Alright, I have a good excuse, this time. We are adopting two young boys and we brought them home last weekend. As you might guess, we have been a little hectic. For those of you following these articles, I apologize. Just hang in there with me. I am learning so much and I am eager to share it with you all.
A post or two ago, we learned about managing through drought conditions. I can't begin to scratch the surface of that subject here. The main point that I have learned in that area, though, is that winter droughts are much more serious than summer ones. It is in the winter that the reservoirs are replenished and the ground water is built up. Without this moisture during the winter, there will be problems. Mostly because the Spring explosion will be greatly hampered with out winter precipitation. This now changes my mostly negative opinion of snow and ice. Although, this is a difficult attitude to change after the 3 ice storms we had this year. And even more difficult for those in parts of this state that are still suffering the effect from last year's ice. But the moisture does serve as a catalyst to the Spring lush, and we need it.
Also in a drought, I can see the wisdom of feeding a little hay, even in summer, in order to prevent over grazing the sward. In other words, the more grass I can leave, the less hay I will have to feed in the winter months. Grass roots are as long as the leaf, therefore, the more leaf, the more root, the more drought tolerant. So feeding hay in the summer during a slump to maintain a few inches of leafy area is a good thing.
Wind more than cold air makes us and our animals "feel" cold. I may need to think of a way to provide a wind break in a paddock or two. There are trees in most areas that they can get shelter under, but not in all areas.
As for the heat, water is a major way cattle cool themselves. During the really hot times, it would be wise to provide more water than normal. Genetics alone cannot solve problems caused by the summer slump. Even animals with heat tolerant genetics will get lazy under the hot sun. The best way to stop heat stress is to provide a small, fresh break of grass. That will get them up and grazing. Once they start eating they will soon forget how hot it is. But, maintain plenty of extra water.
Heat stress is more from humidity than it is from temperature. It would be best to allow access to shade provided by trees, rather than putting them under something hot and humid, like a barn or even portable shade structures. If shade is provided, it should be enough to accommodate all the animals at once. Shade for only a few will create milling and restlessness. Stress, as we know, is adverse to production, milk or meat.
When a cow gets up from a rest, it will make a manure pile. They do the same when they stand to wait for water or mineral or salt. To spread this manure out where it is needed, on the pasture, separate the water and the mineral or salt. This will force the animals to move more and deposit their stuff in places other than in one spot. I have tried moving water spots around to get them to spread their good. This is a fine idea and doesn't take that long to accomplish.
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