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Limited Forage: What Are Some Alternatives?
Research has shown that a variety of feedstuffs can be utilized to meet the cows’ nutrient requirements with similar performance to hay or hay plus supplement ration.
Sheep Breeds
Everyone has heard the fairytale “Baa Baa Black Sheep Have You Any Wool?” but what about the double-coated California Red, the multi-colored Katahdin sheep with hair, or the East Friesian dairy ewe that produces over 1,100 pounds of milk a year? Sheep come in different shapes, sizes, and colors and all of them provide different functions and uses for producers. These can range from meat, wool, and milk production or a combination of characteristics.
Reed Canary Grass: Possible Prussic Acid & Alkaloid Issues
Prussic acid issues with reed canary grass are poorly understood and may go unrecognized if they occur. This article addresses a little-known but interesting aspect of the biology of reed canary grass.
Making Use of “Ugly” Feeds
Feed does not have to be perfect to be useful. The key to making smart feeding decisions is knowing what the imperfections are and adjusting accordingly.
Silage Moisture Testing Tips
Two key points to keep in mind when making high-quality silage are moisture content before harvest and nutrient content before feeding.
Minimizing Hay Storage Loss From Heating or Fires
Successful hay storage is essential to preserving high quality forage, while ensuring desired performance from livestock and deterring economic losses from unwanted hay storage fires.
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.