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Custom rates survey summary

Description

Since 1975 Alberta Agriculture & Rural Development has annually surveyed custom rates and rental rates to provide information to farmers and custom operators. This publication presents a... More ≫

Description

Since 1975 Alberta Agriculture & Rural Development has annually surveyed custom rates and rental rates to provide information to farmers and custom operators. This publication presents a summary of custom work and rental rates. These rates are only intended as a guide. The specific objective of this survey summary is to organize and report custom rates for certain custom operations on the farm. No effort is made to evaluate the fairness of reported rates. The goal is to report what is being charged, not what should be charged. Farmers may find custom rates useful as a guide for machinery management, budgeting and financial planning for credit needs. Also, custom rates can be used as a guide in negotiating settlements for work performed for neighbors or others. Lenders, educators, government institutions and others doing budgeting or planning analysis may also find custom rates helpful in their work. Custom operators can use these guides to compare their own rate with the market...

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Grass seed residues for beef cattle feed

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Grass seed straws are effective feed alternatives for reducing ration costs for cows in the second to early third trimester. Depending on feed quality, straws are best suited for mature cows that... More ≫

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Grass seed straws are effective feed alternatives for reducing ration costs for cows in the second to early third trimester. Depending on feed quality, straws are best suited for mature cows that have good body condition scores. Using straw rations for growing and/or thin animals will result in animals that are nutritionally deprived, which may affect calving and re-breeding success. When using grass seed straw as feed, consider the following: Take the time to ensure rations are balanced. Pay careful attention to the levels of digestible intake protein and minerals. Remember that once the cows have calved, the proportion of the grass seed residues in the ration will have to be reduced to meet the cow's increased energy and protein requirements. Work with a nutritionist or local feed company to get a better idea of the proportion that can be included.

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Feeding legumes to cattle

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Legumes can be a valuable part of a cattle feeding program. In fact, legumes can actually improve animal performance by encouraging intake, by providing greater feed efficiency and by fostering a... More ≫

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Legumes can be a valuable part of a cattle feeding program. In fact, legumes can actually improve animal performance by encouraging intake, by providing greater feed efficiency and by fostering a better use of forage nitrogen content. Legumes can capture nitrogen from the air and use it for their own growth as well as for the benefit of other plants around them. The bacteria that inhabit root nodules trigger a chemical reaction to convert nitrogen gas into a form that is easily used by the plant.

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Cattle feeding : limiting intake and adding corn grain

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Producers need options for wintering their cattle herds when fibre is in short supply. Feeding cows limited dry matter intake (DMI) rations may be one answer for Alberta.s beef cattle herd. U.S... More ≫

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Producers need options for wintering their cattle herds when fibre is in short supply. Feeding cows limited dry matter intake (DMI) rations may be one answer for Alberta.s beef cattle herd. U.S research shows that feeding reduced dry matter intake (DMI) rations with corn grain for the beef cow is a possible option to help winter the Alberta cattle herd. The U.S findings are very positive but, Alberta Agriculture wanted to see if these U.S. findings would hold true under Alberta conditions and if straw could be used as a fibre source with corn grain and limited DMI rations.

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