Cattle Nutrition: Cattle Nutrition: Grazing CRP During Drought

The first and most important thing you need to know before turning cattle out on CRP land is that the USDA is in charge of this program and you need their permission to graze this land, even if it's your own. If your county has an FSA office,contact them and they will get you started. You will need to sign a form agreeing to follow the regulations before you start. You will have a certified USDA inspector come out to see the land to verify that everything is correct, then that person will tell you how many animals you can graze, and how long you can graze that land. Grazing is allowed during certain circumstances such as drought, and at certain times of the year. There is a cutoff point in the spring to protect nesting birds. CRP provides for emergency haying and grazing on certain CRP practices in a county designated as D2 or higher on the U.S. Drought Monitor, or in a county where there is at least 40 percent loss in forage production. The U.S. Drought Monitor is available online at droughtmonitor.unl.edu. The time of year is extremely important to your cattle. During spring and summer under normal weather conditions, grass is at its best. Protein and energy are both at their peak, so any class of livestock should perform well. During the fall and winter months the grasses are low in protein and energy so livestock will maintain their weight at best. Note: FOR ALL CRP GRAZING YOU NEED A SUPPLEMENT !! Most of the grazing I encounter is in the fall or winter. I have had cattle chase our truck looking for feed even though the grass was up to their bellies. Remember CRP grasses are chosen for soil improvement and wildlife, they are not chosen for cattle grazing. We have fed alfalfa in some circumstances and have been happy with the performance of the cattle. Other times we have fed a protein supplement that seemed ad equate at that time of year and cattle did what was hoped for. On rare occasions, when grazing in spring or summer was allowed, we used a mineral supplement that balanced calcium, phosphorus, potassium. and magnesium as well as the trace minerals and salt, and it worked just fine. There is no single answer on how to graze CRP or what supplement might be needed. After you have been approved for grazing by the government, it might be wise to have a serious discussion with a neighbor who has done it. Contact a nutritionist to determine what supplement will give you the greatest return, and touch base with your veterinarian to make sure all health issues have been addressed. Mike Mehren, PhD is a livestock nutritionist who grazes around Hermiston, but not on CRP. He may be contacted at mkemehren21@ gmail.com or 541-561-4762.