Energy Needs Increase In Bitter Cold Temperatures

Jan 15, 2020

This week’s forecast is calling for some pretty frigid temperatures, those temperatures are hard on us, but also hard on livestock.

The animals feed intake increases as they burn more energy trying to stay warm.

Dwayne Summach is a Regional Livestock and Feed Extension Specialist with Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Agriculture.

“When we talk about daytime highs that are lower than minus 20, for every five degrees below minus 20, we need some extra energy. That usually looks like an extra pound of grain, or an extra pound and a half of a really good quality forage.”

Producers will likely go through a lot of feed trying to keep the energy level and condition up on those animals.

Summach says the animals' energy needs can be compounded by pregnancy if you’re into a calving season at that time.

“ We're getting into that last trimester and so anytime their nutrition is compromised during that last trimester, we can actually influence the resulting expression of genetic potential of the calves for their lifetime. So, we want to make sure that we don't short the cows any nutrients at this point in time.”

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.