Animals – Balancing available feed

The old saying that “the definition of madness is doing the same thing and expecting a different result” could be reinterpreted after the last 12 months of wet weather as, “the definition of madness is running livestock that eat grass”. Some people are proactive and some reactive but, either way, some good gold can be found by critically reviewing this year’s winter grazing management.

The regional Animal Welfare investigators were very busy this year with large numbers of lifestyle blocks, as well as some larger farms, being under their investigation magnifying glass. How did your property get on?

Strategies which most large farms use relate to growing, managing/rationing and balancing available feed with animal demands. Some time spent considering these are good lessons for the coming winters ahead. Most beef farms reduce stocking rate through winter, exiting larger animals and allowing smaller/younger animals to enter. Many farms this year anticipated the crunch feed months of August and September back in March/April and reduced stocking rate to lower levels than normal.

Fertiliser application is used to increase pasture growth and potentially “feed on hand” as increased pasture mass in autumn (when the grass is still growing well). Conserving pasture as hay or silage/baleage is an additional method which can be utilised to improve pasture rationing. Another old saying is when pasture cover is low, slow the rotation down and increase the supplementation (hay, silage/baleage, meal, PKE etc), allow the grass time to grow. An old boss of mine, Soren Moller’s PhD confirmed the idea that pasture mass/height increased pasture growth. Hence, the idea to leave paddocks at 1500kgDM/ha after grazing.

The most proactive farmers started standing animals “off pasture” from early June. This was to both leave the paddocks with good pasture residuals and reduce treading damage. Using covered yards or sheltered areas (from wind and rain) helped reduce animal heat loss and, hence, feed demands. Speaking to the farmers who used these techniques, they felt that this was not their preference for looking after their animals, but that they had made the conscious decision that running out of feed was worse. Frequently, they provided supplement in the form of hay or baleage and commented that the animals were more content than they would be “if they had been left exposed in the paddock”.

Choosing areas which have good drainage for stand-off areas or placement of shelters or tree planting to achieve sheltered areas for animals in winter is a good investment. One farmer recommended assessing your property in the light of the full moon as the subtle undulations in land are easier to decern with the shadows generated from the Moon compared to the Sun. Give it a try and see if you can be better prepared to feed your animals next winter and the winters ahead.