Grass-Fed in Winter

tom_the_chemist · #1 07/27/12, 05:03 PM

Someone my wife knows on Facebook is asking for a grass-fed cow which is not corn or hay fed. I get the no corn fed, but wouldn't hay (grass or alfalfa or something) be necessary over winter? We are in the central part of the lower peninsula in Michigan and it gets really cold here with the grass going dormant from 4-5 months of the year. Is it possible to only do grass? (I am assuming she means only grazing).

It is quite possible this person could be uniformed. But my curiosity has been piqued.

Thanks!

myersfarm · #2 07/27/12, 05:24 PM

MISS INFORMED hay is only DRIED GRASS...... no matter what fescue hay comes from fescue...bermuda hay comes from bermuda grass...

look up the defintion of grass fed in Missouri and there is not one...so your grass feed beef could be feed a lot of grain here in Missouri

MO_cows · #3 07/27/12, 05:29 PM

All the cool kids are eating grass fed beef, so they want some, too. But they don't have a clue.

Cliff · #4 07/27/12, 06:06 PM

Told you guys there was a good market out there for a good salesman....

matt_man · #5 07/27/12, 06:08 PM

We do not feed hay to our dry cows or steers during the winter. We haven't for 2 years. We stockpile grass and graze them year round. Things will probably be different this year since the grass is completely dried up and hasn't grown since about the end of May.

Grazing year round would be possible but you have to live in a climate that will allow it.

PaulNKS · #6 07/27/12, 06:36 PM

Grass fed beef can be and is grass and hay. Basically, grass fed means no grain.

genebo · #7 07/27/12, 06:44 PM

Stockpiling grass for winter is a convenience for the farmer, who is letting the cattle harvest his grass instead of baling it. Good for labor saving, but not necessarily better for the cattle.

tinknal · #8 07/27/12, 06:48 PM

Someone your wife knows on Facebook is an idiot......

PaulNKS · #9 07/27/12, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by genebo

Stockpiling grass for winter is a convenience for the farmer, who is letting the cattle harvest his grass instead of baling it. Good for labor saving, but not necessarily better for the cattle.

That depends on the grasses. Stockpiled fescue is higher in protein than many hayed grasses and has more protein than baled brome. So, yes, in some cases stockpiled is better for the cattle than baled.... especially if it's brome and baled later in the season when it's protein has really plummeted.

lakeportfarms · #10 07/27/12, 07:54 PM

We live in Michigan too. Does somebody have a secret how you raise only "grass fed beef" or stockpile fescue here during our winters?

Oh, There is a car under that bump in the snow somewhere...

Grass-Fed in Winter - Cattle

tom_the_chemist · #11 07/27/12, 08:08 PM

Thanks for the replies. I knew I would find the answer quickly here. Basically, I knew right away that hay was grass and this person was probably unaware of that but I was unclear if in the "grass-fed world" hay was somehow a no-no in their conventions. If that were the case how in the world do you feed when it looks like lakeport's pictures.

As someone pointed out, if you have good marketing skills this grass-fed thing would be a great way to get into the market of raising beef. Honestly, I don't know if I have the patience to deal with marketing to individuals. I would be more interested in an operation as PaulNKS has been describing. Great thread that is shaping up to be!! (Thanks Paul).

BTW I haven't seen snow like that in more than a year. Last winter, I never used the snowblower once. Took the time to put it on the tractor but nothing. Didn't even need it for a snow drift.

Are you in Lakeport? That must be in a lake effect region. We live in Frankenmuth and only on rare occasion would get snow like that.

CJBegins · #12 07/27/12, 08:10 PM

Maybe they could feed fodder all winter.....what a job that would be.

tom_the_chemist · #13 07/27/12, 08:11 PM

Just looked up a Lakeport. I thought that sounded familiar. You just had that tanker sink off the coast, didn't you? Haven't heard anything about that since it happened.

agmantoo · #14 07/27/12, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tom_the_chemist

Someone my wife knows on Facebook is asking for a grass-fed cow which is not corn or hay fed. I get the no corn fed, but wouldn't hay (grass or alfalfa or something) be necessary over winter? We are in the central part of the lower peninsula in Michigan and it gets really cold here with the grass going dormant from 4-5 months of the year. Is it possible to only do grass? (I am assuming she means only grazing).

It is quite possible this person could be uniformed. But my curiosity has been piqued.

Thanks!

I can provide the the animal! I have some cows that have never seen a bale of hay. Sale will be FOB Shipping point.

lakeportfarms · #15 07/28/12, 06:25 AM

Tom

The photo was from the winter before, we didn't get a plowable (or blowable) snow all last winter either. We'll get the lake effect in a normal year with a North or NE wind. The sinking wasn't really a big deal, it was a tug towing a barge and it was the diesel from the tug that was leaking. They'll be salvaging it over the next month during the better weather.

To answer your question, it's pretty much impossible to properly do grass fed only in our winters, even with less snow than in my photos. As Genebo said, if you could do it, it wouldn't be the best for the cow, and the length of time our grass is dormant would require a pretty significant number of acres to stockpile. Cows will nose through the snow to get to the grass, so it could happen, but not in adequate amounts with a foot or two of snow on the ground.

As others have pointed out, hay is stockpiled grass, just put in a package that we northerners can feed in adequate amounts during the winter months.

On another note, to get decent quality "grass fed only" beef in your freezer, a lot of attention needs to be devoted to properly finishing the animal during the last couple of months. It requires high quality forage and frequent rotation of pastures to stimulate consumption, typically here in Michigan from June until August, since the earliest the cows usually get on decent grass is mid-May. On a year like this, you're pretty much out of luck with the heat and drought we've had, unless you finished them by the end of June. that leaves a pretty short window!

G. Seddon · #16 07/28/12, 06:34 AM

Actually, Lakeport, that snow looks rather inviting about now!

tom_the_chemist · #17 07/28/12, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by G. Seddon

Actually, Lakeport, that snow looks rather inviting about now!

I was thinking the same thing!! With the light winter we had this year, I REALLY miss snow like that.

lakeportfarms · #18 07/28/12, 07:39 PM

Now that you mention it, we've been feeding hay for the past couple of weeks anyway because of the hot temperatures and drought, so the snow does look nice doesn't it? Last winter was awful, warm temperatures and lots of mud. I much prefer the frequent fresh snowfalls.

We're fortunate to have the lake nearby to cool off after a day spent on the farm! So summer usually isn't all that bad around here