Supplementing on Buffel Grass

With the recent rainfall events pastures are doing fairly well at holding on this season however we will most likely see a rapid decline in pasture quality soon if you haven’t already. The turning point for many pastures, particularly in our favoured buffel grass, is when the colouring of the grass turns from golden to grey. Once the buffel grass has turned grey it has lost a great deal of its nutritional value. The crude protein and metabolizable energy content of dry, grey buffel grass is generally below 6% and 5MJ and many of the minerals have been leached out with the loss of moisture. Cattle grazing buffel grass at this stage are typically either maintaining or losing weight. During this phase in your pastures lifecycle production losses may not be noticeable however it is likely that they are occurring.

Using a supplement that is high in crude protein during this time of the year is the most beneficial for production as it will reduce daily losses, help maintain body condition (or improve daily gains depending on pasture quality) and will set your livestock up for continued/improved production after the dry season. For more information on how this occurs see the attachment or give me, or one of the nutrition team at Top Country, a call.

If your pastures have started to turn grey I would recommend moving your cattle to a 10% urea lick with a high inclusion of quality protein meals. If your cattle are already on a 10% urea lick I would assess your pasture situation, manure and condition of your animals and consider moving to a 15% urea lick if you are comfortable with this. If you are unsure of whether or not to take that next step in the urea % of your dry lick please send me a picture of your pasture situation, manure and supplemented livestock and I will be happy to give you a hand with this.

By Sara Darrow, Nutritionist