If there’s one thing every rancher in West Texas can agree on, it’s this: winter feeding has a way of sneaking up fast. One minute you’re swatting flies and watching calves kick up their heels in the late-summer heat, and the next you’re staring down the first cold fronts, wondering if you’ve got enough hay stacked to make it through. When the weather flips, there’s no time to play catch-up—your cattle depend on you having a plan in place.
That’s precisely why September is the best month to get ahead of the game. Once October rolls around, your schedule fills up quickly with weaning, preg-checks, and fall ranch projects. By taking a moment now to evaluate your winter feeding program, you’ll not only save yourself stress but also keep feed costs in check when the days get shorter and colder.
In this post, we’ll walk through the three significant steps every cattle producer should tackle in September to set up a successful winter feeding strategy: first, take a real hay inventory (not just an eyeball guess); second, test forage quality, because not all hay bales are created equal; and third, estimate your winter supplement needs before the feed store rush leaves you paying higher prices. Getting these pieces right now will help ensure your herd stays in good condition all winter without draining your wallet.
Why September Is the Smart Time to Plan
Let’s face it—most of us don’t exactly enjoy crunching numbers and running feed scenarios. But here’s the truth: the earlier you make a plan, the more options you’ve got.
Think about it:
- Hay prices only go up once everyone starts scrambling in November.
- Feed mills get busy, and sometimes supplement blends sell out or backorder.
- Trucking costs jump when you’re hauling feed in a hurry instead of scheduling ahead.
By planning in September, you give yourself breathing room. You’ll know whether you can coast on what you’ve already got—or whether it’s time to line up extra hay, buy some cubes, or tweak your mineral program.
Step 1: Take a Real Hay Inventory
Let’s start with the basics: how much hay do you actually have?
It sounds simple, but you’d be surprised how many ranchers think they know their hay supply—until January rolls around and the barn is emptier than expected.
Here’s a straightforward way to get a handle on it:
- Count every bale. Don’t just guess. Write it down.
- Know your bale weights. A “round bale” isn’t always 1,200 pounds. Depending on how it was baled, the weight could range from 800 lbs to 1,500 lbs. If you’re not sure, weigh a couple.
- Convert it into total pounds of hay on hand.
- Example: 100 bales x 1,200 lbs = 120,000 lbs of hay.
- Figure out daily herd requirements. A good rule of thumb is that a mature cow eats about 2.5% of the cow’s body weight in dry matter each day.
- Therefore, a 1,200-pound cow will require approximately 30 pounds of hay per day if hay is the primary diet.
- Do the math on days of hay supply.
- Suppose you have 120,000 pounds of hay and 100 cows that need 30 pounds each, which amounts to 3,000 pounds per day. That means you’ve got 40 days of hay on hand.
That calculation alone can be a wake-up call. A barn that “looked full” in September may not get you past Christmas.
👉 Pro Tip: Don’t forget to factor in waste. Even with good feeding practices, hay losses of 10–20% are common. If you’re rolling bales out on the ground, that number may be even higher.
(For more on reducing waste, check out our post on 5 easy rules to store hay the right way.)
Step 2: Test Forage Quality
Okay, so you know how much hay you’ve got. Now comes the million-dollar question: Is it any good?
Not all hay is created equal, and a barn full of poor-quality hay can be just as costly as not having enough. This is where forage testing pays off.
Why Test?
- Protein and energy levels vary widely. A bale of native grass hay cut late might test at 6% crude protein, while a bale of early-cut sorghum-sudan could test 12% or higher.
- Nutrient gaps cost money. If your hay is short on protein, your cows will lose condition unless you buy a supplement. But without a test, you won’t know how much—or what type—you actually need.
- Avoid overfeeding. On the flip side, if your hay is better quality than you thought, you can cut back on cubes or protein tubs and save money.
How to Test Hay
- Get a hay probe. Your county Extension office may loan one, or you can buy one relatively cheaply.
- Sample multiple bales. Don’t just grab one core from the edge of the stack. Take 10–12 samples from different bales, mix them together, and submit a composite sample.
- Send it off to a lab. Texas A&M AgriLife has labs that handle this, or you can use a private lab. The cost is typically around $20–$30 per sample.
What to Look For
- Crude Protein (CP): Most mature cows need at least 7–8% CP to maintain body condition. Growing calves and lactating cows need more.
- Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN): This is a measure of your energy. For cows in mid-gestation, 55% TDN is usually adequate. Late-gestation and lactating cows require approximately 60% of their diet to be composed of forage.
Armed with this information, you can match hay lots to different groups of cattle. Save your best hay for lactating cows or weaned calves, and feed the lower-quality hay to dry cows that require less feed.
Step 3: Estimate Supplement Needs
Now we get to the part that ties it all together. You know how much hay you’ve got, and you know what’s in it. Next step: figure out where supplements fit in.
Matching Hay & Cow Needs
Let’s say your forage test comes back at:
- 7% CP
- 52% TDN
That’s okay hay for dry cows in mid-gestation, but it’s short on both protein and energy for lactating cows. If you feed it straight, your cows will lose weight.
This is where the supplement comes in. By adding protein cubes, a liquid feed, or a protein tub, you can fill in the gaps. Sometimes just 2–3 pounds of cubes per head per day is enough to balance out the ration.
Estimating Costs
September is the time to do a cost-per-head-per-day calculation:
- Figure the shortfall.
- Example: Cows need 10% CP, and your hay is only 7%. That’s a 3% gap.
- Pick a supplement.
- Cottonseed meal, cubes, tubs, or commodity blends—what’s available locally?
- Price it out.
- If 20% cubes cost $350/ton, and you need 2 lbs per head per day, that’s about $0.35 per cow per day.
When you multiply that by 100 cows over 120 days, the total adds up quickly. But it’s better to know in September than to be blindsided in December.
👉 External Resource: If you’d like to dig deeper into the economics of winter feeding, this Extension guide from Oklahoma State has some great strategies worth a look.
Don’t Forget Minerals
It’s easy to focus only on hay and cubes, but don’t overlook the importance of minerals. A well-planned mineral program in winter helps keep cows in optimal condition, supports reproductive health, and aids in the development of healthy calves.
Look for:
- Phosphorus for reproduction.
- Magnesium if you’re grazing small grains.
- Chelated trace minerals if you’ve had problems with breed-back.
And here’s a money-saver: match mineral to season. There’s no need to feed a “fly control” mineral once cold weather hits.
Putting It All Together
Here’s how the process might look on your ranch this September:
- Count hay: 150 bales x 1,200 lbs = 180,000 lbs.
- Run forage test: results in 8% CP and 55% TDN.
- In comparison to needs, dry cows in mid-gestation are covered, whereas lactating cows will require a supplement.
- Estimate supplement: 2 lbs of 20% cubes per day for 40 lactating cows over 90 days.
- 2 lbs x 40 cows = 80 lbs/day.
- 90 days = 7,200 lbs total, or 3.6 tons.
- At $350/ton = $1,260 for the season.
Suddenly, you’ve got a clear, realistic plan. No guesswork. No panic buying. Just good management.
Final Thoughts
Winter feeding doesn’t have to turn into a headache or a last-minute scramble. By tackling the big tasks in September, you’re setting yourself up for a smoother season ahead. You’ll know exactly how much hay you have in the barn or stacked out back, you’ll understand the quality you’re actually working with, and you’ll be able to estimate your supplement needs before prices rise or supplies run short. That kind of preparation gives you peace of mind when the cold fronts start rolling through.
Think of this month as insurance for your winter feeding program. A few hours spent with a notepad, a hay probe, and a calculator now can save you weeks of stress later. You’ll avoid running short on feed, overpaying in a panic, or watching cattle lose condition because forage quality wasn’t quite what you thought it was.
At the end of the day, winter feeding is about more than just keeping hay in front of your herd—it’s about protecting their health, keeping your operation efficient, and managing costs in a way that makes sense. The more intentional you are in September, the less guesswork (and fewer surprises) you’ll deal with when temperatures drop.
Before you get buried in fall work, such as weaning, preg-checks, and ranch projects, take one day to plan. Walk through your hay inventory, send off a forage sample, and crunch the numbers on supplements. Your future self—and more importantly, your cattle—will thank you when winter sets in and you’re already ahead of the game.
