 Forage and Livestock
eNews
Updates and information from across
the industry
October
23, 2009 - Vol 1, Issue
14 | |
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| Dear Leanne |
 Fall field work in most areas of the province
has been very slow the last few weeks. Wet
conditions have limited the amount of work producers
have been able to accomplish. As a result there is
still a significant amount of straw waiting to
be baled and/or hauled from
the field. Some producers in the
northern regions are taking advantage of annual crops
that will not be harvested to extend the grazing
season. In this edition of
the Forage and Livestock eNews you
will find information on determining forage quality,
where to find hay listings on the internet, the Crown
land sale program and the approaching tender deadline,
as well as details on some upcoming workshops
regarding cost of
production. As
always, feel free to share this publication with anyone
you think may be interested, or encourage them to join
our mailing list.
Please contact us if you have comments or questions
about our e-newsletter. Also, let us know if
you have ideas for upcoming issues. We
welcome your
input! | | |
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| Determining
Forage Quality
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Buying forages can be a tricky business. There is
no central marketing agency for forages, so there is not an
established system to report quality of this commodity.
There is also a wide variation in both quantity and quality
produced each year, so what is the best way to determine
quality of the forage prior to purchasing?
First
you will need to determine the end use for the forages to help
you decide on the quality and quantity required. The
quality of the forage required will largely depend on the
type, class, age, etc... of the livestock you plan to feed.
Nutritional needs vary based on the type of livestock
(sheep vs cattle vs bison), as well as physiological state
(pregnant cows vs. dry cows). Intakes will also vary
based on livestock type and physiological state. It's a
good idea to work with a nutritionist to determine the
requirements for your herd.
There are no
standards or grades that can tell you about the quality of the
forage that you are purchasing, so it's important to determine
the quality of the lot that you are interested in
purchasing. Visual assessment of the forage can give you
some indication of quality, but is ultimately a subjective
measure. Getting a feed quality test is a much better
measure and is relatively inexpensive ($20-50 per
test).
Keep in mind the feed test is only as good
as the sample you take. Forage to be sampled should be
identified by lots (example from the same field, or baled
under similar conditions). For large round bales, core
samples should be taken using a sharp bale probe from the
twine side by piecing the bale to 12-18 inches in depth. 5-10%
of the bales in a lot should be sampled (minimum of 15-20
bales) to obtain a random sample. Place all core samples
from the lot in a large garbage bag, mix well and submit a
sub-sample for analysis as quickly as possible following
sampling.
   Pictures: Top - forage probe with attached sample
container. Bottom left - forage probe inserted in round
bale. Bottom right - hay sample from forage
probe.
Labs that can provide a feed quality analysis for forages
include:
ALS Laboratory Group - Saskatoon.
1-800-668-8370
Central Testing Labs - Winnipeg.
1-877-955-7861
Dairyland Laboratories - Wisconsin.
(608) 323-2123
Or you can contact your local
livestock nutritionist, Agrologist or feed supplier to help
you find a feed testing lab.
Once you have the
results of the feed test, work with a nutritionist to
determine if the forage will fit into your feeding
program.
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2009 Crown Land Sale Deadline Approaching
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The Government of Saskatchewan unveiled a five-year
program in November of 2008 for the sale of
designated parcels of agricultural Crown land in the
province. The Agricultural Crown Land Sale
Program offers Crown land lessees an incentive to
purchase their leased agricultural Crown
land.
The first year of the program began
November 15, 2008, and concludes December 31, 2009.
However, the deadline for lessees to deliver tenders for this
land is Friday,
November 13, 2009 at noon.
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Western Beef Development Centre Cost of Production
Workshops
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The Western Beef Development Centre
(WBDC) has been working on tracking producer costs for a
number of years. The feedback from producers has been
overwhelmingly positive about the value of this information.
Now, to further assist the beef producer, WBDC has
engaged AgMpower, a computer software developer, and Spring
Creek Consulting Land and Cattle Consulting to design a
product to meet the needs of the producer in projecting their
individual costs and savings using different scenarios.
Cost control is key to survival for the beef producer as
much as it is to any business owner. However, the job of
finding costs that can be cut is a daunting one. At the
Cost of Production workshops, participants will learn how to
input and calculate their own ranch or farm costs, calculate
returns, and conduct scenario planning.
The workshops will be held as follows:
November 12, 2009 -
Weyburn
November 16, 2009 -
Swift Current
November 17, 2009 -
North Battleford
November 18, 2009 -
Tisdale
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Leanne Thompson - Editor
Forage and
Livestock eNews
Forage and Livestock eNews is
published by the Saskatchewan Forage Council (SFC).
Opinions
and information are provided by the authors and
publication does not imply endorsement by the
SFC. |
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The
Saskatchewan Forage Council recognizes the support of
our Annual Sponsors:
 
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Financial support for this project has
been provided by:
the Agriculture Council of Saskatchewan through the
Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food
Saskatchewan (ACAAFS) program. Funding for the
ACAAFS program is provided by Agriculture and
Agri-Food Canada
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