Renting Pasture for Stockpiled Forage Cuts Winter Feed Costs

By Blake Jackson

Maintaining a strong hay supply is often viewed as a safety net for livestock producers, but renting additional pasture for forage stockpiling can be an equally effective and often more economical strategy, according to Caleb O’Neal, a field specialist in plant science with University of Missouri Extension.

By securing rental acres specifically for stockpiled forage, producers can stabilize feed availability and better control winter feeding costs. O’Neal says this approach can reduce grazing pressure on home pastures, provide insurance during dry years and add flexibility during critical periods such as calving.

In many cases, renting pasture makes more financial sense than producing extra hay or buying it on the open market. “The high cost of buying hay even marginal-quality hay can take a real toll on profitability,” O’Neal says.

“Making hay comes with its own expenses, including equipment, fuel, fertilizer, labor, repairs, depreciation and lost opportunity. Those costs add up quickly, and most operations underestimate them. Buying hay doesn’t avoid those costs; it simply means paying someone else to absorb them, with a margin added on top.”

While hay will always be part of cattle feeding programs, O’Neal emphasizes it doesn’t need to be the primary winter feed source. Across Missouri, many producers are successfully lowering expenses by grazing stockpiled tall fescue or cool-season annuals and using hay only as a supplement when conditions require it.

Tall fescue, the dominant forage in Missouri, is especially well suited for stockpiling. Once cattle are removed in late summer, the grass continues growing into fall, maintaining quality well into winter.

Research from the University of Missouri shows stockpiled fescue commonly exceeds 12% crude protein and maintains about 60% total digestible nutrients through winter. “Simply put, it’s hard for the contents of a hay bale to compete with a living plant when it comes to forage quality,” O’Neal says.

A basic stockpiling setup requires minimal infrastructure, such as temporary fencing and strip grazing. Using rental land for this purpose can significantly reduce winter feed costs while supporting herd health.

“Reducing feed costs is one of the most reliable ways to improve profitability in a livestock operation, and grazing stockpiled fescue remains one of the most cost-effective tools available,” O’Neal says.

Photo Credit: gettyimages-r-j-seymour