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Superintendent
David Davis
21262 Genoa Road
Linneus, MO 64653
Phone: 660 895-5121
FAX: 660 895=5122
Email: DavisDK@missouri.edu

Forage Systems Update
Vol 15, No. 3

It is that time of year when we need to start thinking about growing stockpile for winter feeding. However, I must admit that stockpile production is not for everyone. For example, producers that are stocked sufficiently might not have the pasture resources available in order to produce stockpile during the late summer and early fall months, and in many situations cattle may need to be placed in a dry lot situation in order to produce stockpile. In a case like this stockpile production may not be the wisest use of your resources. However, for the majority of cow/calf producers stockpile production is feasible and will help reduce winter feed costs.

I have received many calls over the spring and summer from individuals that have questioned the use of chemical nitrogen sources because of the increased cost of these products. The question they raise deserves further discussion, and can be addressed by answering how much additional forage can be produce per pound on N applied. The response of applied N is fairly linear in the range of 0 to 100 pounds of applied N per acre. Using data from experiments conducted on the Center over the past several years, we have determined that for each 50 pounds of N applied in early August we can expect approximately 1250 pounds of stockpile production. By coincidence, unfertilized tall fescue also produces approximately 1250 pounds of stockpile. Fifty pounds of N as ammonium nitrate is currently running about $23 ($0.46/ pound of N). If you can purchase hay at $50 per ton and it costs you another $5 per bale to get it to the farm (the average in our area is nearly $10/bale for freight) then the real cost of hay delivered to the farm is $36.25 per bale ($41.25 per bale if your freight is $10 per bale). Additional costs for hay would also include the need for a tractor or truck to move bales at feeding time. The bottom line is that fertilizing for stockpile production is still less expensive than hay feeding.

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