One of the vital necessary instruments for livestock producers is a pointy No. 2 pencil.
The pencil and a few primary arithmetic will help take the emotion out of determined measures to search out feed. Whenever you do the mathematics, shopping for grain or different different feeds could also be the perfect bang for the buck, says College of Missouri Extension agricultural enterprise specialist Wesley Tucker.
“Many individuals suppose their solely choices are to pay no matter they need to to purchase hay or promote their cows,” says Tucker. Not so, he says.
Producers even have a number of choices: 1) Purchase high-priced hay; 2) Restrict feeding of hay available and make up the distinction in grain; 3) Purchase straw and complement with grain; 4) Purchase corn silage/baleage from row crop neighbors.
Some producers might not have entry to each choice, or it might not work for them, says Tucker. Producers should determine for themselves what works with the time, manpower, gear and different sources they’ve.
Tucker and MU Extension beef vitamin specialist Eric Bailey say producers may lower your expenses by shopping for grain and investing extra elbow grease to climate drought-related shortages.
First, ask what you’re getting on your cash by calculating the fee per pound of whole digestible vitamins (TDN). Measuring TDN is akin to studying the energy on the again of a sweet wrapper. It represents vitality within the feed. Evaluate every different on value for a pound of TDN to establish under- and over-valued feeds, says Bailey.
Whenever you put pencil to paper, you may discover variations in value per pound of TDN amongst forage sources or that grain is perhaps cheaper per pound of TDN. Take note, too, the bonus of grain having much less waste in comparison with forages. This lets you feed what hay you will have and fill the hole with grain.
Think about lowering hay consumption to 10-15 kilos per cow every day, and make up the distinction with grain, relying on being pregnant and lactation standing. Cows nursing younger calves want probably the most feed.
Don’t be fooled by dollar-per-bale costs, says Tucker. Not all bales are created equal. When pricing, all the time think about measurement and weight. “A 4-by-5 bale of hay might solely weigh 750-800 kilos whereas a 5-by-6 bale weighs significantly extra. When doable, value hay by the ton as a substitute of per bale, as a result of it’s not all the time apples-to-apples,” says Tucker.
In case you are fortunate sufficient to have hay or can discover hay to purchase inside your finances, save by not losing it. See the MU Extension information launch “Don’t waste valuable hay throughout drought” for tactics to profit from it.
Plan to roll up your shirtsleeves to economize, says Tucker. Spend money on infrastructure and put together to place in further time. Feeding grain is extra labor-intensive and requires some infrastructure, however the financial savings will probably repay.
This is perhaps a great time to put money into a bulk bin to keep away from carrying particular person sacks to the trough. Additionally, purchase a cake feeder as a substitute of carrying particular person buckets. “These investments make an operation extra environment friendly – and save your again,” says Bailey.
