Tough decisions are being made around Texas as drought conditions force ranchers to cull cattle herds due to lack of forage.

Cattle producers must decide whether to continue feeding by purchasing available hay or find other economical feed options, or simply cut down herd numbers.

Jason Banta, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service beef cattle specialist, Overton, said phone calls and emails have picked up quite a bit over the past week as ranchers seek options for managing cattle numbers.

“It is important for producers to consider how much hay they may need to feed to get through until forage conditions improve or how much feed it will take to stretch hay supplies if they are considering that option,” Banta said. “Can they find hay to purchase, and if they can, what does it cost and what will that combination of hay and feed cost per day per cow? If the decision is made to reduce cow herd numbers, you are better off making these decisions sooner than later.”

Feeding challengesBanta said future calf sales may not offset feed expenses depending on daily feed costs to keep cows.

Cattle producers must decide whether to continue feeding by purchasing available hay or find other economical feed options, or simply cut down herd numbers.

For many producers, Banta said it will likely cost $3.50 to $4 a day to feed a dry cow. That means it could cost $400 to keep the cow for the next 100 days if conditions do not improve significantly. At that price, he said spending levels on feed could exceed expected future increases in calf prices.

Prices for supplemental feed like range cubes and hay have continued to increase, according to AgriLife Extension reports from around the state. Range cubes reached $400 per ton near College Station in recent weeks while round bales were starting to fetch $75-$80. For weeks, AgriLife Extension agents have reported $80-plus bales in drier areas of the state.

Hay production in East Texas alone was only 25%-50% of normal yields, according to district reports. Feed grain corn and…