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example, if snow becomes too deep for grazing earlier than anticipated, or early rain reduces the quality and
quantity of swath grazing reserves.
The Plan B program has a focus on coninement feeding; either in yards or on wintering sites. With this in
mind, planning the winter feed management program requires that preparation for both eventualities are
completed well before the onset of winter, including feed budgeting and securing the total reserve quantities
of feed required to sustain Plan B.
7.5.3. Managing Winter Grazing
It is essential that cattle begin the winter grazing program in good body condition, at least BCS 3.0, that they are
able to maintain good body condition throughout winter, and that shelter, water and feed are always
available. Planning, management, close monitoring and responding to the environment are absolutely
critical. To maintain body condition, cattle should be segregated into ‘like’ groups for grazing; for example old
cow groups, heifer groups, and steer groups.
Before winter grazing commences, the quality of the feed should be tested to determine the energy, protein, and
ibre concentrations in the feed. This will help understand whether the feed will meet the nutritional needs of the
cattle, and therefore whether the cattle will need to be given supplements while grazing the particular forage. It
is also a good practice to provide the cattle with access to a source of supplementary minerals, salt and vitamins.
Throughout the winter grazing period, the cattle need to be checked daily. Although the cattle are grazing in
paddocks, bedding is still required for the cattle, and this should be placed in the sheltered area set aside in the
paddock to provide protection against extreme cold and unpredictable bad weather events.
Bedding straw will ensure that cattle have insulation against the freezing efect of the ground when they
lay down. Also, in freezing conditions, cattle cannot be allowed to get wet to the skin, as the water in the hair
coat will freeze and can rapidly lead to hypothermia. Contingency plans Plan B need to be in place
whenever a winter grazing program is implemented, as bad weather can quickly impact on feed accessibility
and cattle condition e.g. where the snow becomes too deep, an ice crust forms on the swath, or when a ield
turns to mud when the snow melts. If the snow is icy or crusted over, animals can wear the
skin of their noses and the hair of their lower legs. In these circumstances, the cattle need to be removed
immediately and an alternative feeding and management strategy applied; such as feeding in coninement or bale
grazing.
7.5.4. Grazing Stockpiled Forage
Stockpiled forage is where pasture and hay ields are saved for winter grazing after pasture growth
has stopped. Cattle can efectively graze pastures with snow coverage, up to a depth of about 0.6m
600mm. For the stockpiled pastures to be good quality, the
ield needs to have been grazed or cut for hay once before allowed to regrow for autumn and winter grazing
otherwise the pastures will be ‘over-mature’ and of very low nutritional value. In any case, the nutritional value of
stockpiled forage is best suited for mature dry cows in early-mid gestation.
Stockpiled forage plants should be tall so they are easily accessible for the cattle. If stockpiled pastures are to
be grazed after snow, the mass of the forage needs to be higher. Grasses are best used in the autumn before
snow covers over the grass. Erect perennial grass species are good species to use
as stockpiled forage as they stand up so they can be grazed more easily by livestock. By contrast, soft grasses
should be grazed in the autumn before they get lost under snow cover.
Legumes are not suitable for use in stockpiled or swath grazing as they lose their leaves quickly after the irst
frost which results in declining forage quality.
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7.5.5. Swath Grazing
Swath grazing is a method of feeding conserved forages to cattle during winter in the paddocks in which they
were grown. Annual cereal crops such as triticale, barley and oats can be used to prepare forage swaths, and
experience in Canada in particular demonstrates that high yields of high quality forage can be preserved to be
fed out to cattle during winter. The cereal crops are sown in early spring May in
most circumstances, and then cut and swathed using a swathing or windrowing implement at the end of
August or September, depending on the location and the maturity of the crop. The swaths tend to sit up on
top of the cereal stubble, and as the weather turns cold, the forage is preserved by the dry weather conditions.
The swaths are left in the ields for the cattle to graze Fig. 7.13.
For best results from swath grazing, paddocks need to be selected where;
• The condition of cattle can be easily monitored • Water is available
• Wind protection is provided • Supplementary feed can be provided to animals if
needed. Although experience in North America shows that
cattle can graze through snow up to 0.6m deep, low lying areas where snow accumulates should be grazed
earlier in winter before the snow gets too deep. If there is heavy snow on the swath, it is possible to open up
access to it by driving a tractor down the swath to break through the snow, or to use a grader blade or
the bucket of the tractor loader to push the snow of the swath.
Figure 7.13. Remnants of swaths grazed by cattle during winter. Source: Mary Macarthur, The Western Producer.
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When cattle need to graze through snow there should be;
• High forage volume • Adequate forage quality
• Softer snow type • High stocking density so as to break the snow crusts.
To estimate how much of the swath will be utilised, assume that a cow will use about 2.5 of its body weight
per day. For example, a 600kg cow will consume 15kg of dry matter of swath feed per day.
Access to the swath can be controlled by using portable electric fencing so that high utilisation rates can be
achieved. If the cattle are allowed uncontrolled access to the entire ield of swathed material, much will be
wasted as the cattle trample on the material and reduce its quality. With controlled access, the electric fence can
be moved every 1 to 3 days, this way there will be less wastage of feed. Straw bales can be used to monitor
when the cows are ready to move. When they start to eat the straw bales it is time to be moved on.
When selecting crops for swath grazing, the best crops to choose are those with a good dry matter yield potential.
Barley, triticale and oats are the most commonly used cereal crops. If barley is used, smooth awned varieties
are better as the rough awns can get caught in the cow’s mouth and cause a condition known as ‘lumpy jaw’.
Seeding for swath grazing should take place in late spring to early summer May to June when soil tractability and
soil moisture are favourable for sowing. When the crop is at the soft dough stage it should be cut as this provides
the best quality forage for grazing.
Early seeding in mid-May has up to 25 more yield than late seeding. However, this leads to an early harvest
which has risks associated with swaths being exposed to the weather for longer periods in autumn, and this
can result in yield and quality loss from leaching and the growth of moulds. If a long season species of crop is
chosen this will allow for early seeding and reduce the problems associated with early swathing.
7.5.6. Bale Grazing
