2017 Winter Forage and Hay Outlook

Southern cow-calf producers are expected to experience multiple years of tight margins and cash flow constraints due to cattle market prices adjusting to price levels below the average cost of production. To combat this, a team of Extension specialists from across the Southeast United States began working on areas to reduce cow-calf cost of production. One critical area the team chose to address was the cost of wintering the cowherd. Producers usually feed hay, stored feedstuffs, stockpiled forage, cool-season annual forage, and other supplements once warm-season perennial grasses become dormant. Feeding during this time period could last for 90 to 180 d based on management programs and weather conditions. Regardless, most cow-calf producers will agree this is a very costly activity and greatly reduces the profitability of their operation. During the fall of 2016 and 2017, six Extension programs were held to discuss the current winter forage situation and evaluate the expected cost of alternative winter forage options and hay feeding systems. The objective of these programs was to help producers assess the potential to reduce the cost of their winter feeding systems. A 120 d winter feeding cost analysis was evaluated to compare the estimated costs of alternative winter forage and hay feeding systems. These cost projections provided a guide to help cow-calf producers develop a cost-effective plan when making decisions on winter feeding. A total of 89 cattle and forage producers from across the Southeast U.S. attended these programs. Participants included large, medium, and small sized operations. Participants completed an evaluation of the program: 90% found the information received to be excellent or good, 86% said it was useful or very useful, 92% said their knowledge had greatly improved, 88% will definitely make changes to management as a result, and 72% will use recommended decision-aid tools. The value of the program information was estimated at $5 to $65 per brood cow, average $35 per brood cow. Based upon the distribution of herd sizes for participants, the total economic return of the programs was estimated at over $110,000.