Spring should be here by the time this article makes the press. With spring here, we have our usual management chores to take care of. There are a few that we need to review.

Grass Tetany
Cattle that have not been supplemented and are grazing heavily in fertilized pastures high in potassium and nitrogen are prime candidates for tetany. Cattle that have been supplemented through the winter with Breeder Cubes and MFA's Hi-Mag Mineral have very little risk. If cattle haven't been supplemented, Mag-Ade Meal should be placed out free choice.

Another approach is to offer MFA's #1 Salt Mix with magnesium for two weeks. Feeding Hi-Mag Mineral to these cattle that have not been supplemented and are high risk may not be sufficient because it is hard to ensure consumption. Most of the cattle will consume the 4 oz., but some won't and will be susceptible to tetany.

Cattle grazing pastures heavily fertilized with poultry litter are extremely vulnerable to tetany.

Spring Grass
Though it is sometimes called "washy," spring grass is as high in energy as it is ever going to be. Every day past vegetative state the digestibility decreases. Don't be fooled because the cattle are loose and appear to have diarrhea. This results in a gaunt animal that appears to be losing weight, but when she rehydrates you will find that the animal gained 2 lbs. per day.

Hay
It is also time to harvest hay. We all agree that if it is alfalfa or clover we need to cut it in the late bud or early bloom stage. However, with grass hay (including fescue), the grass should be cut with the same premise. If you cut your cool-season grass (bromegrass, orchardgrass and fescue) before boot stage, the quality of hay will be much more superior.

This means you should be cutting grass hay during the middle to third week of May. Hay cut at this time (before boot stage) should have a Net Energy Maintenance value of 0.55 to 0.6 MCals/lb. on a dry matter basis. This will allow for growing cattle to gain 1.25 to 1.5 lbs./hd./day. This also allows for two more cuttings at six- to eight-week intervals, depending on the rainfall.

Another approach is to take the first cutting and then pasture. Cattle will gain better, have less problems with Endophyte and less eye problems.

If cattle are grazed on fescue, they should be fed Fescue Equalizer Mineral, free choice. Equalizer contains an antibiotic that further reduces the Endophyte problem and eye problems. The antibiotics in Equalizer raise the cost of this mineral above others, but many times the less-expensive products do not contain enough antibiotics, vitamins or selenium.

For cattle grazing orchardgrass, brome, clovers or other pasture mixes, MFA's Bovatec mineral should be the mineral of choice. Bovatec will improve the gains and reduce incidence of bloat.

Creep Feeding
Spring calves are getting big enough that Mom doesn't have enough milk anymore. These calves can't fully utilize the grass at this stage, and the grass is getting poorer. Now is a good time to creep feed so the calf can reach and perform at his or her given genetic ability. We want these calves to grow and develop a rumen. We do not want calves to get fat. Therefore, creep feeds and grower rations should be done differently than fattening rations.

MFA Cattle Charge and Beef Creep are excellent feeds to use. If grass is good, you may want to stop creep feeding in late summer when calves are older.

Summary
Cut grass hay before boot stage and take more than one cutting. Though the tons per cutting are less and the total harvesting costs will be more, the quality will compensate you for your trouble. Gains will be greater, resulting in heavier calves and higher body condition scores.

Don't neglect creep feeding nursing calves. It looks like cattle prices are going to be very good. Extra gains are going to mean extra profits. Even if you get docked per pound for calves because they appear fleshy and weigh 100 lbs. more, there will still be a greater profit there.