Swanson wants his calves to gain 400 lb. between May and mid-September to allow early fall weaning. The early weaning helps cows maintain the weight they gained during summer. They can be finished at a year of age, he said, which reduces the cost of gain. The cows go onto fall pastures and remain there usually until the end of December. Swanson wants them to maintain their weight on the fall pastures and maybe even gain a few pounds in preparation for the hardest months of winter.
Research shows it costs twice as much to winter a thin cow as a fat cow.
Fall pastures typically include native pasture, stubble fields under-seeded with fall rye, regrowth on alfalfa hay fields, and fields rented from nearby grain farmers. Swanson pays 40 cents per day for each cow pastured on the rented fields. He offers to put up the fencing on those fields provided he gets a five-year lease. Neighboring grain farmers also provide chaff, one of his main winter feeds. Swanson estimates chaff has a feed value 1.5 times greater than straw.