Dr. Hilton continues to provide his new Indiana clients with practical and profitable advice from saving dollars by separating cattle into winter feeding groups to reducing calving difficulties. Dr. Hilton shares some of his heifer selection thoughts with you in the Management and Reproduction section of this issue. Not only is it important to meet the nutrient requirements of the cow herd, but feeding more than the needed requirements is very costly. Getting the facts on the table about your forages will allow you to match the right hay with the right cows. We have found that in hays from throughout Indiana, the most limiting nutrient is typically energy , not protein, especially if there was any legume present.
Corn makes an excellent energy supplement and it's cost effective too.
For more help with ration balancing, allocation of hay resources or for a listing of labs that analyze forages talk to your Extension Educator. Don't just ignore your pastures while their resting. Now is an excellent time to soil test your pastures and hay fields especially if renovation is planned for next spring. Soil test results will provide you with the fertilization requirements. For pastures being renovated with legumes next spring, overgrazing this fall will reduce the competition for new seedlings.