Page 64 - Winter2010

A SHORT COURSE IN COW MANAGEMENT

• Do everything you can to get the livestock healthy and comfortable. Whether she harvests her own forages or you
harvest and store the feed for her, quality forages and cow comfort are the key to healthy, productive cows and
profitable, successful dairying.

• Cow science is cow science, whether you graze or store feeds, are organic or not. you cannot violate the principles
of the cow. If the parameters are violated—which in most circumstances means the dry cow is getting an excess of
potassium, nitrogen, or protein and a lactating cow is deficient in some nutrient—train wrecks occur. The challenges
are balancing nitrogen, digestibility and energy for the cow’s diet, and getting her comfortable and stress free.

• Ration balancing is difficult with grazing. Common sense and “eye” of the master are essential.

• Grazing is a less expensive way to harvest, plus it eliminates molds and provides fresh vitamins and exercise. Cows
are designed to eat forages. Have a minimum of 65 percent of the diet as forages.

• Grass-based cow genetics are key to efficiently producing milk in a pasture-based operation.

• Quality protein, energy, minerals, vitamins, and effective fiber are essential in forages but whatever is missing from
your forages is what needs to be supplemented to the cows. Starting nutrition in the soils can improve forage quality
over time, but you have to earn the right to not supplement the cows.

• Free-choicing minerals is another good idea. This is not in place of trying to add minerals known to be short in the
soil and feed, like calcium, magnesium and trace minerals. The minimum free-choice mineral program starts with
a good, natural salt (we also like to free-choice kelp alone or mixed 50/50 with salt), a 1:1 mineral, a high calcium
mineral like CharCal and finally, a buffer. We also use a montmorillonite clay called Dynamin.
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• Adding carbon to the cow diet (dried molasses, some grain, plant charcoals, CharCal ) helps absorb extra free rumen
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nitrogen. Also make sure sulfur is used in soil fertility programs for quality proteins.
• Corn silage and good “dry” hay help match high-protein, low-fiber, high-moisture, out-of-balance forages and early
spring pasture growth. Place a bale or two of hay in the fields during the period of lush green grass.

• Milk cow feed and dry cow feed are not the same. Grow special forages for each group. Get an excellent dry cow
program in place in order to rebuild the cow. If you don’t have low-potassium, “good” grassy hay, buy it. It’s your
cheapest investment of the year.

• Feeding the extras—vitamins, selenium (in many areas), yeast, kelp, direct-fed microbials—is certainly beneficial for
many farms. your job is to do everything you can to get that cow healthy and comfortable. Some additions don’t
have immediate visible paybacks, but health and breeding improve when the whole program is implemented.

• Water is essential: clean, fresh and available in adequate amounts.

• Our ration: We have one total mixed ration (TMR) for the whole herd, and in addition offer free choice minerals.
Due to our forages’ higher protein content, we haven’t used much supplemented protein for many years. Corn
silage does fit our program to help lower total protein and some of the minerals. Our ration this winter was about
twenty-five pounds corn silage as is, fifteen pounds high moisture shell corn, a couple pounds of dry hay and the
rest a mix of the haylage bales. Free choice the cows get a mineral balance mix, some charcoal, yeast, kelp, direct
fed microbials, enzymes and vitamins. Our summer ration keeps the corn silage and grain levels similar but we may
supplement oats and other small grains for some of the corn. We graze as much as possible starting with cereal ryes
in the spring then move on to established pasture, summer annuals, and new seedings and ending in the fall with
oats, peas and brassicas. We do use some straw, dry hay or dry baleage in the TMR for effective fiber.

64 Wise Traditions WINTER 2010

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