Don’t open the pasture gate too early

Warm, sunny days after a long dose of winter weather can make it tempting to turn cattle out on the greening new grass. However, cattle turned out too early in the spring can lead to several issues. If cows are turned out too early, they expend more energy grazing short forage that is mostly water. In such situations, cows may easily slip into an energy deficit. This is especially detrimental for spring-calving cows that are transitioning from late gestation to lactation, which represents the time when a cow’s maintenance nutrient requirements are at their highest. Read more at Hay & Forage Grower…