An extension beef specialist says with rising input prices cattle producers should strongly consider extending their grazing season.

Purdue University’s Ron Lemenager says anytime equipment can be taken out between where the forage is being produced and consumed is a positive.  “Producers should look at things like cover crops and stockpile grazing or using crop residues like corn stalks,” he says. 

He tells Brownfield with the potential for a drier summer, producers will need to develop a grazing strategy that helps with carrying capacity.  “It may be a matter of putting up temporary fences in some of our bigger pastures so we can rotationally graze and allow those forages to recover a little bit,” he says. 

He uses the drought of 2012 as an example.

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