Pasture rental rates in Nebraska continue to be at a premium compared to the rest of the country. This author is unaware of anywhere else that has a higher price per pair per month, when compared to Nebraska’s summer grazing rates.
This means that summer grass in some parts of Nebraska is actually more expensive on a per ton basis than current hay prices this spring. This article shows how to compare apples (summer grazing) to oranges (baled hay), by converting both into air-dried forage per ton.
Nebraska pasture rental rates continue to be higher in the eastern Sandhills area compared to other parts of Nebraska. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln conducts yearly surveys of cash rental rates across Nebraska. The report for 2025 pasture rental rates can be viewed at cap.unl.edu/realestate.
Estimating pair consumption
When grass is readily available, of excellent quality, and the rate of passage is rapid, consumption of grass will be higher as a percentage of a cow’s body weight than later in the grazing season when quality declines. Grass consumption by calves generally increases throughout the grazing season as calf size and rumen capacity increase. This occurs simultaneously while cow milk production decreases.
Estimating the amount of forage consumed by the cow is just that, an estimate. Recent research from Oklahoma State University of cows eating medium quality grass hay has shown tremendous variation in forage consumption within a herd, even when cows are of similar size and weight.
Estimating the value of the grazed forage on a per-ton basis allows a person to compare grazed grass directly to what it would cost to buy hay. In this calculation, no labor, waste or machinery cost is accounted for when moving, storing or feeding the hay.
Let’s use an example to value the grazed air-dried forage going into the cow on a per ton basis. For our example, the following assumptions are used.
• One animal unit month (AUM) is an estimate of how much a 1,000-pound bovine would eat in a month, and the estimated consumption is 780 lbs. of air-dried forage per month.
• A cow-calf pair is made up of a 1,350-lb. cow and 400-lb. calf. These weights convert to 1.75 AUM, averaged over the five-month summer grazing period.
To figure the pounds of air-dried forage consumed in one month of summer grazing, take 1.75 AUM multiplied by 780 lbs. of forage to get 1,365 lbs. of air-dried forage per pair. (1.75 x 780 = 1,365).
Table 1 shows the price of summer grazing per pair and what the estimated hay price would be per ton. (Remember our pair is a 1,350-lb. cow and 400-lb. calf).
Considerations
Currently, hay can be bought in Nebraska for a cost per ton equivalent, that in many cases is equal to or less than the cost per ton for grazed forage rates paid for cow-calf pairs.
The quality of grazed grass early in the grazing season will likely be equal to or better than good quality hay that can be purchased. In the later summer and fall, the quality of the hay based on energy and protein basis may be better than grazed forage.
If hay is to be fed versus grazing pastures, most medium quality hays will not meet the nutrition requirements of a milking cow with a calf. Another feed resource that would enhance the quality of a roughage diet, and readily available in Nebraska, are ethanol coproducts. Currently, dried distillers grains can be purchased at approximately $160/ton at the plant. Distillers grains supplemented with medium quality hay could meet a milking cow’s nutritional requirements.
On a dry basis, a pound of distillers grains will have almost twice the energy and will be more than twice the protein of most hay sources. That means that a pound of distillers grains has about the same energy and protein as 2 lbs. of an average quality hay. Using a combination of hay and distillers grains could be an economic and feasible option to develop a balanced ration for many operations.
When feeding hay and distillers grains, the additional costs of labor, equipment and waste during storage and feeding need to be considered. However, when hay or distillers grains are purchased and fed, nutrients are brought in that have value as fertilizer (once the feed passes through the animal onto the ground), when they are captured and utilized effectively.
Summer pasture rental rates in Nebraska have seen significant increases over the last few years with wide ranges being paid per pair per month depending upon a variety of factors. Current market prices for harvested feed are competitive in many cases with pasture rental rates when compared on a price per ton basis. The quality and value of forage consumed, whether by grazing or as hay, need to be considered as producers evaluate grazing and feeding options for the cow herd this spring and summer. — Nebraska Extension
