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Hay testing is always valuable, but it is especially helpful when
using crop residues and developing diets to stretch limited hay
supplies. Before sending a sample in for analysis, it is always good to
visit with a nutritionist to see what labs they recommend and what tests
would be most appropriate for the sample being analyzed.
Corn prices have a big impact on supplemental feed costs. It’s typically difficult to find alternative ingredients which offer as much energy as corn does at a cheaper price.
Since the advent of the ethanol boom in the Upper Midwest, distillers grains (also known simply as distillers) have become a staple ingredient in cattle rations. Known to enhance both ration palatability and animal performance, distillers are a natural fit for all classes of cattle, from feedlot to cow-calf production.
There are more microbes in the rumen of a single feedlot animal than there are humans on earth. If you think it’s challenging for all of those people to work together, imagine what’s going on in the rumen.
Mycotoxins are secondary fungal metabolites that pose a significant threat to animal health and productivity and are found in a variety of feedstuffs, including cereal grains, grain byproducts, harvested forages and pasture grasses.
Phytogenic feed additives (PFA) are a combination of the bioactive and flavoring components of plant-derived substances including essential oils, herbs, spices and plant extracts.
Feed costs make up the largest expense in a cow-calf operation. While hay is often used to feed cows through the winter, current prices make corn a competitive option to feeding hay.
Many producers I’ve talked to seem interested – and exhausted – by the number of probiotic and prebiotic feed options. Yeasts, yeast derivatives, yeast cultures and dead yeast products often are called probiotics and prebiotics.
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