In the News - February 2008
Homespun advice from a veteran county agent
Reverse cowboy math will never get you to the moon
BENTONVILLE, Ark. - A favorite among forage producers is, "If you don't need
the forage, don't fertilize!"
This cuts-to-the-quick in investing in pastures or hay fields that may go
underused. That part about investing rings loud this year as input costs
escalate.
Reverse cowboy math will never get us to the moon, but it's often used to
figure pretty close to what we need. Called reverse math, it starts with what we
need and then calculates backwards to some starting point.
Forage needs are based on: livestock numbers carried throughout the next 12
months on pasture or hay, the volume of hay needed to meet some sales goal or
any combination of factors particular to each operation. Some producers are
geared to on-farm forage production and use, while some are geared toward hay
sales.
You may have noticed a higher percentage of farms have become forage
customers and play an increasingly important role in decisions made by hay
producers. However, being a hay customer doesn't diminish the need to improve
year-round efficiency as relates to grazed forages.
Cowboy math begins with animal numbers and the basic fact that each will
require a set amount of dry matter forage each day. Body weight multiplied by
2.5 percent will put you in the bullpen for this daily allowance, but I bump it
to 3 percent to allow for waste, etc. Based on this number a 1,200-pound animal
will need 35 pounds per day or about 6.5 tons to get through a year.
On average, one ton of forage will be produced naturally and an additional
ton can be produced with each 50-pound nitrogen application. Gosh, this sounds
too easy!
But, we know that isn't the case, otherwise we would never have overgrazed
pastures or thin cattle and horses. Some animals and producers are simply more
efficient than others. I'm that way with mechanical things and when it gets
beyond an old type Briggs & Stratton, I'm lost!
To add insult to injury, you may have noticed that it doesn't rain equally on
the 'just and the unjust' and, as noted last week, seasonal moisture has the
greatest impact on forage production.
However, it's not difficult to spot producers who do a good job in matching
seasonal moisture patterns, forage types and fertilization timing with grazing
and hay harvests.
Unfortunately, some lessons come only through experience, but hold on because
2008 seems to be a year destined to provide lots of experience. 'Til next week!
For more information about getting to the moon, contact NASA. For more
information about cattle production, contact your county extension agent or
visit www.uaex.edu and select Agriculture, then Beef. The
Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of Agriculture.
February 1, 2008
By: Robert Seay
Benton County Extension Agent
Media Contact: Lamar James
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2187 or (501) 753-0207
ljames@uaex.edu
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