Not if you want them to do some stockpile grazing. Stockpile grazing is great to use during the early parts of spring when the grasses haven't quite come up yet. It helps put more manure on the pasture for the grasses to use, plus it eliminates most of the cover that might hinder the grass coming up. Of course, this all depends on where you live. If you are in an area where you don't get much snow--if any--and have long, dead, winter grass in the pasture you need to get rid of, you could mow it a bit, or graze your cows on it and let the cows get rid of it for you.
Because cattle can be grazed for 365 days a year, and most often feed doesn't have to be put up to sustain cattle through a cold winter or a season where there's little to no grazing.
It was actually the Great Winter of 1886-87 that affected the cattle kingdom. Thousands and thousands of cattle died during this Great Winter due to starvation. Many ranchers failed to put up winter feed for their cattle, and they also did not have adequate knowledge of stocking rates or carrying capacity for the grasslands that they had their cattle grazing on, so instead of having lots of pasture for winter, there was no pasture for winter because the grasslands had been overgrazed so bad. Ranchers suffered greatly in the huge losses of their cattle herds, and the cattle suffered from lack of feed.
Transhumance refers to the seasonal movement of livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. Examples include the migration of sheep herders in the Alps who move their flocks to higher elevations during the summer for grazing, and the movement of pastoralists in Mongolia who migrate with their livestock to find better grazing grounds as seasons change. Another example is the movement of cattle herders in the Sahel region of Africa, who travel between the grasslands and dry areas to optimize grazing resources throughout the year.
Most cattle in the north are fed hay, silage and/or grain during the winter. However, for parts of the world where winter means no snow, most cattle are still out on green pasture. In some colder parts where snow is but a dusting, cattle are stockpile grazing old, dried growth of the previous year.
No
Over-grazing was a problem, but it was officially destroyed by the severe winter of 1886-87... cold temps killed cattle. The cattle that didn't die directly from the weather died indirectly from it because there was no grass for them to eat since it all froze.
Bale grazing, similar to swath grazing, is a winter grazing method designed to keep the cows on pasture or on the field and out of the drylot for as long as possible. Bales of straw or hay are used in this grazing practice, and set out so that the cows have access to a certain amount of bales for a certain amount of time. Electrical fencing, like with swath grazing, is used to minimize waste and only allow the cows to clean up what they are given. Bale grazing can be used throughout winter, since the cows have easier access to the bales in deep snow than they would with swaths.
Cattle raising may get more corporate as small family farms disappear and the corporate farms increase in size. There is less money that can be made in cattle, so it has become mostly a hobby than a business, however a business can still be made in cattle, so long as you come prepared. Outside income has to come in in order to keep the farm going, as there just simply isn't enough in it to depend on raising cattle as a full-time job. If you want to make it a full time job, you gotta have at least 500 cows to look after. But that also means hiring someone to help you calve out, feed, spread manure, etc. And very, very few people will be wanting to stay on long-term to help with all that. Cattle raising may become more low-cost especially since farmers and ranchers are trying to find ways to be more sustainable, more economical, and more profitable with more of a positive margin in raising cattle than in the past. This means making the cows work for you instead of you working your rear off for them. This also means lessening winter feeding time and keeping them out on pasture longer; integrating winter grazing techniques such as swath grazing and bale grazing as well as stockpiling. Being more economical and sustainable also means turning the tractor on much less than before, buying much less expensive feed and fertilizer, and as a result purchasing far less fuel. Manure hauling may become non-existant as cows are being made to put their body wastes out onto the field themselves instead of making their owners do it for them. Summer grazing practices will and are being implemented to make better use of our pastures and ranges, such as rotational grazing, seasonal grazing, strip grazing, mixed grazing (grazing cows with sheep or goats for instance), leader-follower grazing etc. Selling calves to the feedlot may not become necessary, as the niche market for grass-finished beef may grow with consumers demanding a healthier product than they are today. Feedlots may become non-existant with this sudden boom in grass-finished beef. Going back to the cows themselves, there will have to be more stricter culling practices in place to raise the kind of cows that will do well on a diet of grass-only and don't need extra feed. The breeds and compound breeds will stay the same, but finding those that have better forage convertability and do not need as much feed per acre will aid in the higher sustainability and economics of the farm. Overall, if you want to raise cattle you gotta have a darn good plan. This includes some of the things I just listed above, as well as other things I didn't mention such as financial plans, market plans, marketing, etc.
Swath grazing is when dry mature cows are allowed to graze swaths of oats, barley, winter wheat or winter rye during the early winter or late winter/early spring. They are on the field and only allowed access to the swaths a little at a time through a method called strip grazing. Temporary electrical fencing is used, and is shifted once daily according to the number of cows, forage quality of the swaths, and size of the cows; the fencing is located perpendicular to the direction of the swaths. Swath grazing is a method of winter grazing to minimize the amount of time spent feeding cattle in winter, as well as labour and time spent in late spring cleaning out the manure in the drylot. Here the cows are working for you, cleaning up the swaths as they go, and you are only spending 20 to 30 minutes moving the electric fencing to fresh grazing every one or two days for the cowherd. Note swath grazing really only works for dry brood cows with no calf. If younger stock like heifers or steers or lactating cows are grazed, they need supplementation as often the forage in the swaths are not enough to meet these animals' dietary requirements. Shelter and water must also be met, though if there is fresh snow the cows can get water from eating snow. In most cases fresh water should be supplied daily.
Cattle drives soon ended in the late 1800's to the early 1900's because of fierce winter storms, barbed wire, drought, overgrazing, and the near extinction of the population of Longhorns originating from Spain and developed in the wilds of southwestern America.
Swath grazing is when dry mature cows are allowed to graze swaths of oats, barley, winter wheat or winter rye during the early winter or late winter/early spring. They are on the field and only allowed access to the swaths a little at a time through a method called strip grazing. Temporary electrical Fencing is used, and is shifted once daily according to the number of cows, forage quality of the swaths, and size of the cows; the fencing is located perpendicular to the direction of the swaths. Swath grazing is a method of winter grazing to minimize the amount of time spent feeding cattle in winter, as well as labour and time spent in late spring cleaning out the manure in the drylot. Here the cows are working for you, cleaning up the swaths as they go, and you are only spending 20 to 30 minutes moving the electric fencing to fresh grazing every one or two days for the cowherd. Note swath grazing really only works for dry brood cows with no calf. If younger stock like heifers or steers or lactating cows are grazed, they need supplementation as often the forage in the swaths are not enough to meet these animals' dietary requirements. Shelter and water must also be met, though if there is fresh snow the cows can get water from eating snow. In most cases fresh water should be supplied daily.
The Great Winter of 1885-86 that killed thousands upon thousands of cattle due to overgrazing of rangelands and lack of winter feed.