This year, not many people harvested and stored good-quality hay on the northern Prairies. A cool spring and droughty summer capped by a couple of feet of autumn snow forced many producers to harvest thousands of mouldy hay bales. For many, this is their only forage supply to overwinter beef cows. Fortunately, we can set […] Read more
Vitti: Options for including mouldy feed in rations
Know what you have and blend it off with the good stuff
Pregnant cows need their protein
Molasses lick-tubs can help maintain cow condition and keep fetuses growing
I was recently driving west through the southern Prairies and saw a beef cow herd grazing late-autumn straw-coloured pasture. I suspected the calves were probably just weaned, which simply puts these dams at their lowest dietary requirements. I believe that these particular cows were getting plenty to eat, but they were probably not getting enough […] Read more
Drought-stricken corn can make dangerous silage
High nitrate levels, moulds and toxins might prevail
Much of this year’s corn crop across the southern Prairies has been once again hit by drought. My photograph of a southern Manitoba cornfield in mid-August shows one of the worst cornfields I have ever seen. It tasselled out early with curled grey leaves and no visible cobs on its stalk. Most whole plants were […] Read more
Fall is no time to slack off on a livestock mineral program
Plenty of hidden benefits for overall herd health and reproduction
Since April, I’ve had the privilege to criss-cross the Prairies to witness the opposite effects of drought and continuous rainstorms upon hundreds of square miles of pasture. In some areas, the pastures were brown, short and by themselves didn’t produce enough feed to support cattle, while other regions were green, lush and had lots of […] Read more
Don’t force cattle to eat bones for phosphorus
It’s an important nutrient for overall animal health and reproduction
A long time ago in university, I came across a faded photograph in our animal science book (Animal Nutrition, Maynard et al, 1979) that showed a poor Venezuelan cow chewing on a bone. Its caption read that she suffered from phosphorus deficiency. I thought at the time that this poor animal was so skinny and […] Read more
Molasses lick-tubs for cattle can fit different needs
A useful tool for both good and poor pastures
Recently, a friend who operates a 400-head cow-calf operation drove through a quarter section of one of his pastures. He told me he made a few stops and pulled up some grass and several roots were brittle. Hundred of kilometres away, another beef producer told me his pastures had lush grass after a couple of […] Read more
Creep feeding spring calves pays dividends
This program pencils out to a $23 per head net premium in 2019
It’s always heartwarming to see the twitch of a spring calf’s tail as it nurses its mum. As this calf approaches three months of age, the brood cow’s milk production decreases, only supplying about half of the calf’s nutrient requirements. The rest must be delivered by sprouting pastures. But that could spell trouble to calf […] Read more
Harden up cattle hooves to avoid foot rot
A proper mineral mix will help hooves withstand injury and infection
After the snow melts, it’s not unusual to hear a lot of stories about footrot on pasture, which may not ease if we continue into a wet summer. Hooves of cattle standing on wet ground or in puddles become soft and pliable, which makes them susceptible to infection. Immediate antibiotic action is effective footrot control, […] Read more
A cost-effective diet for dairy cows
Dairy Corner: Feed and yardage costs add up, but production is optimized
Most dairy producers want to feed cost-effective diets to their high milk- (milkfat) producing cows. That’s a tall order, which is most often achieved by obtaining the best lactation diets, first as a formula on paper and blended into a TMR, then put in front of the cows. Finally, it’s up to them to eat […] Read more
A short 60-day breeding season leads to profit
Produces a more uniform batch of calves and higher weaning weights
The calving season is well underway on the Prairies, with some cow-calf operations calving with snow on the ground, while others plan to calve on pasture. Regardless of the starting date, the length of the calving season is directly related to the length of the previous breeding season. Research shows moving toward a desirable 60-day […] Read more
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