Add grain to feed for cows under Mother Nature’s stress

By Stan Maddux

Some cows stressed from Mother Nature’s extremes might not be at the proper weight for the upcoming calving season.

John Grimes, beef coordinator for the Ohio State University Extension office at Piketon, Ohio, says it’s not too late for livestock producers concerned their breeding cows might be getting a bit too thin to add appropriate amounts of feed or other nutrients.

He said adding nutrients to an average to below-average hay crop this year can help, especially if wild swings in the weather ease up in the coming weeks, he says.

Grimes says fields have been especially muddy because 2018 was one of the wettest years in Ohio history.

Since it takes more calories to trudge over soupy ground, he says, cows might not be getting enough nutrients in some of their hay to replenish the extra energy their bodies have expended...