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Nutrition

Pasture near Acme, Alta., in early July. As perennial forages mature, protein concentration drops, fibre concentration increases and the energy concentration decreases.
Nutrition

Supplementing cattle on pasture: The multi-tool of the cow-calf industry

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You may have heard the oft-repeated quote, “To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” It’s a cautionary comment about having a narrow perspective to address challenges. Quite often, supplementing cattle on pasture bears negative connotations due to added labour, cost and logistical challenges with supplementation. Perhaps we could think of supplementation […] Read more
Cattle producers should have a good estimate of the forage requirements to feed the animals for the whole year.
Livestock, Nutrition

Now is the time to prevent feed shortages

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As we approach spring we should be preparing to plant and produce enough forage to support the needs of our livestock for the whole year. In Canada, that means a strong focus on preserving and storing forages (i.e. silage, hay, greenfeed, stockpile forages, swath grazing) as the grazing season is short. For feedlots, where animals […] Read more
Ideally, a cow’s body condition score should be evaluated and corrected right after weaning, as that is the period of lowest nutrient requirement.
Calving, Cow-Calf, Nutrition

Post-calving nutrition to maximize conception rates

Evaluating body condition score can be difficult and requires training

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With the current price of calves, targeting high pregnancy rates should be a priority on any cow-calf operation. In addition to remaining pregnant, they must conceive early in the breeding season to maintain a 365-day calving interval and ensure a uniform calf crop. This will promote better returns for the weaned calves and profitability for […] Read more
Minor changes to a mineral and vitamin feeding program can make a big difference to animal health and productivity.
Calving, Cow-Calf, Livestock, Nutrition

Changing feeding programs after calving

Nutrition with Barry Yaremcio

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Cows and bred heifers require 25 per cent more nutrients after calving than during late pregnancy. Milk production peaks eight weeks after calving. Feed intake increases until 12 weeks after calving. The increased feed intake is the result of the digestive system expanding to fill the space that was occupied by the fetus and reproductive […] Read more
Body condition is important for bulls. If over-conditioned, fat accumulates on the exterior of the body, including the scrotum.
Livestock, Nutrition

Preparing cattle for the breeding season

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Many factors influence the success of a breeding season. Bulls must be in good shape to perform. The body condition of pregnant and lactating animals greatly affects a cow or heifer’s ability to cycle and be receptive to a bull. It’s important to discuss vaccination and herd health programs, bull soundness and semen evaluation with […] Read more
Winter feeding management for cattle
Livestock, Nutrition

Winter feeding management for cattle

Nutrition with Barry Yaremcio

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Cattle are fed over winter using a variety of methods. The level of complexity and mechanization depends on the operation and management. The overall objective is to keep cows in good condition, healthy and productive. For any system to work, accurate animal and bale weights, along with a feed inventory of all feeds are needed. […] Read more
Drought, hail or an early frost create opportunities to use annual cash crops as cattle feed.
Livestock, Nutrition

Feeding cattle this winter

There are a number of 'first steps' you can take to develop a balanced ration

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Feed supplies are deficient in many areas of the country. Stretching limited forage feed supply while keeping animals healthy, in good condition and maintaining a high level of production and reproduction will be the challenge.  Forages such as hay, greenfeed, silage, straw and forage-seed aftermath are essential in a ruminant ration. Along with providing nutrients, […] Read more
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Comment/Columns, Nutrition

Can byproduct feeds play a role in growing calf programs?

You'll need to know their nutritional content and digestibility

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This column is the last in a three-part series focusing on factors influencing the profitability of backgrounding cattle. To this point, we have covered economic and management issues related to this sector as well as the concept of formulating diets to match specific program objectives such as overwintering lightweight calves for grass and backgrounding medium- […] Read more
Livestock nutritionist John McKinnon examines three scenarios at how byproduct feeds can be used in cattle feeding programs.
Cow-Calf, Livestock, Nutrition

Using byproduct feeds to influence profitability of backgrounded calves

Nutrition with John McKinnon

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In my last column, I wrote about some of the challenges facing producers who background cattle, both from a marketing and production perspective. Concerning marketing, emphasis was placed on differences between custom and owner-operated businesses. From a production perspective, both knowledge of cost of production and identifying goals of the nutrition program were stressed. Concerning […] Read more

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