In 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.
January has a way of feeling slow—at least on the surface. The holidays are behind us, calving is still a few weeks out for many operations, and the grass isn’t growing a lick. From the outside, it can seem like there’s not much going on. But on the ranch, January is actually one of the most important months of the year.
If you’ve ever raised first-calf heifers through a cold West Texas winter, you already know the truth: 
