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USING THE NUTRITIONAL
BALANCE ANALYZER
(NUTBAL) PROGRAM
TO TRACK
CRUDE PROTEIN VALUES
FOR RANGELAND AND CRP
UNDER DROUGHT
CONDITIONS
Mary Schrader
Natural Resources Conservation
Service
Since 1997, the Natural Re
sources Conservation Service
(NRCS) in Nebraska has partici
pated in the Forage Quality and
Animal Well Being Project.
Through this project NRCS person
nel are able to collect fecal samples
for analysis and provide a nutri
tional balance profile to landowners
for a variety of landscapes and
cattle herd situations.
Because of the dry conditions last
spring (2000), I saw an opportunity
to collect samples on land enrolled
in the Conservation Reserve Pro
gram (CRP).
According to the National
Weather Service in Goodland,
Kansas, Dundy County receives an
average of 14.75 inches of rainfall
from January to August in a normal
year. During the summer of 2000,
Dundy County received 9.34 inches
for the same time period. This lack
of precipitation was accompanied
by several days of 100-degree tem
peratures and 20-mph south winds
during June and July.
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Our normal grazing season runs
from May 10 to October 15. There
are basically two types of plant com
munities in Dundy County: mixed
grass prairie and sand sage prairie.
The majority of this county in which
I work is in the sand sage prairie
plant community.
Fecal samples were collected on
native rangeland from May through
August. The crude protein values
ran from a high of 12.01 percent in
May and gradually decreased to a
low of 6.46 percent in August. There
was a steady decrease in crude pro
tein, as expected, because of normal
grass growth patterns.
On June 9, 2000, Dundy County
was released for Emergency Graz
ing on land enrolled in the CRP pro
gram. Fecal samples were collected
from CRP land starting in June and
continuing through September. In
June, the crude protein was 10.67
percent. The last sample collected in
September had a crude protein of
9.57 percent. Overall, the crude pro
tein levels for the CRP land did not
vary much throughout the summer.
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fall came in May and June. In May,
the normal rainfall is 3.03 inches
and in June, 2.92 inches. This year,
we received 0.12 inches rainfall in
May and 1.92 inches in June. This
lack of rainfall accompanied by high
temperatures and strong winds at
the start of the growing season
slowed the germination and the
growth of grass in the warm-season
pastures.
Once the analysis is returned to
the field office from the lab, the in
formation is entered into the Nutri
tional Balance Analyzer program.
This program requires data from the
herd such as type of animal, breed,
weight, age, body condition score,
and if bred or lactating. Also en
tered are environmental data such
as temperature, wind speed, slope of
area grazed, and if adequate water
is available. If supplements are fed,
a lab analysis of the feed is required.
After the data have been entered, an
animal profile is generated. One sig
nificant figure is the digestible or
ganic matter to crude protein ratio
(DOM/CP). The recommended
range is 4-7.
ram-
This ratio will determine if the
available forage is meeting the needs
of the animal.
During the past two years, this
ratio has risen above 7.5 by mid-
August on native rangeland. This is
a warning sign to the producer that
a protein supplement may be
needed to maintain body condition
score. This past summer, a ratio
above 7.5 was seen at the end of
July. A recommendation for a pro
tein supplement was passed on to
the landowner. A sample collected
one month later showed the con
sumable crude protein had in
creased to 7.9 percent, which
lowered the DOM/CP ratio from 7.8
to 7.2, assuming the cattle consume
1 pound per head per day. The land
owner provided a 22 percent protein
tub for the cattle to use free choice.
On CRP land, the crude protein
levels from two samples in August
were 10.66 percent and 10.95 per
cent. A landowner running cow/calf
pa’rs was concerned that the forage
would not allow the cow to maintain
a calf.. The DQM/CP ratio for his
herd was 5.9. According to the infor
mation I was given, the forage he
was grazing was adequate for the
cow to maintain a calf. This particu
lar CRP field had never been grazed
or hayed,-'Ad had set idle since
1989.
Many times when discussing the
option of renting CRP to graze, the
landowner indicated it is too expen
sive. Let’s take a look at the cost
based on number of cow-calf pairs
per month. In this area, native
rangeland rents for approximately
$lB per cow-calf pair per month.
For 160 acres, averaging 0.5 AUMs
per acre, the stocking rate would be
62 cow-calf pairs. The average rent
for CRP in this area is $7.5d per acre
per month (based on an average
CRP rental rate of $3O per acre per
month). The stocking rate would be
92 cow-calf pairs, assuming 1.0
AUM per acre (75 percent of normal
stocking rate according to CRP reg
ulations). The cost per cow-calf pair
would be $13.04 per month. On
CRP, you can run an additional 30
head and the cost per pair per
month is less than the cost per pair
for native rangeland ($13.04 com
pared to $18). Other costs to con
sider when grazing CRP are
boundary fence and labor to install
the fence, the cost and time to haul
water each day, or the cost for elec
tricity to provide water.
An additional cost on native
rangeland during dry weather is the
protein supplement. When calcu
lated on a per-day basis, the protein
cost is approximately $0.26 per head
per day, assuming the cattle utilize 1
pound per day.
In summary, I would like to re
state three things that caught my at
tention. First, the crude protein
values for the CRP land stayed
fairly steady throughput the
summer, whereas the values for
native rangeland drop off as the
plants go through their growth
cycle, especially during dry weather.
Second, the DOM/CP ratio for CRP
stayed within the allowable range,
indicating the animal was receiving
adequate protein from the forage.
Third, on native rangeland, the
(Turn to Page 31)
Contact your local
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Pennsylvania
ADAMSTOWN
Adamstown Equip. Inc.
717-484-4391
ALLENTOWN
Lehigh Ag Equippnent
610-398-2553
BECHTELSVILLE
Miller Equip. Co.
610-845-2911
CRESSON & BELLWOOD
Hines Equipment Co.
814-886-4183
814-742-8171
EASTON
Geo. V. Seiple & Son, Inc.
610-258-7146
GREENCASTLE
Meyers Implement
717-597-2176
LEBANON
Umberger’s of Fontana
717-867-5161
OAKLAND MILLS
Paoples Salas & Service
717-436-2735
OLEY
Plkeville Equipment, Inc.
610-987-6277
OAKLAND MILLS
Peoples Sales & Service
717-436-2735
QUARRYVILLE
Grumelli Farm Service
717-786-7318
TAMAQUA
Charles Snyder, Inc.
570-386-5945
Maryland
RISING SON
Ag Industrial Equipment
410-658-5568
New Jersey
ELMER
Pole Tavern Equip.
Sales Corp.
856-358-2880