UNUSUALLY HOT, dry summer weather has eroded pasture conditions and greatly reduced the hay crop in the Southern, Central and Western regions of Oklahoma. From May 1 through July 7, 1998, the entire state received only 55% of normal precipitation. Consequently, cattlemen are seriously evaluating fall and winter grazing and feeding alternatives. Cow/calf producers who face this scenario should be considering management alternatives that will ensure that cows do not go into the winter in thin body condition. Following are a few reminders and suggestions to consider in dealing with the drought. Numbers in parentheses indicate OSU publications for further detail. These publications are available at your county extension office.

1. If selling cattle (stockers or cows) is inevitable, don't put it off. Delaying the sale of at least part of the cattle inventory will further reduce forage supply for remaining cattle and potentially expose you to greater market risk if the drought persists.

2. Wean calves early. Weaning will greatly reduce the cow's energy requirement and help maintain body condition. Better quality pasture should be reserved for the calves. Remember that calves weighing less than 400 pounds and grazing moderate to lower quality pasture will require energy and protein supplementation to maintain 1.5 to 2 lb. per day gains. Consider placing calves on a concentrate-feeding program (E-900 and CR-3025). This will further reduce pressure on the cow herd forage supply. These young calves require only 4 to 5 pounds of a well-balanced concentrate ration per pound of weight gain. Fortunately, grain and feed commodity prices are reasonable, making supplementation and concentrate feeding an economical alternative.

3. Ammoniate low quality roughage (F-2243). Ammoniation tremendously improves intake and digestibility of low quality roughage. Ammoniated wheat straw has about the same nutritional value as average quality prairie hay. Cost is around $15 per ton of roughage. There are some precautions to be aware of, so be sure to get a copy of the fact sheet and consult your local Extension Agricultural Educator.

4. Consider limit feeding a concentrate diet to cows. If hay is expensive, and grain prices are moderate to low, a limit fed concentrate diet can be much cheaper and as effective as feeding hay and supplement. This technique does require greater management skill, but can save producers a lot of money in a year like this one. A publication dealing with limit fed concentrate diets for cows should be available at your county extension office.

5. Start feeding hay and/or energy supplement before pastures become too short. This will stretch pasture forages, reduce the incidence of overgrazing and insure that cows do not become thin before winter. Lower quality hay could be fed now and pastures grazed during late fall and early winter (assuming we get some moisture to stimulate fall regrowth).

6. Consider stockpiling forage for fall and winter grazing (F-2570, F-2870). Fifty pounds of nitrogen applied to bermuda or fescue pasture in August generates around one ton of additional forage per acre, depending on fall precipitation.

7. Strip graze or rotationally graze pastures to improve utilization. This practice will increase total grazing days because harvest efficiency is improved (F-2567, F-2870).

8. Provide an ionophore (such as BovatecÒ or RumensinÒ) through a concentrate supplement, salt or mineral mix. Ionophores stretch forage supply by improving forage nutrient utilization by as much as 10%. The benefit is not as positive in low quality forage diets unless a supplement is provided.

9. Make certain that cattle are parasite free (E-944). A wet spring, followed by a dry summer with short pastures is a recipe for higher than normal parasite infestation. A high parasite load will compound nutritional stress.