By Linda Geist
A well-stocked hay inventory is one of the best forms of insurance a livestock producer can have, says Caleb O’Neal, University of Missouri Extension field specialist in plant science.
By renting additional acres dedicated to stockpiling forage, producers can improve their chances of maintaining a dependable supply of high-quality feed at a predictable cost throughout the year, O’Neal says.
Using rental acreage stockpiling can help ease rotational pressure on the home farm, provide protection during drought years and offer added flexibility during calving season. In many cases, renting pasture is a highly economical alternative to baling more hay or purchasing additional bales, he says.
“The high cost of buying hay — even marginal-quality hay — can take a real toll on profitability,” O’Neal says. “Making hay comes with its own expenses, including equipment, fuel, fertilizer, labor, repairs, depreciation and lost opportunity. Those costs add up quickly, and most operations underestimate them. Buying hay doesn’t avoid those costs; it simply means paying someone else to absorb them, with a margin added on top.”
Hay will always play a role in cattle operations, O’Neal says, but it does not have to serve as the foundation of a winter-feeding program.
Source : missouri.edu