Managing livestock during the summer months can have its challenges and several things need to be considered to keep your livestock and forages at peak production. This article will cover some topics and considerations to maintain a profitable and productive livestock operation.
The first obvious consideration is heat, humidity, and shade. All livestock are susceptible to heat stress. It is important to understand the relationship between humidity and temperature when looking at the temperature humidity index chart below. High humidity mixed with increased temperature will add more heat stress on livestock. The index chart can be used to plan when to work or move livestock in relation to the temperature and humidity. You always want to avoid working or handing any livestock when the index is in the danger and emergency zones. Typically if any working, moving, or handling of livestock is done in the summer, it is best to do it early in the morning to prevent heat stress.
Another tool that can be utilized is the Cattle Comfort Index through NC State. It uses information from weather stations across the state to give 5 indexes for cattle comfort. It utilizes temperature and humidity just as the chart above and you can select a location closest to you for live data.
Water availability and quality is important in the summer months. Water sources need to be close to where livestock are grazing or pastured. Typically we recommend livestock to walk no more than 800ft to their water source.
Fresh and well water is always the top recommendation for livestock. Understandably, that is not always an option for every operation. There are a few considerations to keep in mind when using ponds or creeks as a water source. They need to have a good supply of fresh flowing water. The downside of using ponds and creeks as a water source is that livestock will tend to congregate in them during the summer to cool off. This can create health issues since feces can contaminate the water source. This is especially an issue in creeks and ponds during dry periods when the water flow of these sources dry up. Without the constant flow of water, feces and urine deposits will build up, increasing the chances of illnesses and health issues. Also without constant flowing water, ponds can become stagnant lowering the water quality. Constant routine checks on all water sources are recommended.
Shade is also important during the summer. We disused heat stress in livestock previously in this article. Lack of shade in pastures will directly affect heat stress. Pastures with natural shade from trees should be used for summer grazing. Portable shade options can also be used to create shade in poor shaded areas. Portable options can be purchased or they can be made as a DIY project.
The next topic of discussion is forage availability and quality. Here in the piedmont of NC, our predominant forage is tall fescue. Tall fescue is a cool season perennial forage and grows during the spring and fall of the year. Typically around May and June, fescue will stop or greatly reduce its growth (summer slump). This means that as livestock grazes the fescue pastures during the summer, it will not grow and produce more forage until the fall. This can be an issue on operations that are overstocked and or practice continual grazing. Lowering stocking rates and densities as well as good managed rotational grazing practices can potentially increase the amount of tall fescue forage going into the summer. When looking at forage quality, tall fescue will have a lower nutritional value as it gets mature later in its growing season. Additional supplementation of feed or hay may need to be provided for the livestock to meet their nutritional needs. If you have any lactating or growing livestock in the summer, extra supplementation will likely be needed since those animals require more nutrients in their diet.
Warm season forages are a great tool that can be used to get through the summer slump of fescue as well as improve forage quality and productivity during the summer. Having a forage plan that incorporates cool and warm seasons forages can provide higher nutritional availability throughout the year as well as potentially reduce the amount of hay fed. Most of the warm season forages that are commonly used are annuals, meaning that they should be seeded every year. Good options to consider are crabgrass, forage sorghum, sorghum sudangrass, and millet.
Native warm season grasses (NWSG) are perennial options that can be utilized. Seed costs are higher and establishment of these grasses do take more management to be successful. That said, with a successful establishment they can provide great summer grazing and can improve wildlife habitats. Common NWSG are big and little bluestem, eastern gamagrass, switchgrass and indian grass.
If you have any questions on any of the topics mentioned in this article, please feel free to reach out to me.
