Most cattle feeding operations in Korea are like that of my girlfriend’s uncle and aunt — Sang June Kim and Hee Jong’s operation — in the form of an open-roof and dairy-like barn with two longitudinal rows of cattle pens.
A new season on a Korean beef farm
Better Bunks and Pastures: Why this farm is feeding heifers this time around
Feed an all-star diet to your beef cows after calving
Better Bunks & Pastures: It pays to invest in cows to get them from calving to their next pregnancy
For a cow to feed a calf and retain its own body condition requires a good solid intake of essential nutrients. First-calf heifers also need more of the same nutrients to gain a couple of hundred pounds of weight as they grow into maturity.
Watch dairy heifers grow on well-balanced diets
The Dairy Corner: There are numerous ways to get a quality mix to a farm’s heifers
I have balanced many dairy heifer replacement diets in the last few months. It’s a pretty easy exercise once I put it down on a PDF spreadsheet and email it to the dairy producer. I am confident all heifer nutrient requirements are met, given how heifers consume it. Plus, I want to make these diets […] Read more
Corn fields emerge as good forage for overwintering beef cows
Better Bunks and Pastures: Cows will need supplements to make sure they get balanced nutrition while grazing corn
Corn fields grown especially for overwintering beef cows are a patchwork across our Prairies. Whole corn plants can provide substantial nutrition to maintain precious body condition of gestating beef cows. Yet, nobody should open the gate to any field and allow cows to stampede into it. That’s because there are still some issues in order […] Read more
Dear Dairy Diary: SARA in lactating dairy cows
Dairy Corner: Changing the effective forage fibre resulted in subtle but important improvements
Dear Dairy Diary, June 24, 2024: I received a call from a dairy producer who milks about 200 dairy cows. Several of his lactating cows were lethargic, quit eating and milking and had severe diarrhea. The producer moved a bubbly loose pile with his boot and noticed a lot of undigested corn and what seemed […] Read more
Early-gestating beef cows need good nutrition
Better Bunks and Pastures: Two-stage use of minerals over the fall and winter can help cows maintain body condition at a better cost
Late autumn is when many spring calves are weaned and removed from their moms. The remaining cow herd is now in its earliest weeks of gestation and requires a modest level of nutrition. It is an opportunity to feed some of the most cost-effective forage diets. But as time goes on, beef cows’ nutrient requirements […] Read more
Pencil out the investment in a background feeding program
Better Bunks and Pastures: Knowing the numbers can help dictate whether calves should be sold or retained
As most of the leaves have fallen, many spring calves are being weaned. It’s also the time when many people determine whether their weaned calves are immediately sold or held back for further feeding. Record-high prices, especially on the weaned calf side of the market, should have everyone penciling out the feasibility of continued backgrounding […] Read more
How field peas fit in dairy lactation diets
Dairy Corner: Research and some practical trials show peas can be fed to cows with no effect on milk yield
A few years back, there was a surge of investment in pea processing for the plant-based protein industry. A multimillion-dollar plant was built in Manitoba, along with other smaller related food and processing businesses. There was more than just talk about growing more peas in Western Canada in which an offshoot would be feeding more […] Read more
It’s not too late to creep-feed spring calves
Better Bunks and Pastures: Analysis says this could be a highly profitable year to creep-feed calves
A friend of mine operates a 300-cow-calf operation. This year, he put out his creep feeders during the end of July and his March-born calves really haven’t eaten much creep-feed in the last month. That’s because his pastures are still lush and his cows are milking well. He joked that he is ready to lock […] Read more
Strategic use of chelated minerals makes financial sense
Dairy Corner: There are specific cases where chelated minerals should be used in dairy diets
In the last couple of years, I’ve noticed most dairy lactation diets contain a fortified level of chelated trace minerals. When I ask dairy producers why they feed them over conventional ones, they often say they don’t know or their nutritionist thinks it’s a good idea. There is nothing technically wrong with feeding chelated trace […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
