can work, and stockpiled grazing works nicely.
“I’ve used small sq. bales of alfalfa hay as a complement. One of many simpler issues to do is use soybean meal a number of occasions every week,” he stated.
Let cattle harvest the milo to economize
A bushel of milo delivered has harvest bills, stated Lee, however milo grazed has no harvesting prices.
“The entire price of manufacturing milo with no mechanical harvest prices permits us to feed our cattle for simply 60 cents per head per day,” he stated. “The situation we try to keep away from is supplementing pasture grazing with $45 to $60 greenback bales of hay, feeding cattle for $1.60 to $2 per head per day. We are able to graze our milo and we are able to shave an sincere greenback or extra off that.”
Utilizing milo grain instead feed within the winter requires easy poly wire electrical fencing that is moved every day. Cattle are shut collectively, consuming the grain heads first, and are finished in about two hours.
“All you want is entry to electrical energy and water,” stated Lee. “We back-graze all the things. We restrict their ahead motion, however we do not restrict their backward motion, so that they at all times have entry to water.”
For cattle producers who even have row crops, Lee stated, winter grazing of milo is a “no-brainer” as a result of they have the infrastructure and tools to make it occur.
Fertility stays on-farm
“Whenever you promote a bushel of milo to the elevator, you’ve got exported vitamins off your farm,” Lee stated. “For those who did not graze it, you needed to pay more money to reap it with a mix and truck it, so that you do away with all that soil fertility. By strip-grazing, I am not spending that cash on harvest or transportation, and I am conserving the fertility on the farm. That is a bonus.”
Producers Lee has talked with who graze cattle on milo within the winter actually like this methodology, however there are some doubters.
“It will look tough in these crop fields with mud however within the spring, I pull a disc over it and plant soybeans. It is higher than destroying a pasture, which takes time to remediate.” Lee calls it his “sacrificial paddock.”
Lee started grazing cattle on milo eight years in the past, having discovered from neighbors in Montgomery and Warren counties. But it surely’s not a widespread observe. But.
“One after the other, I’m changing producers, and it is going fairly good.”
Lee stated milo grazing additionally works nicely for small ruminants.
“Sheep and goats don’t require a every day allocation,” he stated. “You can provide them two weeks’ price or better and so they simply work across the perimeter.”
