Category: nutrition (Page 1 of 16)

October Forage Testing Can Cut Winter Feed Waste

October 3, 2026 / / 0 Comments
October Forage Testing Can Cut Winter Feed WasteIn October, a West Texas hay stack can seem better than it actually is. The barn looks full, round bales are lined up, and there’s still grass in the pasture. From the truck, it might seem like winter feed is already taken care of.
But when the first strong cold front hits, cows eat through hay faster than you expect, manure gets firmer, calves don’t look as healthy, and feed costs go up. The issue isn’t always not having enough forage. Sometimes there’s plenty, but it doesn’t have enough usable protein or energy.
That’s why October is a good time to test both hay and standing forage. Warm-season grasses are finishing up, most hay is already baled, and ranchers are starting to look at winter supplement prices.
A simple forage test lets you buy feed to fix a real shortage, not just pick something with a flashy label. It also helps you figure out which hay to give to dry cows, young females, lactating cows, or newly weaned calves.
Testing alone won’t create your whole feeding plan. Cow size, body condition, production stage, weather, how much they eat, and how you deliver feed all still matter. But a good forage test gives you a solid place to start. Without it, you’re just guessing about your winter ration.

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Get Ahead of Winter: Reduce Feed Waste Before It Hits

September 29, 2026 / / 0 Comments
Get Ahead of Winter: Reduce Feed Waste Before It HitsOctober is a great time to start planning for winter supplementation.
It is not that this month is always the cheapest time to buy feed. Prices, freight, hay supplies, drought, and local availability can all change fast. What makes October important is that it gives you something January often cannot—time.
You have time to check your forage, score your cows’ body condition, compare supplements, and decide how hay fits in. Most importantly, you can fix problems before cold weather and late gestation make things harder.
The goal is not to overfeed. Instead, find out what your cattle are missing and fill that gap without spending extra money.
Cows eating dormant forage might need protein, energy, minerals, or a mix of these. What they need depends on forage quality, cow condition, production stage, weather, and how much forage is available.
So before buying tubs, cubes, or blocks, take a good look at your own ranch first.

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When Late-Summer Grass Stops Feeding Cows

August 16, 2026 /
When Late-Summer Grass Stops Feeding CowsAugust pasture can be deceiving at first glance.
You might see grass still standing and looking green from the road. Cows may be spread out grazing as if all is well. But that does not always mean the grass has the nutrition your cows need.
By late summer, forage quality often drops. As grass matures and the heat continues, dry weather can lower both protein and energy. So, even if a cow is surrounded by grass, she might still not get enough nutrition.
If you notice cows losing body condition, calves looking a bit hollow, or cattle grazing longer than usual, pay attention. These signs may mean your pasture is not providing what it did earlier in the season.
This is why judging pasture from your truck can be misleading. Having a lot of grass does not always mean it is good quality.
In this post, we will cover what happens to forage in late summer, why cows might lose condition even when pastures look full, and how to decide if supplements are needed. The aim is not to feed just because it is August, but to understand what your grass is really providing before your cows suffer.

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Protein Tubs: Smart Supplement or Wasted Money?

August 4, 2026 /
Protein Tubs: Smart Supplement or Wasted Money?In August, pastures can be deceiving.
You might see grass still standing and cows out grazing. From your truck, the pasture might look pretty good. But that does not mean the grass still has the nutrition your cattle need.
Protein tubs are useful if you want a low-effort way to help your cattle during tough times. You just set them out and the cattle eat them as needed, so you do not have to haul feed every day. That is important when you have fences to fix, water to check, calves to watch, hay equipment to maintain, and not enough time for everything. But remember, protein tubs are not a cure-all.
Protein tubs can be helpful, but only if they match your forage, your cattle, the season, and your budget. Not every herd needs them. Not every tub is worth the cost. And not every product called “protein” fixes the same issue.
Before you spend a lot at the feed store, take a moment to ask yourself a few things. What are your cattle missing? What does the tub actually cost? Will they eat the right amount? Do the minerals fit your needs? Can you move the tub safely? And where should you put it to help both nutrition and grazing?
Let’s go through these points together.

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Is Creep Grazing Worth It Before Weaning?

July 27, 2026 /
Is Creep Grazing Worth It Before Weaning?If you could put more weight on your calves before weaning without having to buy extra feed every week, wouldn’t you want to try it?
That’s where creep grazing comes in.
Every cow-calf producer wants their calves to reach weaning with as much weight gain as possible, but without spending too much. Weaning weight is important, and so are extra pounds. But those pounds only matter if they pay for themselves.
Creep grazing lets nursing calves eat higher-quality forage while keeping cows out. Simply put, calves can get into a better pasture or forage strip that cows can’t reach. This gives calves more protein and energy, while cows stay on their usual pasture.
It’s similar to creep feeding, but instead of using grain or concentrate feed, you use forage. This can mean buying less feed, doing less labor, not having to refill feeders often, and giving calves a more natural way to grow before weaning.
Creep grazing isn’t a magic fix. It won’t solve poor forage, bad pasture planning, or a weak calf market. But if you set it up right, it can help add calf weight, save on feed costs, and make better use of your pasture.
By July, it’s especially worth considering. Spring-born calves are big enough to use better forage, native pasture quality may be dropping, and weaning is close enough that every extra pound counts.
The key is knowing when creep grazing makes sense, how to set it up, and what can go wrong if you don’t plan ahead.

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Should You Start Protein Supplementing?

July 19, 2026 /
Should You Start Protein Supplementing?Late in the summer, a pasture might look better than it really is.
When you drive by, you see grass standing tall and cattle with their heads down, so nothing seems urgent. But if you take a closer look, things change. Stockers are grazing longer but gaining less. Calves seem to have stopped growing. Manure is dry and stacked. Cows still look full, but they do not have the same shine they did earlier in the season.
This is the challenge with July and August forage in West Texas and the Southern Plains. Just because you have grass does not mean it will support good cattle performance. Early in the season, grass feeds cattle well. By late summer, it often acts more like filler than real feed.
Protein supplements can help, but only if they fit your situation. Do not feed just because it is late summer. Feed when your pasture, cattle, and budget all show it is needed.
This applies whether you are running stockers on native range, keeping replacement heifers on track, holding spring-calving cows before weaning, or watching young cows lose condition after a tough summer.
Protein supplements in late summer are not a cure-all. They are just a tool. If you use them correctly, they help cattle get more from mature grass. If not, they can just add another expense without real benefit.

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Is Your Mineral Program Working in July?

July 15, 2026 /
Is Your Mineral Program Working in July?By July, mineral feeders can reveal a lot about your whole operation if you know what to look for.
In one pasture, cattle might go through minerals quickly, while another group hardly touches them. Some cows may empty a feeder after it rains, then slow down when it gets hot. If you move cattle to a dry pasture, mineral intake might suddenly increase. Sometimes, you might find a full feeder and wonder if the cattle are getting what they need.
That’s what July looks like in West Texas and the Southern Plains. Heat affects how cattle graze. Dry forage changes what they eat and what nutrients they need. Water quality can also make your mineral program less effective. Salt levels, where you place feeders, pasture rotation, fly pressure, and cow condition all matter. Mineral intake might seem random, but there’s usually a reason for it.
It’s a mistake to think, “They’re eating it, so everything’s fine,” or “They’re not eating it, so they must not need it.” Cattle don’t balance their mineral needs as neatly as we’d like. They eat minerals based on taste, salt content, what’s available, habit, water, forage condition, and other resources. So, free-choice mineral intake gives you clues, but it’s not a perfect report card.
A good mineral program in July isn’t about buying the fanciest product or just adding more to the pasture. It’s about tracking how much cattle eat, checking ounces per head per day, understanding why intake changes, and using mineral placement as part of your grazing plan.
If your mineral feeder could talk in July, it would probably tell you more about your forage, water, cattle behavior, and pasture pressure than you might expect.

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Creep Feed Decisions for Summer Calf Gains

June 13, 2026 /
Creep Feed Decisions for Summer Calf GainsJune marks the time when a creep feeder starts to look tempting to producers.
Calves are putting on weight. The grass might still look good from a distance, but it is not feeding like it did in April. Each week gets hotter, flies are increasing, cows are milking and trying to breed back, and everyone is watching the market to decide if extra calf weight is worth the effort.
This brings us to why creep feeding is worth considering.
On paper, creep feeding calves sounds simple. Put feed where calves can reach it, but cows cannot, then sell heavier calves at weaning. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it works really well. Other times, you spend good money on feed, fight waste, feed birds, attract pests, and end up with calves that are a little heavier but not heavy enough to pay the bill.
This leads to the key question for June: Is creep feeding helping your calves, or is it just becoming another expensive chore?
In West Texas and the Southern Plains, the answer depends on forage quality, cow milk production, calf age, feed cost, feeder setup, water access, heat stress, fly pressure, and how you plan to market those calves. There is no one-size-fits-all answer. A creep feeder can be a smart tool, but it is not magic. It will not fix poor water quality, overgrazed pastures, sick calves, poor mineral intake, or a bad marketing plan.
Before refilling that feeder, consider what specific job you need the creep feed to do, and whether it accomplishes that job well enough to pay for itself.

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What to Feed Cattle When Forage Quality Drops

June 1, 2026 /
What to Feed Cattle When Forage Quality DropsAcross West Texas and the Southern Plains, a pasture may still look pretty decent from the road. There may be green color left, grass standing, and cattle scattered about, as if everything is working fine. But just because there is forage in front of your cows does not mean it still has the same nutritional value it had back in April or early May.
That is where summer forage maturity can sneak up on a cattle operation. Spring grass is usually tender, leafy, higher in protein, and easier for cattle to digest. Once the heat settles in, those same plants start getting stemmier and putting more energy into seedheads. The pasture may still have volume, but forage quality, protein levels, and digestibility can begin to slip quickly. Cattle may be eating, but they may not be getting as much usable nutrition from every bite.
This matters if you are running pairs, trying to get cows bred back, raising replacement heifers, or keeping stocker cattle gaining weight through summer. The first signs are often subtle. You might see cows losing some body condition, calves not gaining as fast, manure getting drier, or cattle grazing longer without much improvement.
So in June, do not just ask, “Do I have grass?” Instead, ask, “Is this grass still meeting my cattle’s needs?”
This is why adjusting cattle supplements is a smart management move, not just another cost. A solid summer supplement plan fills the gaps left by mature forage and helps keep cattle performance steady before problems get costly.

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How to Use Protein Tubs Without Wasting Money

May 24, 2026 /
How to Use Protein Tubs Without Wasting MoneyGrass can look good from the road and still fall short where it counts. That’s one reason more cattle producers are using protein tubs as a simple way to support herd nutrition without adding another daily feeding chore. These self-fed cattle supplements can be placed directly in the pasture, giving cows access to extra protein, energy, vitamins, and minerals when forage quality starts to slip.
In a perfect world, pasture would provide everything cattle need all year long. But anyone who has run cattle for more than five minutes knows it doesn’t work that way. Forage quality changes with rainfall, season, maturity, and grazing pressure. A pasture that carried cows well in the spring may not offer the same nutrition once the grass gets stemmy, dry, or weather-stressed. On top of that, cattle need to change, too. Nursing cows, growing calves, bulls, replacement heifers, and dry cows are not all asking for the same thing nutritionally.
That’s where protein tubs help. They aren’t magic or replacements for good forage and mineral programs, but they fill nutrition gaps when pasture falls short. Quality tubs encourage steady intake, withstand outdoor conditions, and cut daily hand-feeding.
For busy producers, that convenience matters. Instead of mixing feed daily or hauling sacks, protein tubs provide consistent supplementation while saving time and labor. Used correctly, they support body condition, forage use, calf growth, and herd performance when extra help is needed.

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