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Feeding Cattle During Periods of Drought
Murray FeistSaskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture
Foraging Into the Future XDecember 11 & 12, 2018
Drought. We’ve been here before…
Tables and Feeds haven’t changed…..
Cattle haven’t changed (much)…..
Better technology and information, on demand..
Feed Options 2018/19
https://www.google.ca/search?q=good+bad+ugly&num=20&rlz=1C2GCEB_enCA825CA825&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiW7ceJr4bfAhUBa60KHYqfD68Q_AUIDigB&biw=1920&bih=1058#imgrc=6VWKvYs8s_BaJM:
The Good
• Straw Seems “better” this year
• Drought = better quality hay
• Mild Winter (so far)
http://cinetropolis.net/scene-is-believing-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/
2018/19 – Straw Quality Varies
– Crude protein: 4-6%
– Energy (TDN): 44 – 54%
• 10 year Average: 46%
• 54 TDN%, straw “looks” similar to grass hay
– Neutral Detergent Fibre: 60-80%
• Fill & Impaction (NDF)
Straw Based Diets 2019
• Rule of Thumb– 1.25% of Body Weight
• (max 1.4%)
– 1,400 lb Cow • 17.5 - 20 lb
• Still need supplement energy & crude protein
• What about molasses?
• Canola Straw: – 0.55 – 0.75% Sulfur
Straw Feed Values
Protein TDN NDF
Cereal Straw 3-5 44-48 70-80
Chickpea / Pea Straw 4-6 44-46 60-75
Flax Straw 5-6 43-45 70-80
Lentil Straw 6-8 44-46 60-75
Canola Straw 4-8 44-50 58-68
Slough Hay 7-8 50-53 58-65
Grass/Alfalfa Hay 12-14 54-58 50-55
100 Percent Dry Matter
At 60% NDF, Feed Intake Begins to Decline
Feed DMD (%) % Body Wt
Excellent Quality Hay 65 3.00
Very Good Hay 60 2.50
Medium Quality Hay 55 2.00
Poor Hay, Barley Straw 45 1.50
Wheat Straw 35-40 1.00
Silage 60-65 2.5-3.0
Straw Diets: 1400 lb cow, 6 mo PregnantFeed 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Cereal Straw 20 lb 20 lb 20 lb 20 lb 20 lb 20 lb 20 lb
Oats/Barley 9 lb 8 lb 8 lb
12% GSP 10 lb 11 lb 9 lb
14% GSP 10 lb
32% Protein Supp 1.2 lb 1.0 lb
Canola Meal (pellet) 1.5 lb 1.0 lb
Alfalfa Pellet 3.5 lb 3.0 lb
Limestone 3.0 oz 2.0 oz 5.0 oz 2.0 oz
18:18 mineral 1.0 oz 1.2 oz 1.2 oz 1.0 oz 1.0 oz 1.0 oz 1.0 oz
TM Salt 1.0 oz 1.3 oz 1.3 oz 1.0 oz 1.3 oz 1.3 oz 1.3 oz
Vit ADE 0.2 oz 0.2 oz 0.2 oz 0.2 oz
DMI 26.9 lb 26.6 lb 28.2 lb 27.9 lb 28.6 lb 28.8 lb 26.8 lb
ADG 0.3 lb 0.2 lb 0.4 lb 0.2 lb 0.3 lb 0.3 lb 0.2 lb
The Bad
• Short Supply Quality Feed
• Feed Prices - High
• Hay Alternatives
– Kochia
– Canola “feeds”
• January/February Weather
http://cinetropolis.net/scene-is-believing-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/
Kochia• Benefits
– Similar to alfalfa in protein and energy
– grows in low, saline areas
– high yielding, even in a dry year
– OXALATES – binds calcium
– NITRATES
• Ensure Supplement Calcium– 30-40% of Diet
– Limestone or 2:1
• Remove from Late Gestation/Lactation Diets
What about Canola
• Sample Canola Seed– Fat (40% DM)– Processing: mix 50:50 with cereal (fat gums up screens)– Ration: 10-15% of intake dry matter
• (1-3 lb per head per day)
• Canola Forage– Flower/Pod Development – normal quality parameters– Good for hay, baled silage, silage– Slow drying (waxy leaf)– High sulfur content (0.55-0.75% DM = POLIO)
• – additive effect with poor water quality
Nitrates
• Starting Limit: 0.5% dry matter
• Cattle will build up tolerance as rumen microbes adjust
• Grain supplementation
• Transition Diets – period of risk– Measure water quality parameters
The Ugly
• Mycotoxins
• Body Condition Score
• Manage Feed Transition
http://cinetropolis.net/scene-is-believing-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/
Figure 6. Ergot body weight (Means ± SE; g, DM basis) in fall rye collected over 6
periods and averaged over 5 locations of the 2014 and 2016 growing season. Note:
a-cMeans within a year not having the same letter are significantly different (P <
0.05).
July 9
June 22
8 June, 2016 15 June, 2016
22 June, 2016 29 June, 2016
6 July, 2016 13 July, 2016
19 July, 2016 27 July, 2016
2 August, 2016
Figure 3. Ergot body development over the summer of 2016, Field #3,
Tisdale, Photo credit Murray Feist.
555 74
18 20
22 20
20
Consumption Limit
# Ergot Bodies AllowedDaily Intake
1400 Pound Cow
Fusarium (Head Blight) = < 5 mg/kg (ppm) DON
https://www.google.ca/search?rlz=1C1GCEB_enCA825CA825&biw=1920&bih=1058&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=I6cGXIWlAqfgjwSXvLG4Cw&q=corn+fusarium&oq=corn+fusarium&gs_l=img.3..0i8i30l3j0i24.3105112.3106511..3106696...0.0..0.103.1245.11j2......1....1..gws-wiz-img.......0j0i67j35i39j0i10j0i10i24.7y1MI9nk324#imgrc=nmjQonumj-O7jM:
https://www.google.ca/search?rlz=1C1GCEB_enCA825CA825&biw=1920&bih=1058&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=gbMGXLvFMsDC0PEPls-ciAU&q=durum+fusarium+saskatchewan&oq=durum+fusarium+saskatchewan&gs_l=img.3...13768.15150..15302...0.0..0.101.1261.10j3......1....1..gws-wiz-img.pjbaotw1uZI#imgrc=5jBUFBB7NkeVGM:
African Swine Fever, Biosecurity and Feed
https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=C2UZtgCP&id=675DCAE5D0590947616CF18D72AA252690CD90E2&thid=OIP.C2UZtgCPTgjPyFC2Ms_7RQHaE_&mediaurl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.cfsph.iastate.edu%2fDiseaseInfo%2fImageDB%2fASF%2fASF_004.jpg&exph=513&expw=760&q=african+swine+fever&simid=607988731305984016&selectedIndex=16&ajaxhist=0
Quotes
• “Prepare for the worst, hope for the best”
• “I always like to keep 2 years of hay in inventory”
• “Hope for a better winter, 2 weeks of -40°C in February uses up reserve feed fast”
– Bad news if March calving
Skinny Cows are Expensive
• Thin cows cost money
• Winter Feed Cost
• Colostrum, milk production, health suffers
• Pasture Health-Recovery
Expensive to Lose Body ConditionBeef Cow, Mid Gestation
BCS 1.51300 lb
1.4 lb/d ADG
BCS 3.01400 lb
0.5 lb/d ADG Difference
TDN 58 48
$/hd/d$1.86 <-> $1.55
90 DOF$2,790 / 100 hd
Crude Protein 7 6
Dry Matter Intake 29 31
Actual Intake 34 36
Barley Grain, lb 8 0
Brome Alfalfa, lb 11 16.75
Cereal Straw, lb 14.75 18.3
1:1 Mineral, lb 0.13 0.17
$/ton $120 $95
Do you know the weight of your animals??
Questions
An enormous steer in Western Australia is making headlines. At 194cm 'Knickers' is the largest in his category in Australia. Story: http://bit.ly/2As99K3 #7News. Twitter: @ 7NewsCQ
https://msu.edu/~ritchieh/historical/black_peer_of_west_woodlawn.jpg
Selective Breeding
Angus: 1950’s
https://msu.edu/~ritchieh/historical/big_dry_ranchers_choice.jpg
Angus: 1994
Cow Size – Trending Bigger
Animal Weight Carcass Size Revenue
– Grain feeding, faster ADG, shorter lifespan, decreased carbon footprint, more beef less animals
– Legesse, 2015. Greenhouse gas emissions of Canadian Beef 1981 - 2011
Larger Cattle Eat More – Forage – Pasture, hay acres– Overgrazing risks, harder
recovery, dry season behind production curve already.
Bigger Cows?
1400 lb cow 1800 lb cow
Native acres per head(Light Brown, fair)
40 acre/hd 50 acre/hd
7 month grazing native pasture - 50% carryover
1,120 more acres
Green Feed Acres 3 bale/acre
32 more acres
Tame Hay Acres 1.5 bale/acre
64 more acres
Drought: 1/3 production 3,400 Native Acres
96 Green Feed Acres
194 Tame Hay Acres
Planning Ahead in Periods Uncertainty
1. Cereal Crops – grazing, grain, hay
2. Corn – high yield vs failure
3. Cocktail Crops (consider species)4. Creep Feed – Early Weaning5. Grazing Strategy (Grass/Legume Abuse)6. Use of Extended Grazing Systems7. Monitor BCS8. Use Technology
– herd management software
9. Smart use of information– Feed and water testing, weigh scales
10. Watch the 10 & 2’s
If you want local information….
https://www.cnbc.com/2013/09/13/infomercial-shamwow-guy-cleans-up-his-act.html
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