Alberta Agriculture encourages producers to consider using CowBytes, a cattle ration balancing program that can help reduce winter feeding costs and improve nutrition.
The Alberta Ag-Info Centre said that overall forage quality this year is much lower than the five-year average.
CowBytes was developed for producers to design cattle feeding programs and it helps them make optimum use of their home-grown feeds and to determine what needs to be purchased.
Alberta Agriculture said that for every dollar winter feed cost is reduced, net return or benefit to the operation is $4.28.
Providing a cost-efficient balanced ration also affects cow productivity.
