A Reason to Quit Feeding Grain to Our Cattle

We recently had some problems with our John Deere 24T baler and a field full of hay. We didn't get to make the hay, so I had to buy some to make up for the loss. In order to pay for the hay, in-farm, I decided that I was just going to quit feeding the cattle their sweet feed ration that I give them each day. I had toyed with the idea in the past, because many folks will say that the cattle are ruminants and just don't need any grain, but it's hard to break with tradition.

So basically this hay loss gave me the impetus to try something that I was unwilling to try in the past. The cows were not real happy with me for about a week and gave me a mooing more than usual, but they seem fine and have pretty much given up on coercing a feeding from me. 

I did add a selenium/trace minerals salt block to the field in addition to the cheaper - just trace minerals block that was already out there. This is because we have two cows who are nursing their calves. There are minerals in their feed which is a mix of corn, soy, oats, molasses and mineral, so I wanted to compensate for them with the new salt block.

I have been gving out at bit of the feed that I have left to them, about half of their usual scoop a-piece ration, but not every day. I am just using it as a come when I call type of thing, because if I call, they come, which is a nice thing. So I probably will keep some on hand for that purpose.

I know that grass-fed operations have strict guidelines for what their cattle can eat because some of their customers will not eat beef that has been fed grain. My philosopy on this has been that my cattle are mostly grass and hay fed, and that a little bit of grain is good for them. This was the way my grandfather fed his cattle. I think that this is a lot different from feed lots or farmers who bring their cattle in off of the grass and feed them nothing but large quantities of corn and/or other grains etc... to fatten them up for market. It think that is where the grain-feeding may cause some issues.

I also need to think about winter and their grain ration. Some of the farmers I know say that the cattle need a bit of grain each day in the winter. This I will need to research. However, if this works out, I will be saving a lot of money, because feed is my single-most input cost with the cattle. The grass grows whether I want it to or not. Prior to getting the cattle I had to mow the fields on a regular basis, so if managed properly the cows can be a good deal if all they are eating is grass, and hopefully hay that I produce once the baler gets out of the shop.