Feed Less, Earn More

Montana GLCI Fact Sheet Number 2002-01

April 2002
By Matthew J. Ricketts, Area Rangeland Management Specialist USDA -NRCS

Grazing longer and feeding less is key to improving ranch income. Here are profit improvement strategies to consider.

Feed and feeding is the number one cost of maintaining a cow herd. Producing, harvesting, baling, stacking, and then unstacking and feeding hay is not inexpensive. If the amount of hay fed could be reduced, the profitability of many ranches could be improved.

Feeding too much hay can often put you in a bind financially. Producing cattle that wean large calves often means selecting bulls and cows on the basis of what they can produce. This generally means selecting for a larger framed cow and/or higher milk production. But eventually, both of these traits can translate into higher nutrient requirements. If these requirements outpace the ability of the rangeland or pasture to provide needed nutrients at critical stages of production, the cow may come up dry or have related health problems. This translates into lower weaning percentages (the number one economic indicator for a cow/calf operator).

Are we spending big dollars for bulls that over the long-term produce replacement animals that require more nutrients than the rangeland is able to provide year in and year out?

If profit equals production multiplied by price minus costs, how do we optimize production at the least cost? (OPTIMIZE is the key word.) We need to conduct nutritional assessments of our least expensive and most abundant feed source - rangeland.

• Nutritional Assessment Is Key
• Utilize the Forages Available
• Consider Matching Calving Dates to Forage Quality
• Five Strategies to Consider
• References

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Feed Less, Earn More (PDF; 1.5 MB) Number 2002-01

Last Modified: 04/29/2005