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Can Livestock Utilize Moldy Grain?
While livestock producers know that moldy grain and forage are not ideal feedstuffs, they also know that stored feed occasionally contains a small amount of visible mold, and that their animals consume it with no obvious adverse effects. The question arises, how much mold is too much for a feed to be unsuitable for animals?
2019 Corn Fungicide Field Trials Summary
This document contains results of corn field trials conducted during the 2019 growing season to evaluate foliar fungicides to manage various corn diseases.
What Goes Into Calculating Yardage?
Yardage cost is the non-feed cost per head for every day that an animal is fed harvested feed in some form of confinement. Yardage is usually associated with calves and yearlings in the feedlot, but this concept can apply to drylotted or wintering cows as well.
Summary of Forage Binding Survey and Current Net Wrap Research
Recently, cattle producers and veterinarians have become more concerned with the possible ingestion of net wrap or twine from hay bales and the negative impacts it could have on cattle health and performance.
Winter Ticks in South Dakota
Winter ticks, also called moose ticks, are unlike other tick species because they are active during the winter months.
Net Wrap Removal Made Easy
I was approached by a cattle producer about efficiently removing net wrap. As many of you know, net wrap has its advantages as well as disadvantages, but is largely used as a hay binding material.
Harvesting Silage on a Wet Year: Moisture is Critical
Fall is on its way in South Dakota. However, with many flooded and saturated fields, some producers are growing concerned that there will be little opportunity to harvest silage before corn dries down past desired moisture levels or frost occurs.
Valuing High-Moisture Corn and Earlage
A key advantage to using commodities that meet standard specifications and are frequently traded is that it is very easy to establish an economic value that is accepted by most users. The marketplace sets the value of corn, and other feedstuffs on a daily basis, provided those products meet some set of standard specifications.
Prussic Acid Poisoning
As the first frost date approaches, producers often have concerns about the risk of prussic acid poisoning in livestock. Certain forage plants, especially sorghums and related species are associated with an increased risk of death loss because of prussic acid poisoning.
Multi-Species Grazing as an Alternative to Pasture Spraying
Broadacre spraying of pastures is intended to reduce undesirable plants and increase grasses for livestock. This practice often results in unintended consequences, including damage and reduction of native forbs and reduced profitability. One approach to managing perceived “weedy” plants is incorporating different species of livestock into a grazing operation.