High-nitrate feeds can be deadly for overwintering beef cows. They can be used, but only if they’re processed and diluted in a lower nitrate ration.
Tag Archives straw
Prevent nitrate poisoning in overwintering beef cows
Better Bunks and Pastures: High-nitrate feeds can be used, but only if they’re processed and diluted in a lower-nitrate ration
Prevention and responsibility can be shared
Animal Health: Crop growers and cattle producers can benefit by working together
In writing for the past several years for Grainews it was nice trying to create articles that had application to the cattle, grain and mixed farmers out there. Better long-term solutions are created by looking from both sides of the fence at a problem. These create win-win situations, where both sides of a deal, trade […] 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
Crop residues’ rewards versus risks
Leaving crop residue after harvest can be beneficial — but poses some challenges
John Berger marked the completion of his 57th harvest on his family farm near Nanton in southern Alberta this fall. By most accounts, it was another productive year on Berger’s 5,000-acre grain farm. Still, something didn’t sit quite right with the long-time farmer. Whenever he toured the nearby countryside post-harvest, he noted many farm fields […] Read more
Alberta issues final crop report for year
Harvest over 98 per cent done by region and crop type
MarketsFarm –– For the second year in a row the Alberta harvest wrapped up well ahead of the five-year average. With a gain of three points for the week ended Tuesday, Alberta Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development (AFRED) pegged the combining of major crops at 99.2 per cent complete. That’s 22 and a half […] Read more
St(RAW) deal
Don’t rob our Prairie croplands — help rejuvenate them by working in all crop residues
Here we go again. “Alberta May Get Straw Plant” was a headline that appeared last summer in an agricultural publication. Why the concern? How many of you remember those massive piles of straw on the Trans-Canada Highway near Elie, Man., just east of Winnipeg? There were stacks and stacks of big, round straw bales — […] Read more
Residue management innovations from Redekop, New Holland, Case IH
The latest straw chopper technologies offer increased spreader widths, finer cuts, more efficiencies and in-cab controls
For farmers who practice low-till or no-till, residue management is essential. “We’re leaving a lot more residue on the field and that residue brings some benefits because it traps moisture and reduces erosion,” explains Trevor Thiessen, president and co-owner of Redekop Manufacturing in Saskatoon. “If straw is not chopped finely and spread evenly, it can […] Read more
Sixteen reasons why grain growers should never sell crop residues
Read this article and you’ll never sell baled straw again
Could it be the last straw or the straw that broke the camel’s back? If you grow lentils, peas, canola, dry beans, fava beans, soybeans or grain corn, it’s normal practice to harvest the grain and leave the combined residue on the cropland. There are exceptions when some of the aforementioned crops may be baled. […] Read more
Vitti: Options for including mouldy feed in rations
Know what you have and blend it off with the good stuff
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
Highline CFR 1251 built to speed up processing
Highline model offers speed when blending hay, straw and grain rations
Winter feed costs make up the bulk of animal input costs on the prairie, so blending forage of different qualities into a ration can help stretch feed stocks and provide the right blends at the right time. The marketing staff at Highline Manufacturing of Vonda, Saskatchewan, believes their CFR1251 Bale Pro processor can help producers […] Read more
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