September in West Texas can be misleading. Although the pasture still has brown grass, the cows are scattered about, and one rain may bring a bit of green to the low areas. It might look from the truck as though there is enough feed to carry on into the fall.If October remains dry, the warm-season grass will stop growing, so the cattle have to go farther to get each mouthful, and the cows begin to lose weight. Hay becomes scarce, feed cubes cost more, and the sale barn ends up with cattle from ranches affected by drought.
It is in September that you have to work out how many grazing days are left. Although the rangeland won’t give you an exact figure, you can get close enough to make decisions while still having several options.
A forage inventory will show you how much dry forage is available, how much cattle can safely be fed, what your herd requires each day, and how much you should set aside for drought conditions. The figures thus assist you in deciding whether you need to rotate your pastures, wean your calves, cull your cows, buy hay, or modify your winter arrangements.
