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Ag Notes: Commodity feeds can help operations short on winter feeds

November 09, 2005|JERRY LITTLE

The continued drought, and limited hay supplies will make feeding the cow herd through the fall and winter a challenge. Producers that can hold on to their herds will be rewarded with high calf prices. The cow herd will need to be maintained with economical feedstuffs for the next 6-8 months.

Commodity feeds such as corn gluten feed or soy hulls can offer economical options for cow-calf producers. These products are excellent cattle feed, but vary greatly in price and nutrients. Because of this tremendous variability in several factors it is often difficult to compare different commodity feeds producers need to be careful to compare feeds on an equal basis. The value of these feeds need to be on:

1. Amount of dry matter

2. Cost per pounds of nutrients

3. Animal intake factors

4. Handling and storage considerations

The first step is to obtain a nutrient analysis of the commodity from the supplier. This should include dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and total digestible nutrients (TDN).

Energy is the nutrient that is most needed by the cow herd after water. So, to supply energy to the cow herd is the main reason producers buy supplemental feeds. In addition, most commodity feeds contain levels of crude protein above the requirements of the cow, so for all practical purposes most commodity feeds are equal to each other in terms of protein. Simply comparing the cost of feeds on a DM basis would not be a fair comparison. Producers need to compare feeds on TDN content of the dry feed (DM basis).

Fiber is also a very important consideration. Cows need sufficient fiber to keep the rumen working properly. Commodities such as soyhulls and corn gluten contain high levels of easily digestible fiber, so they can be fed as a high percentage of the diet.

Research indicates that the performance of young growing cattle was only 84 percent to 88 percent of predicted performance when corn gluten was the primary energy supplement. Similarly, performance of calves fed soyhulls was only 90 percent of expected gains. Producers need to keep these considerations in mind when selecting different commodity feeds for backgrounding purposes.

Finally, transportation and storage of commodities may dictate which feeds can be used by a particular operation. Also, commodities can be bulky and not flow well in traditional grain storage structures and handling equipment. Often a bunker or covered commodity shed is needed.

Commodity feeds will probably keep many operations going this year. A careful comparison of these feeds on a dry nutrient basis with consideration to storage and handling is important.

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Jerry Little is Boyle County extension agent for Agriculture/Natural Resources.

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