Yes, the time change has passed, the leaves are just barely holding on, and the mornings are crisp. Winter is just around the corner, and it brings some extra considerations. 

For most farmers, this means trying to calculate if they stored enough forage and other feeds to provide for their livestock until the grass starts growing next spring. As a squirrel collects nuts and stores them away to eat during the cold of winter, so does the farmer for their livestock. Just on a much larger scale. 

Depending on the species that is being raised, the daily nutritional requirements of each animal will vary, but by using industry averages farmers can estimate approximately how much hay, forage and feed they will need to get through the winter.

Like humans, all animals require the same six essential nutrients: water, carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals. Also like humans, different life stages will require different levels of these nutrients. For example, a lactating dairy cow will require much more water, carbs, fats and protein than a dry cow (not currently milking). 

Most producers, when they are storing forages for the winter months, calculate what will be needed by the weight of the bales, silage or other feeds, and compare that to the industry-average needs of their animals. Dry matter is how we measure feed ingredients, and is essentially the feed ingredient with the moisture or water content removed, like the dehydrated foods we may consume. 

Smaller livestock such as sheep and goats will require about three to five percent of their body weight in dry matter each day (more dry matter or less depending on their life stage). If your mature animals are about 150 pounds, that’s roughly 4.5-7.5 pounds of dry matter intake. Larger livestock such as beef cattle will require about two to three percent of their body weight in dry matter each day. For example, a 1,000-pound steer that’s still growing would need to consume about 20-30 pounds of dry matter each day. 

Now that we have some industry averages to go off, we can calculate about how much dry matter in forage a farmer will need to have on hand to make it through the winter. But that’s just the start, because remember that forage has to also meet quality standards to provide protein, carbs, fat, vitamins and minerals. If it doesn’t, then the farmer will need to supplement with grain or other feedstuffs to make up the deficit. 

The quality of the forage is determined by a lot of different factors, such as the maturity of the forage when harvested, the species of the grass/legume/etc. harvested, soil fertility, moisture content when harvested, and if the forage was dried properly are just a few examples. 

The only accurate way to know all of this is to have a sample tested at a certified laboratory. From there, the farmer then needs to balance the ration given to their stock in the most economical way possible to make a profit. 

This year might be a bit tough for some of our local producers because of the varying weather conditions we all had this summer. It’s not as easy as going to the local feed mill and purchasing all the food needed, as we do at the grocery store. Inflation might hurt our pockets to purchase the food we need, but the sheer amount of food needed by livestock makes the inflation of feed and other products nigh-on unbearable if producers can’t make that up when they market those animals. 

As we all start to make our own purchases to make it through the winter and holiday season, it’s this farmers take to remember that it may seem more expensive than your larger box stores to buy local, but you’re supporting local businesses that want to support you with premium product.