Performance of cows and summer-born calves and economics in semi-confined and confined beef systems

Cow and calf performance in a semi-confined cow-calf production system was compared with total confinement using summer-born calves. The experiment was conducted over 3 yr in eastern Nebraska (ENREC) and 2 yr in western Nebraska (PREC) in a randomized complete block design. Lactating, crossbred beef cows (n = 127 at ENREC; n = 56 at PREC) with summer-born calves were used from November to April. Treatments were (1) dry-lot feeding or (2) cornstalk grazing with supplementation. Dry-lot pairs were limit fed a crop residue and distillers–based diet to meet energy requirements of a lactating cow. A dried distillers grain–based pellet was supplemented to pairs on cornstalks at a rate of 2.4 kg of DM/pair daily. Dry-lot cow-calf pairs were limit fed 12.1 kg of DM/d throughout the trial. At ENREC, cows wintered on cornstalks lost BW and had a 0.46-unit decrease in BCS (P < 0.01), whereas cows in the dry-lot gained BW and had a 0.24-unit increase in BCS. At PREC, BCS increased by 0.03 units for cows wintered in the dry-lot and decreased by 0.26 units for cows wintered on cornstalks (P < 0.04). At both locations, calves fed in a dry-lot had greater ADG and BW per day of age compared with calves offered cornstalk grazing with supplementation (P ≤ 0.03). A partial budget suggests that lower winter production inputs compensate for reduced performance of calves when cow-calf pairs are wintered on cornstalks, making residue grazing a viable option in partial confinement systems.