
Tag Archives Animal feed

The nature and design of backgrounding rations
Nutrition with John McKinnon
Over the past number of years, I have had the opportunity to work with several operations whose business plans focus on backgrounding weaned calves. These programs generally fall into one of two categories. The first involves feeding calves weighing 550 to 650 pounds over the winter and marketing them in the spring at weights ranging […] Read more

Protein kick needed for mature, dry forages
Nutrition: Supplementation will be important this year in many parts of the Prairies
In the fall and winter, most native forages and tame pastures are low in protein (unless fall rains have stimulated new growth), yet many stockmen try to extend grazing as long as possible through winter because winter feeding is the most expensive part of raising cattle. Depending on the protein source, adding a protein supplement […] Read more

Balancing your nutrients will pay off
Research looked at improving the economic and feed efficiency for beef cattle
Dr. Hushton Block, beef cattle nutritionist previously at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Brandon Research Centre and now currently at Lacombe, is interested in finding ways of improving the economic and feed efficiency for beef cattle. One idea Block looked at deals with how beef cattle with better (lower) residual feed intake (RFI) react with […] Read more

Don’t pass on ionophores when backgrounding calves
Management: News Roundup from the Oct. 22 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Travis Peardon, a livestock and feed specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture in Outlook, is urging producers looking to background calves this fall to add ionophores to their rations. “Ionophores provide protection against coccidiosis, improve feed efficiency and stabilize the rumen environment by reducing the incidence of bloat. The three ionophores approved for use in Canadian feedlots […] Read more

Livestock producers allowed to cut hay, graze on Manitoba Crown lands
Areas will be temporarily open to assist producers impacted by dry conditions
Livestock producers will temporarily be allowed to cut hay and allow animals to graze on Crown land not normally designated for agricultural use due to dry conditions across parts of the province, Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ralph Eichler announced today. “Pastures and forage crops in parts of Manitoba have been greatly affected by low levels of […] Read more

Pasture, hay resources for Manitoba livestock producers
Pastures and forage crops on the Prairies are in poor shape from lack of rain
Manitoba Agriculture is reminding agricultural producers affected by dry conditions of the programs and services available to livestock producers to manage forage shortages. To date, low levels of precipitation and soil moisture have affected the growth of pastures and forage crops in parts of Manitoba. Manitoba Agriculture provides a number of tools and resources for […] Read more

ADM to buy French animal feed business Neovia
Paris/Chicago | Reuters — Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) is in exclusive talks to take over French animal feed business Neovia for 1.5 billion euros (C$2.3 billion) as part of the U.S. farm giant’s strategy to expand in the fast-growing animal nutrition sector. Neovia is majority owned by French cooperative group InVivo. Investment group Eurazeo […] Read more

Do RFI ratings predict cattle performance on pasture?
In a word, no
Producers often wonder if genetic markers for feed efficiency based on drylot tests reflect feed efficiency on pasture where terrain, water sources and plant diversity are very different from a pen setting. Genetic markers for residual feed intake (RFI) have been identified that correlate well with actual RFI determined during the standard trials in pens […] Read more

New supplement results in more beef and less methane
Feeding: News Roundup from the April 2018 issue of Canadian Cattlemen
Beef and dairy farmers around the world are looking for ways to reduce methane emissions from their herds to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To help meet this goal, researchers from Canada and Australia teamed up for a comprehensive three-year study to find the best feeding practices that reduce methane emissions while still supporting profitable dairy […] Read more

Forage testing more complicated, but rations more accurate
Forage testing has evolved significantly in the past three to five years, with more precise tools for livestock ration development
Forage quality evaluation has moved from rule of thumb to rule of rumen. Mark Bowman, a ruminant nutritionist with Grand Valley Fortifiers in Cambridge, Ont., told the annual meeting of the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association in Guelph last November that forage testing has evolved significantly in the past three to five years, with more […] Read more