Same horse, different road
– Garth Ruff, Beef Cattle and Livestock Marketing Field Specialist, OSU Extension (originally published in The Ohio Cattleman)
Have you had your forages tested?
This time last year we were in the middle of severe drought and preparing a series of fall programs to address how to best handle forage shortages. In 2025, we are now back into drought and planning programs on how to deal with poor hay quality as a result of the exceptionally wet spring and early summer.
In response to the extremely wet start of the growing season myself and a couple of colleagues launched a forage testing eBarns project in collaboration with the Department of Animal Sciences. Hay samples were due to county Extension offices by the end of July for collection, drying, and Near Infrared Spectrometry analysis. While I expected the test results to be below average, I did not expect them to be as poor quality as they were.
180 hay and haylage samples were collected across 29 counties. The results (see table below created by Ted Wiseman, OSU Extension Perry County) show that many 2025 first hay crops will not meet the nutritional needs of spring-calving cows, let alone lactating fall calving cows. At their lowest energy demands, a dry mid gestation beef cow needs about 49% TDN (Total Digestible Nutrients). The need for energy climbs to 60% TDN at peak milk production. Of the samples we analyzed many of the grass hay and haylage tested falls short in TDN. Grass hay submitted ranged from 25.3% to 59.0% TDN, and haylage from 42.8% to 58.0% TDN.
With regards to TDN, mixed hay and legume hay performed better, with values reaching up to 69.6% and 61.9%, respectively.
Protein levels also varied widely, from 5.83 (baled floodplain) to 21.7 percent (higher quality mixed hay). Spring calving cows need at least 7% crude protein going into the second trimester in the fall and around 11% at peak lactation.
Keep in mind that those requirements are for cows to maintain body condition. Thin cows at weaning will have greater requirements, as will all cattle during winter weather and significant mud events.
So where do we go from here? Well, we are in a similar situation as we were in 2024, we just took a different path to get here.
The silver lining if there is one is that corn as a supplementation option is cheap, even more so than a year ago. Couple that with historic high cattle prices and shelled corn as an energy supplement is likely the most cost efficient.
As for supplementing protein, consider dry distillers’ grains, soybean meal, or brewers’ grains (if available) as potential options. As I have written before protein tubs may provide some value in supplementing poor quality hay, but are otherwise an expensive way to maintain a cow herd.
It is not too late to forage test the 2025 hay crop to know where you stand going into winter. As it gets to be dry once again, look back to some of last year’s discussion. We plan on repeating the hay testing program in 2026 so look for details in June or July.
On a different note, I am looking forward to seeing those Replacement Female Sale consignments come in. It should be a fun time to sell some high quality bred females. Hope to see many of you in Zanesville for some Black Friday cow shopping.
This article has been reposted from the Ohio BEEF Cattle Newsletter. To view the original article and more, click HERE.
