By Blake Jackson
University of Missouri Extension specialists report that livestock producers can save up to $300 per calf in feeding costs by grazing standing milo through winter.
This marks the third year Green Ridge producer John Chamberlin has collaborated with MU Extension agronomist Rusty Lee and livestock specialist Gene Schmitz to explore how milo reduces winter feed expenses and supports herd health.
Milo is a drought-resistant forage suitable for winter feeding. “Strip grazing takes cattle to the feed rather than feed to the cattle, saving time and money,” says Lee. Grazing standing milo eliminates the need for grain harvest and transport, while improving soil nutrients and carrying capacity.
Producers create strips with polywire electric fencing, allowing cattle to eat leaves, stalks, and grain heads. Chamberlin notes, “It takes only 30 minutes a day to move the polywire instead of hours unrolling hay and filling feed bunks.”
After frost, prussic acid in milo can pose a risk. Lee explains that mowing milo before frost did not reduce the two-week grazing wait, as stalks continued to contain cyanide.
MU Extension veterinary toxicologist Tim Evans adds, “Prussic acid interferes with the body’s ability to use oxygen to generate cellular energy, with the oxygen remaining unused in the typically cherry red blood, leading to symptoms such as muscle twitching, staggering and even death.”
Despite this, the benefits remain clear. Milo provides a utilization rate of 75% with total digestible nutrients at 73%-75% and 7% crude protein, supplemented as needed. An average yield of 120 bushels per acre supports 420 cow days per acre, saving Chamberlin roughly $300 per calf, or $120,000 for his 400-head herd.
Chamberlin says, “I have nothing but praise for this. If you’re not already grazing standing milo, start.”
Lee notes milo offers consistent, high-energy feed for breeding cows, improving calving rates when cows move from fescue fields 30 days before breeding. He recommends putting cows on milo two weeks after a killing freeze, typically around November 1.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-minchen-liang-eyeem
Categories: Missouri, Livestock, Beef Cattle, Dairy Cattle