Every spring in West Texas, ranchers wait for pastures to green so they can stop feeding hay and let cattle graze.You open the gate, turn cows out, and think, “They can finally graze again.”
At first, the pasture looks healthy, cattle eat eagerly, and hay costs drop. It feels like nature is doing the work again.
However, this is often when many cattle producers face an unexpected problem.
Early spring pasture can create what many nutritionists call a hidden nutritional gap in cattle. The grass may look lush and healthy, but it does not always give cows the balanced nutrition they need, especially if they are lactating, recovering from calving, or preparing for breeding season.
Cows often lose body condition in April and May, even when grazing deep green forage. The grass is present, but nutrients may not meet cows’ needs.
If this mismatch, known as the April nutrition gap, goes unnoticed, it can lower conception rates, weaken calves, and make it take longer for cows to breed again.
The good news is that understanding early forage makes this issue much easier to manage.
Let’s look at why early spring grass can be misleading and how you can keep your cows performing well in the spring.
February is one of those sneaky months in the cattle business that can catch even experienced producers off guard.
