Longer Days and Increasing Nutrient Demand of the Cow Calf Herd in Late Gestatio

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It has been a relatively mild winter in many areas except for the last few weeks with severe cold temperatures in many parts of the country.  It is relatively easy to understand the need for extra feed and/or nutrition during these times of low temperatures.  I hope the overall mild trend continues and this cold snap is short lived.   The days are getting longer which means we are getting closer to calving season and spring grass.

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CRYSTALYX BioBarrel with WeatherAll Comparison

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Don't Feed Cows Like Steers

The single greatest advantage a cow-calf operation has over other livestock production systems is the ability
of a cow (and her calf) to graze and harvest forages in places you cannot plant corn and soybeans, or that you cannot feasibly access with a windrower and baler.  Even though ruminants “may” contribute somewhere between 5% and 8% of all greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, their unique ability to turn most any forage on the planet into usable human nourishment, insures a bright future for the beef industry around the world.

While we can formulate, mix and deliver a highly specialized diet (likely formulated by a Consulting Nutritionist out to 4 decimal places) to a steer in a feedlot every day, this level of precision is usually somewhere between infeasible and impossible for most cow-calf operations.  A cow is returning the most money when she is grazing your lowest cost feed, that being, un-harvested/stockpiled forage on range or pasture.
Read the full article HERE.

Creep Feeding Late-Season

When it comes to creep feeding beef calves on pasture, every year can be a little different than the last. 
Timely rain or drought, duration of hot weather, and forage amount and condition are just a few of the factors influencing when calves start on creep and how much they choose to eat.  However, the decreases in milk quantity and forage quality are changes we can count on every year as the grazing season progresses.

After the cow’s milk production peaks at around 60 days post-calving, the calf is dealing with increasing requirements to maintain growth in an environment of diminishing resources.  The calf’s diet progresses through four basic changes prior to being weaned.
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Silage Avalanches Can be Deadly

 Silage avalanches are real and there is no way to predict when and where they will occur. It only takes a
fraction of a second for part of a silage face to silently break off and fall, and the result can be deadly for anyone located beneath it. There have been numerous avalanche fatalities in the US the past few years, and although rarely reported, we have heard many stories about someone having a near miss with a silage avalanche.

Far too many bunkers and piles are just too large to be safe. It is not uncommon to have silage feedout faces that are 15 to 20 feet tall or taller. Common sense tells us that a silage face, which is 20 to 22 feet high, is much more dangerous than one that is only 10 to 12 feet high.

Read the full article HERE

Sheep Tips and Tools

If you raise sheep for wool, meat, milk, showing or simply as pets, you know that your care is reflected in their health and well-being.

By keeping your lambs and sheep healthy, you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy them!

Learn more about feeding and performance with these helpful tips and tools that can be found HERE.

How Much should I feed my Dog?

Have you ever wondered how much food you should be feeding your dog? The American Club Kennel recognizes 167 different breeds that range in size from very small to very large breeds. It's important to feed your dog the right amount daily for many reasons, in particular  the majority of dogs that are seen by veterinarians that have hip, leg and back pain is caused by being over weight.

It's important to make sure your dog is getting a well balanced dog food as they progress from Puppy, Adult and then Senior ages. When changing a dog food use the above diagram to introduce the new food for optimal results.