High feed and input prices are impacting ag producers. Often, the initial reaction to high prices for feed or fertilizer is to reduce the use of these inputs to cut production costs. While this strategy may reduce production costs in the short-term, there may be long term negative consequences to consider.
When dealing specifically with high feed prices, there are several factors to consider. With hay needs, for example, it is important to have some idea of the nutrient value of forage both in inventory and potentially purchased hay.
The second important piece to understand is knowing the nutritional demand of the livestock you are trying to feed. Factors such as age, weight, stage of production, and desired productivity determine animal requirements. When this information is combined with forage quality data, appropriate supplementation strategies can be developed.
A third major factor is reducing feed waste. Tremendous variation in hay waste exists between hay feeders, for example.
Finally, when purchasing inputs, are you doing this in the most cost-effective manner? There can be large cost differences between buying hay by the bale vs. buying hay by the ton or purchasing bagged vs. bulk supplements.
These topics will be explored in more detail at the upcoming Central Missouri Ag Club Ag Expo. This session will be held on Friday, February 3 beginning at 11 a.m. in Assembly Hall next to the National Guard Armory and Mathewson Exhibition Center on the Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia.
Expanding on the issue of increased input costs, questions arise such as what is the production cost of not adequately fertilizing pastures or hay fields, for example. Livestock have to eat, and if fertilizer applications and forage yield are reduced, where is the needed pasture or hay going to come from? From an animal perspective, what are the consequences of calving thin cows for example.
The main idea is to control expenses while still maintaining desired productivity. A lot of factors go into these decisions. The initial reaction of “I can’t afford to fertilize.” or “I can’t afford to supplement these animals.” can lead to unnecessary loss of animal productivity and farm enterprise profitability.
Having a management plan and actually carrying out that plan will assist producers with surviving this era of increased input prices. If you have additional questions on these topics, I’ll try to answer some of those at the Ag Expo seminar on February 3 or you may contact me via e-mail at schmitze@missouri.edu or by calling the Pettis County Extension Center at 660-827-0591.
