Navarro County Agriculture update

By Derek Scasta

County Hay Testing Drive Set

Summer is officially over in Navarro County and it is time to begin thinking about fall and winter management programs. Two weeks ago I helped a rancher in the county sample some grass in the pasture and it averaged about 6 percent crude protein. With that in mind forage quality in our pastures and rangelands is on the decline as we head into the fall months. This decline is an annual event and requires all livestock producers to start planning winter feeding programs. Most cattle producers in the county utilize hay as the primary source of forage and protein to feed cattle through the winter. The old adage goes, “not all hay is created equal” and this is a very true statement. Unless you have analyzed the bale you have no idea of knowing how much protein is present. Even phrases like “High Quality Horse Hay” can be deceiving and lack some vital information. With that in mind, it is critical to have these hay sources analyzed for crude protein and energy so adequate supplement can be provided.

The Navarro County Extension Livestock Committee has designed the Navarro County Hay Testing Drive to help producers deal with this situation. Any livestock producer in the county may submit up to two samples of any type of hay for a crude protein analysis at no charge. Additional samples may be submitted for analysis at a cost of $5 per sample for coastal or a legume or $10 for sudan, johnsongrass or cool season annuals. Sampling of the hay will be conducted by members of the Extension Livestock Forage subcommittee and sent to the Extension Forage Testing Laboratory in College Station for analysis. Samples will be received at the Precinct 1 County barn located at the intersection of West Highway 31 and FM 2555 on Wednesday, Oct. 1 from 8 a.m.to noon. Prior to Oct. 1, samples may be left at Williams Gin and Grain in Frost, the Kerens Grain and Elevator in Kerens or at JPM Company in Dawson.

Now I want to provide an example of the how your participation in this program will be useful. Let’s assume that you sample a round bale and submit a sample and it has 6.4 percent Crude Protein and an Acid Detergent Fiber (ADF) value of 42.3 percent. Using that information we determine that your hay source will not provide adequate protein or digestibility for any class of cattle (yearlings, lactating cows or dry cows). For 500 lbs. yearlings you would need to supplement 0.8 lbs. of cottonseed meal, for 1,000 lbs. lactating cows you would need to supplement 2.7 lbs. of cottonseed meal and for 1,000 lbs. dry cows you would need to supplement 0.4 lbs. of cottonseed meal. On the other hand, let’s assume your sample runs 11 percent Crude Protein and 37 percent ADF. In this case, no supplemental protein or energy would be needed and that hay source could support 0.78 lbs. of daily gain at 10.9 lbs. free-choice forage daily intake for 500 lbs. yearlings, 17 lbs. of 4 percent milk fat production at 26.2 lbs. free-choice forage daily intake for 1,000 lbs. lactating cows and 0.85 lbs. of daily gain at 21.5 lbs. free-choice forage daily intake for 1,000 lbs. dry cows.

Winter nutrition is a critical component of a successful and profitable cattle operation. There are different approaches to wintering cattle but they are all based on the same fundamentals: protein, energy and digestibility. Don’t miss this opportunity to plan your program.

Fall Forage Conference Set for October 28

Results from the Hay Testing Drive will be provided at the Fall Forage Workshop on Tuesday, Oct. 28 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Navarro County Exposition Center, Fannie Mae Vernon Room. Topics and speakers will be: Are Clovers Ready for High Fertilizer Prices — Dr. Gerald Evers, AgriLife Research Scientist (Overton), Adjusting to High Fertilizer Costs — Dr. Vanessa Coriher, AgriLife Extension Forage Specialist (Overton), New Herbicide Options for Forages — Dr. Mark Matocha, AgriLife Extension Specialist (College Station), Hay Economics, Result Demonstration results.

Cost for the program is $5 per person and a chili supper will be provided. The 2008 sponsors for the Hay Testing Drive and Fall Forage Workshop include: Texas Land Bank, Williams Gin & Grain, Inc., Vitter’s Tractor, ABC Fertilizer & Supply, Inc., Community National Bank and Trust and Ag Texas. Please RSVP by Oct. 21 to (903) 654-3075.

Extension programs serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability, or national origin. The Texas A&M University System, US Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating.

A member of The Texas A&M University System and its statewide Agriculture Program.