Texas Forest Country Living

East Texas winters rarely look like the movies. Instead of long stretches of deep cold, we usually get what we’re seeing now — freezing mornings, mild afternoons, and big temperature swings from day to day with one week different from the next. 

The weather these days may look manageable. But this kind of weather quietly drives feed costs up for cattlemen if producers aren’t paying attention.

Experienced stockmen know and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension research proves the point: cold stress increases a cow’s energy requirement. Even short periods of cold raise maintenance needs, especially when combined with wind, wet conditions, or poor body condition. A few freezing mornings don’t seem like much — but over several weeks, they change intake, digestion, and body condition whether we notice it or not.

The first thing to understand is that mild afternoons do not cancel out cold mornings. Cows still burn energy to maintain body temperature overnight. When they warm up during the day, hay consumption often increases — but that does not mean better efficiency. If you’re feeding the same ration you were feeding during stable mild weather, you’re probably underfeeding energy.

Here is where hay quality matters more than bale count. AgriLife forage research consistently shows that low-quality hay forces cows to increase intake just to meet maintenance needs — and in cold weather, that’s a losing equation. A mature cow can only consume so much dry matter per day. If your hay is low in energy and protein, no amount of “free-choice hay” will make up for it.

Your hay’s protein is the next hidden limiter. AgriLife nutrition work shows that rumen microbes need adequate protein to digest fiber efficiently. When protein is short, cows don’t just lose condition — they lose digestive efficiency. In practical terms, that means more hay gets wasted in manure instead of turned into energy to keep them warm and keep their body condition.

This is why freeze–thaw weather is where supplementation becomes strategic instead of optional. A small amount of protein or energy supplement can improve forage utilization and reduce total hay demand. That’s not theory — that’s basic ruminant nutrition. The cheapest feed is the one that makes your hay work better.

Water access matters more than most producers realize during cold snaps. Cattle will not eat properly if water intake drops. Frozen troughs in the morning, followed by warm afternoons, create inconsistent intake patterns that reduce feed efficiency. AgriLife has long emphasized water as the most overlooked nutrient in cattle nutrition — and winter is when that mistake shows up fastest.

Waste is the other silent drain. Feeding hay on muddy ground, in inefficient hay rings, or in unprotected areas, compounds losses when cows are already increasing intake. Freeze–thaw cycles turn feeding areas into mud pits, and wasted hay equals wasted money. If you’re losing 20 percent to waste and increasing intake at the same time, your winter hay math collapses quickly.

This kind of weather also creates a management trap: things don’t look bad yet. Cows don’t crash overnight. Body condition loss happens slowly and can be difficult to catch without careful observation. But by the time it shows up visually, the cost is already baked in — and fixing thin cows in late winter is far more expensive than maintaining condition in early winter.

The smart move is adjustment, not reaction. Evaluate hay quality honestly. Use supplements strategically, not emotionally. Keep water systems free of ice and functional. Reduce feeding waste where possible. And watch body condition, not just feed inventory.

AgriLife has always pushed the same principle: winter feeding doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does have to be accurate. Our current swings in weather are where accuracy matters most.

Cold mornings, mild afternoons, and variable weather don’t create emergencies — they create slow leaks. And slow leaks cost more than sudden problems because people ignore them.

The producers who manage winter well aren’t the ones with the most hay. They’re the ones who make the hay they have work better.