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Using the animal unit month (AUM) effectively

Description

The concept of the animal unit month (AUM) is useful to help range and pasture managers calculate suitable stocking rates for pastures under a wide variety of conditions. This fact sheet defines... More ≫

Description

The concept of the animal unit month (AUM) is useful to help range and pasture managers calculate suitable stocking rates for pastures under a wide variety of conditions. This fact sheet defines the animal unit month and describes how to determine this number.

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Canola co-products for feeding pigs

Description

Canola cold-pressed, expeller-pressed or solvent extracted. What is the difference among these products, and why should it matter to pork producers? After more than 30 years, pork producers have... More ≫

Description

Canola cold-pressed, expeller-pressed or solvent extracted. What is the difference among these products, and why should it matter to pork producers? After more than 30 years, pork producers have become familiar with feeding conventional canola meal. But in recent years, new terms have emerged that refer to novel canola co-products for animal feeding. Producers may wonder what these terms mean and what the differences are among co-products. And for the bottom line, excellent buying opportunities exist when shopping for canola co-products to increase profit margins and reduce feed costs.

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Wintering site assessment and design tool : a guide to selecting and managing a wintering site in Western Canada

Description

The greatest environmental risk from wintering sites is the potential for water contamination from runoff carrying nutrients, pathogens and sediments. Also, excessive nitrogen levels in the soil... More ≫

Description

The greatest environmental risk from wintering sites is the potential for water contamination from runoff carrying nutrients, pathogens and sediments. Also, excessive nitrogen levels in the soil at the site increase the risk of nutrients leaching into groundwater sources. Elevated soil nutrient levels can result in subsequent crop production concerns such as lodging or high feed test nitrate-nitrogen levels. Elevated soil nitrogen levels combined with high soil moisture conditions can result in gaseous losses of nitrogen, and ammonia emissions from manure may cause odour concerns.

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Utilizing annual cereals for livestock feed

Description

Producers may find it necessary to feed more animals than anticipated during times of drought due to a number of different reasons. In such situations, additional feed requirements may partially... More ≫

Description

Producers may find it necessary to feed more animals than anticipated during times of drought due to a number of different reasons. In such situations, additional feed requirements may partially be met by the harvesting of annual crops to supplement current hay production and carryover stocks.

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Management strategies for cattle during dry conditions

Description

During dry conditions, the objective for cattle producers is to "buy feeding days" of forages and/or grazing while maintaining a reasonable level of productivity. Budget projections will involve... More ≫

Description

During dry conditions, the objective for cattle producers is to "buy feeding days" of forages and/or grazing while maintaining a reasonable level of productivity. Budget projections will involve maintaining all, some or none of the core productive asset base: the cow herd. Similar approaches are applicable to feeder cattle operations. In assessing these alternatives, it is important to view them from the decision-making criteria of affordability (cash flow), profitability and desirability (including reversibility and longer term goals).

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Agronomic management of stockpiled pastures

Description

Stockpiling pasture is a form of deferred grazing. The producer stockpiles the forage grown during the spring and summer for use when the pasture is in short supply or when cows need fall or... More ≫

Description

Stockpiling pasture is a form of deferred grazing. The producer stockpiles the forage grown during the spring and summer for use when the pasture is in short supply or when cows need fall or winter feed. This practice can mean savings for the producer: harvesting, hauling and feeding costs associated with conserved feed are eliminated; and manure does not need to be removed from feeding areas. Winter grazing on native range is common on the southern prairies. Depth of snow cover frequently limits winter grazing of standing forage in the Parkland and Boreal forest regions. However, the grazing season may be extended by several weeks by using stockpiled forage in late fall and early spring.

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Agronomic management of swath grazed pastures

Description

Feed, feeding, cow management and manure disposal can account for up to two-thirds of the total cost of production in a cow-calf operation. Systems that can extend the grazing season and reduce... More ≫

Description

Feed, feeding, cow management and manure disposal can account for up to two-thirds of the total cost of production in a cow-calf operation. Systems that can extend the grazing season and reduce these costs are of great interest to cow-calf producers. One of these systems is swath grazing.

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Increasing cow/calf profitability using chaff and chaff/straw feedstuffs

Description

Over the years, many cost-conscious cow/calf producers across western Canada have recognized the potential for chaff residues to help reduce the winter feeding costs in mixed farm operations.... More ≫

Description

Over the years, many cost-conscious cow/calf producers across western Canada have recognized the potential for chaff residues to help reduce the winter feeding costs in mixed farm operations. Chaff that has often been considered a nuisance on the grain side of a mixed farm can prove to be a valuable low cost feed alternative on the cattle side. In fact, chaff may prove to work as a win-win solution for both operations, if some basic steps are followed. And nothing is more important than to first recognize that chaff is a low quality feed, suitable only for mature beef cows.

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Effect of bale processing on particle size and potential feeding losses in hay or bale silage

Description

Round bale processors are commonly used for feeding beef cattle over winter. Feeds with a higher proportion of fines after processing may be more susceptible to higher dry matter and nutrient... More ≫

Description

Round bale processors are commonly used for feeding beef cattle over winter. Feeds with a higher proportion of fines after processing may be more susceptible to higher dry matter and nutrient losses due to trampling. This factor raises the question: what is the effect of processing on particle size distribution in the windrow and potential feeding losses? To answer this question, a study was designed by Alberta Agriculture and Food and Agriculture Technology Center specialists to measure the effect of bale processing on particle size distribution in the windrow. Both dry hay and silage round bales were evaluated, and the findings indicate that bale processing will affect the feed.

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Residual feed intake (net feed efficiency) in beef cattle

Description

Improving the feed efficiency of a beef cattle herd can mean big savings for producers. One way to achieve this goal is to select breeding bulls that are naturally feed-efficient, since 80 to 90... More ≫

Description

Improving the feed efficiency of a beef cattle herd can mean big savings for producers. One way to achieve this goal is to select breeding bulls that are naturally feed-efficient, since 80 to 90 per cent of the genetic improvement in a herd comes through the sires.

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