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Nutrition

cattle feeding at a trough
Livestock, Nutrition

Don’t focus solely on price when using raw screenings as winter feed

Nutrition with John McKinnon

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This is a time of year when cattle feeders — particularly cow-calf operators and those backgrounding calves — attempt to purchase byproduct feeds to supplement homegrown forage supplies. Typically, one looks for low-cost ingredients that can serve as supplemental sources of energy and protein. In some cases, brokers are involved with the search while in […] Read more
Newly weaned calves need to be housed in a clean, dry environment and have sufficient space to lay down and move around without feeling undue stress due to overcrowding.
Livestock, Nutrition

Minimize stress on arrival the key to starting calves on feed

Nutrition with John McKinnon

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In my September column entitled The Fall Run Has Started, I discussed the relationship between stress, feed intake and health status of newly weaned calves. To summarize that discussion, calves that are highly stressed due to weaning, transportation, mixing and processing typically have low dry matter intakes (DMI) and are susceptible to disease, particularly bovine […] Read more
Assembling and transporting your cattle to a feedlot is only the first step in the overall management program.
Livestock, Nutrition

The fall run has begun

Nutrition with John McKinnon

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With the fall run starting, cattle feeders across the country are looking to fill empty pens. Typically, this involves purchasing yearlings off grass in September/October and then filling up with weaned calves later in the fall/early winter. Assembling and transporting these cattle to the feedlot, while critical from an economic perspective, is only the first […] Read more
Aside from the potential for lower feed prices, this year’s abundant hay and silage yields will make life easier for both cow-calf and feedlot operators.
Comment/Columns, Nutrition

What a difference a year can make!

Nutrition with John McKinnon

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From a feeding perspective, this fall looks to hold a great deal more promise than that of 2021. At the time of writing, slaughter prices are higher than a year ago and look good going into the fall. Feed availability is significantly greater than this time last year, particularly in Western Canada. Abundant feed supplies […] Read more
Thanks to the efforts of research scientists, modelling cattle performance has come a long way.
Livestock, Nutrition

Predicting cattle performance is not a simple science

Nutrition with John McKinnon

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As a nutritionist, one of my tasks is to develop feeding programs that handle a variety of cattle types. In most cases, producers will have performance expectations for the cattle they feed. In the case of backgrounding cattle, this might involve targeting a specific average daily gain for a defined period. Finishing cattle usually involves […] Read more
The winter snowpack can contribute a significant amount of moisture to forages and other crops the next growing season, but getting a good estimate of how much moisture is in that snow takes a little work.
Livestock, Nutrition

A crazy winter, a horrific spring

Nutrition with John McKinnon

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From a management perspective, this past winter has been unusual, to say the least! It seems at every turn, beef producers across the country faced unexpected challenges. Examples include the residual effects of flooding in the Abbotsford area, drought in Western Canada, extended periods of extremely cold weather and for some areas, near-record snowfall. All […] Read more
Failure to provide a ration that is balanced to meet a cow’s post-calving nutritional requirements will result in a loss of body condition and a likely drop in milk production.
Cow-Calf, Livestock, Nutrition

Feeding the lactating beef cow

Nutrition with John McKinnon

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In my last two columns (see links below), I have focused on how the cow prioritizes nutrient use for different physiological functions such as maintenance and pregnancy. This month I want to complete the discussion by focusing on the events leading up to and following calving. Read more: Feeding the pregnant beef cow Read more: […] Read more
Feeding the pregnant beef cow
Livestock, Nutrition

Feeding the pregnant beef cow

Nutrition with John McKinnon

By
In my previous column, I discussed how pregnant beef cows prioritize nutrient use for different physiological functions, including maintenance, lactation, pregnancy and growth. For those of you in Western Canada who were feeding cows during the last half of December 2021, you know full well how the cow’s maintenance requirements increase during extremely cold weather. […] Read more

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