9 Strategically Supplementing Yearling Cattle on Cool Season Pasture: Implications for Cattle Performance and Return to Management

Abstract

The cattle industry and its associated markets are inherently volatile, leading producers to search for more economically sustainable production practices. Supplementation with high protein feed increases yearling gain. However, strategically supplementing in the latter half of the grazing season, as forage quality declines, could provide a more economical increase in gain and return to management. Therefore, a three-year experiment was conducted at the High Plains Agriculture Laboratory, in Sidney, NE. The effects of strategically supplementing dry distillers grains (DDG) on yearling cattle performance and return to management were compared among a variety of economic conditions. Yearlings (313±46 kg) were stocked at 4.3 ha/animal on crested wheatgrass pastures for an average of 112 days beginning in mid-May. They were supplemented either throughout the entire period (FULL), only during the latter part (STRAT), or not at all (CONT) (n = 4 reps/treatment in years 1 and 2, 3 reps/treatment in year 3). Supplemented yearlings received 1.59 kg of DDGs 6 days/week. On average, CP (%DM) of crested wheatgrass declined from 10.2 (May) to 6.8 (September), while IVDMD (%DM) declined from 51 (May) to 37 (September). There were no significant (P > 0.53) experimental year and treatment effects for cattle performance. However, there was an effect (P < 0.01) of treatment and year on ADG and final body weight. On average, non-supplemented yearlings had an average daily gain (ADG) of 0.68 kg/d. Providing supplement increased ADG by 0.23 kg/d (P < 0.01). Performance did not differ (P < 0.01) between STRAT and FULL, despite STRAT receiving nearly half (54%) the amount of supplement. Cattle and DDG prices from the previous decade (2012–2021) were applied to experimental data to create various potential marketing scenarios. Return to management was calculated as the return to labor costs for providing supplement. On average, FULL returned $14.96 more and STRAT returned $32.21 more per yearling than CONT. Within economic year, return of STRAT was greater (P ≤ 0.05) than CONT in all years except 2012, 2019 and 2021. Return of FULL was greater (P ≤ 0.05) than CONT in all years except 2012, 2018, 2019, and 2021. Numerically, STRAT was always greater than CONT and FULL. Higher DDG prices coupled with lower live cattle prices caused less return in those years. Breakeven DDG costs for STRAT averaged $530/909 kg and ranged from $268/909 kg to $822/909 kg. Applying a $0.30/yearling/day labor cost, the average breakeven for this strategy declines to $345/909 kg of DDG. These results suggest that strategically supplementing DDG as forage quality of crested wheatgrass declines in the summer will provide similar yearling performance to supplementing throughout the entire grazing season. Strategic supplementation also appears to have a high likelihood increasing return to management.