By Doug Schmitz

Iowa Correspondent

SPRING HILL, Tenn. – According to a University of Tennessee agricultural economist, the primary impact of the 2023 drought on U.S. cattle production was the inability to retain heifers for replacement and the unwillingness to take the risk due to reduced forage availability.

“This does not mean that some of the heifers weaned in the fall of 2023 cannot still make their way into the breeding herd,” said Andrew P. Griffith, UT professor of agricultural and resource economics.

“But it is less likely for those animals to come out of a backgrounding operation (the growing of steers and heifers from weaning until they enter the feedlot for finishing), and be bred than if they would have stayed on their home farm as retained replacements,” he added.

He said, “In essence, moving more heifers this fall into backgrounding operations will keep more animals moving into the feedlot, which should keep beef production fairly strong in the short-run (six months to one year), but it will greatly reduce beef production in the long-run (two to three years).”

From the market perspective, he said cattle prices are not likely to run wildly higher the first few months of the year – except for when the Jan. 1 USDA Cattle Inventory Report is released later this month.

“But as the limited supply of cattle becomes more apparent, cattle prices will increase beyond 2023 price levels on an annual average basis,” he said.

He said surface water availability is a concern for many cattle producers in Tennessee right now.

“Ponds are at low levels, and ditches and streams that normally run water this time of year are still dry,” he said. “That may change with the two weather systems expected to move through the area this week (Jan. 7-13), but hauling water is an expensive proposition for livestock producers.”

On the forage side, he said most of Tennessee had a strong hay season in 2023, but the drought that started last August and September resulted in little to no stockpiling of cool-season perennials.

“It also resulted in annual forage plantings being delayed, or even abandoned,” he said. “For those that were planted, little to no grazing has been available up to this point. The point is that many producers had to begin feeding hay earlier than normal, which means those large supplies are dwindling quicker than was anticipated.”

Grant Dewell, Iowa State University associate professor of veterinary medicine, who specializes in beef cattle production medicine, said, “With the second year of drought in some areas, we are seeing both poor quality forage, as well as in some cases, limited availability of harvested forages.

“As winter sets in, cows need to be getting adequate energy, protein and vitamins to support maintenance and fetal development,” he said.

He added poor quality forage limits the cow’s ability to get by on forage alone, and supplementation will probably be required.

“Without proper supplementation, we will see thin cows that may not produce enough milk for their calves, and have difficulty breeding back,” he said. “Additionally, calves that did not get adequate nutrients during gestation are at risk of being weak at birth, and not being able to thrive. Specifically, we worry about energy and vitamins being deficient. Protein should be monitored as well.”

He said he recommends producers review their feed, and consult with a beef specialist or nutritionist to make sure they are meeting the nutritional needs of their cows.

“Routinely worried about vitamin A and E as harvested forage can have limited levels, especially after a drought,” he said. “Some mineral supplements may not have appropriate levels either as the cost of these vitamins have been elevated due to supply chain issues the last few years, and levels may have been reduced to manage cost.”

As far as what management strategies producers should employ, Griffith said there are some winter annuals that could still be planted heading into spring that would provide a little forage production, but most of them will not meet expectations.

“The two primary options would be oats or annual ryegrass,” he said. “The end of February through March would be the appropriate time to get them in the ground. From a legume standpoint, it is fairly common for producers in Tennessee to frost seed clovers in February and March.

“If there are adequate grass stands, then nitrogen would increase the spring flush of grass, but it is probably not the best bang for the buck,” he added. “Most people will need to fertilize as normal in the spring, based on soil test.”

Dewell said, “Check that the diet cows are eating is adequate to meet their nutritional needs. Since corn is not expensive, we can offset low-energy diets that cattle are seeing fairly easily without excessive expense, especially compared to feeding more hay.

“Supplemental vitamin A and E might be beneficial,” he added. “If not addressed properly during gestation, then calves may need vitamin A and E after birth since there is very little in milk.”

He said, “As winter weather sets in and we approach calving, I recommend monitoring body condition score every two weeks to make sure cows are not losing condition as we approach calving.” 

“Cows that are losing condition at this time of year will have difficulty breeding back this summer, which negatively affects future production and profitability,” he said. “A little extra attention to the feeding program can be critical for the health and productivity of the herd.”