Dairies trying to feed through the drought need to take a
systematic approach for determining their forage needs, says
Ellen Jordan, Texas AgriLife Extension Service dairy specialist.
She suggests inventorying the current forage supply, analyzing
all forages for nutritional value and working with a
nutritionist to determine how much forage will be needed for the
herd, including replacements and dry cows, for the coming year.
Dairy owners should expect more variability in crops grown under
drought conditions, Jordan cautions. Also, depending on the crop
and growing conditions, they should check for nitrates and
prussic acid. To get a ballpark estimate of the forage dry
matter needed to feed a herd, she provides the following
equations: 1.5% of the body weight per day times the number of
cows and 1.1% of the body weight per day times the number of
heifers equals the pounds of dry matter per day needed for the
herd. To determine the total amount needed, figure the pounds
per day for cows and for heifers and then