By this point in the season, nearly every cattle producer has rolled out a bale or opened up the silage pile. With feed already put up, there’s no changing what’s in inventory, but there is an opportunity to evaluate what you have and build a forage feeding strategy that makes the most of it.
We often talk about alternative feed sources and the role they can play in crop rotations. Because many of these feeds aren’t considered “mainstream,” it’s common for producers to be less familiar with ideal harvest timing, storage methods, and feeding strategies. Making sure these feedstuffs meet both palatability and nutritional requirements for the class of livestock being fed is critical. Let’s look at some common forages you may have on hand and how to best utilize them.
Dry Hay: Long-Stem Grasses
If you put up dry hay from long-stem grasses such as millet, sudangrass, triticale, or oats, there are ways to improve how effectively that feed is used. These crops are often high-yielding and can offer respectable feed quality, but their coarse stalks can reduce palatability and increase waste.
Generally, the larger the animal, the better it handles coarse forage. As a result, these hays are best suited for the mature cow herd, particularly during mid- to late-gestation when nutritional requirements are more moderate. Running these forages through a hay grinder or bale processor can further reduce waste and improve intake. If these feeds are incorporated into a calf ration, particle size must be reduced to ensure full consumption.
Wet Forages and Silage
Wet feed piles may include corn or sorghum silage, earlage, oatlage, pea-oatlage, or haylage from various cereal grains. These forages typically increase ration palatability and intake. And because they’re harvested with grain, they also contribute additional energy on an as-fed basis.
The higher the grain content, the more effective the silage will be for promoting gain. Proper nutrient analysis and ration balancing are essential to ensure the correct feeding rate for each class of livestock. Once a ration is established, careful management of the silage pile (maintaining face integrity, minimizing exposure, and preventing spoilage) is key to preserving feed quality and reducing losses.
Baleage Management
Wrapped baleage requires the most attention during feeding. Many producers rely on baleage for forages that don’t cure well, including alfalfa, rye, millets, and diverse cover crop blends. These bales typically contain 40 – 60% moisture, which significantly impacts both feeding rates and management practices.
When feeding whole baleage bales free-choice, ensure they can be consumed within three to four days. Heating and spoilage occur more rapidly with higher moisture content, larger stem size, and warmer temperatures. Managing these factors and limiting the amount of time bales are exposed will help maintain a high-quality, palatable feed.
While winter feeding can feel repetitive, it’s also an ideal time to reflect on how each forage was managed from planting through harvest and how it fits into the broader feeding program. Feeding strategies should adapt to your forage inventory, and the most effective forage plans consider both the agronomic and livestock elements that are unique to your operation.
