Beef Cows Don't Need Dairy Quality
Alfalfa can be a cost-effective protein supplement, but too much protein can be problematic.
Alfalfa is an excellent source of protein for cattle, but rich alfalfa hay can create health problems, including scours and enterotoxemia, for young calves if their mamas are milking too heavily during the first couple months of lactation. If calves are born early and cows are fed hay when the calf is young, grass hay is healthier for the herd than alfalfa, says veterinarian Ron Skinner, a seedstock producer at Hall, Mont.
"We are now selling some of our second-cutting alfalfa and buying back grass hay for the cows," he says. "Our hay crop is 75% alfalfa, so we have a management problem. We bale at night and put it up with the leaves still on, so it's excellent-quality (since 60%-70% of the protein is in the leaves) — and too rich for beef cows. A diet of 11% to 12% protein for beef cows is excellent, but 16% is too high."
Skinner says he manages cows precalving on pasture until it snows under, supplementing dry pasture with second-cutting alfalfa.
"It works as well or better as a supplement than any lick tub to give them the protein they need when forage levels are low," he explains. "A little alfalfa every other day is adequate to supplement these pastures, along with trace minerals."
That allows Skinner to stockpile fall feed and use it to reduce the costs of feeding cows.
"Alfalfa hay, used as a supplement, is the cheapest protein supplement you can buy, even when alfalfa hay is high-priced," he says. "But you don't want cows on a straight-alfalfa hay." One round bale of alfalfa, rolled out for 100 cows every other day, will do the job.
Stockmen in some regions have increased their hay production by going to sprinkler systems instead of flood irrigation, which enables them to grow (and keep) good stands of alfalfa. They can raise 5 to 6 tons per acre, where they used to raise 2 to 3 tons per acre. If a ranch grows a lot of good alfalfa, the rancher can be tempted to feed more alfalfa to the cows, but this can be detrimental.
Dairy-quality alfalfa is usually cut before bloom stage for maximum protein levels, but alfalfa for beef cows can be cut later to get more tonnage and lower protein levels. One rule of thumb for alfalfa is to cut it when about 15% is blooming to get good nutrient levels, but for beef cows you can cut it even later, when more of it is blooming, and still have plenty of protein. A mixed alfalfa-grass hay is usually very adequate for beef cows, with more protein than they actually need, says Skinner.
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