Search
Cover Crops & Livestock Integration: A Profit Opportunity for S.D. Farms
Cover crops have been gaining a reemerging acceptance over the last decade, with very few producers disagreeing about the potential soil health benefits of adding cover crops to their farming operation.
Ergot: A Potential Livestock Poisoning Problem
Cool, damp weather followed by warmer temperatures favors grasses becoming infected with ergot bodies, which can cause a certain kind of poisoning that can affect cattle on pasture.
Using Corn Wisely for Replacement Heifers
Producers’ goals are to maximize returns and this could be achieved through least-cost rations that provide the desired performance.
Using Drought-Stressed Corn as Forage
When drought has compromised tonnage of corn grain, silage producers may still retain part of its feeding value.
Mycotoxin Considerations for Weather-Damaged Feedstuffs
Whether your crops have been hit with drought or hail the odds are that we are going to see an increase potential for feed contaminants such nitrates or molds which cause mycotoxins.
Sweet Clover Poisoning
Hay that contains sweet clover can be an excellent feed as long as the dicoumarol level is known and feeding management is used to prevent poisoning.
Soybeans & Sunflowers: Alternative Cattle Forages
Alternative forages like soybean silage or hay, and sunflower silage, can help stretch conventional forage supplies and help avoid overgrazing pasture.
Feeding Damaged Wheat to Cattle
Feeding damaged wheat to livestock is one way to salvage value from the crop. Wheat can work well in cattle diets with some limitations.
Grazing Residue: Having Your Cake and Eating It Too
Integrating crop and livestock enterprises represents an incredible competitive advantage for farmers and ranchers.
Stored Grains and Flooding
According to the Food and Drug Administration, grain inundated by watercourses is considered adulterated and must be destroyed. The portion of the grain that is not affected by the water can still be salvaged for its use.