By Bonnie Coblentz
Mississippi is a significant player in the nation’s beef cattle production, and to do that efficiently requires a lot of land managed as pastures and for hay production.
Brandi Karisch, Extension beef specialist, said the amount of hay and forage needed for a beef herd depends on the nutritive value of the forage and the size of the livestock eating it.
“A general rule of thumb is that a cow will eat around 2.5% of her body weight in dry matter per day,” Karisch said. “For example, a 1,200-pound cow will eat approximately 30 to 33 pounds of hay each day. Growing pasture contains a lot more moisture than dry hay, so that same size cow may eat 40 pounds of growing forage in a day.”
She said stocking rate recommendations, or the number of cows per acre, depend heavily on animal and forage type, as well as soil fertility.
“In general, I would recommend an average of 3 acres per cow throughout the year for mature cows in Mississippi,” Karisch said. “During drought, this rate needs to be increased, but during good conditions, this could be decreased.”
Source : msstate.edu