AGRICULTURAL
23 | Serviving the winter
grazing without asking critical questions
such as:
• Are the current components of my
business managed in an optimal man-
ner (veld and grazing management in
particular)?
• Which additional management inputs
are required?.
• How do new components mesh with
my current cattle management practic-
es?
• And most importantly: does this expan-
sion improve the profitability of my
business or does it increase risks?
In the end it goes about the production of
kilograms of meat per hectare and to do
it in the most cost effective manner pos-
sible. In this regard a good relationship
with an animal scientist or grazing expert
is invaluable.
WHAT IS THE EXTENT OF GRAZING
REQUIRED?
The above question is not always easy to
answer. We have often seen that the win-
ter is just too long for the quantity of feed
available and often the "pantry" is empty
before we want it to be empty. We have
also seen that feed (particularly baled
roughage) is wasted due to an overpro-
duction thereof. The cost implications in
this regard are huge.
Other aspects to be borne in mind include
the extent of the herd, the stability of the
herd and the retention of a large per-
centage of female animals with a view to
building a herd. Maize, which is the big-
24
SENWES SCENARIO | AUTUMN 2019
gest contributing factor to the feed bank
on many farms, is a good example: will
be it harvested, used as silage or will it be
milled?
The answer to this question will depend
on the individual needs and production
systems, but the answer has a definite
impact on the quantity of feed required. If
you want to round off weaners, meal will
be a good option, but during a drought,
when volumes are low, silage may be a
better option.
As far as the "how much"-question is
concerned, it is important to take infra-
structure into account as well. Do I have
the necessary storage facilities and, if not,
what are the costs involved in renting stor-
age space? A lot of feed produced at a
high cost, is wasted due to poor and inad-
equate storage practices (approximately
10% of roughage is lost due to weathering
and wind losses before it even reaches
the storage facility). It is also not desirable
to expose equipment to the elements at
the cost of feed in the shed.
The most important factor when it comes
to how much feed needs to be supplied,
is the fact that feed intake is the most
important driver of animal production.
We are all aware of the strong correlation
between body condition and economically
important aspects such as conception
and re-conception figures, calving and
weaning percentages and weaning mass.
There are huge variances in intake, which
can vary from 3% of body mass on ray
grass hay to 1,4% of body mass on maize
cobs. Other dimensions such as breed,
frame size and adjustability also play a
role.
Using the NRC as guideline, it is evi-
dent that a dry cow of 400 kg requires
approximately 3,15 kg of energy and
approximately 0,375 kg of protein per day
for maintenance purposes. Please note
that the energy requirements of the same
cow will increase by 25% before calving,
when her protein requirements also dou-
ble. Please remember that in many cases
we farm with cows which are significantly
heavier and the necessary adjustments
therefore have to be made.
Economical maintenance of body con-
dition is of the utmost importance in any
winter survival programme. We know that
winter grazing can simply not meet the
maintenance requirements of the animal.
The importance of a correct strategic
supplementing programme (lick supple-
ments) must be emphasised. Many a feed
flow programme fails due to the fact that
protein and/or energy supplements do not
receive the necessary attention, with detri-
mental consequences for reproduction.
Ensure that your lick programme will tim-
eously address deficiencies. It can vary,
depending on the year and specific pro-
duction system.
CONCLUSION
The most important advice to cattle
farmers is to plan proactively - we often
wait until it is too late and then we have
to apply crisis management. Do proper
planning in respect of carrying capacity
and market non-producers timeously. The
golden rule is to care for fewer animals