Winter swath grazing
Traditional ways of feeding livestock during winter are being challenged.
“The usual procedure of cutting, baling and hauling the winter feed supply to a central location is probably the single most expensive item in a cow-calf operation,” said Brian Harris, an extension agrologist with Saskatchewan Agriculture in Prince Albert.
He added some producers in the Meadow Lake area of northeastern Saskatchewan have discovered the winter feeding period may offer the best chance to reduce costs.
Winter swath grazing is a relatively new practice in the region and is being promoted as a way to extend the grazing season.
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Harris said interest is strong. A recent Meadow Lake tour of five different livestock operations was attended by about 40 livestock producers. At each site, the producer was using methods designed to either extend the grazing season or reduce winter feeding costs.
With temperatures hovering around -15 C, and with the ground covered with 15 centimetres of snow, local producers showed various techniques to extend the grazing period. These techniques included the grazing of meadow bromegrass-alfalfa, sainfoin and cereal swaths.
A chaff and straw handling and feeding system designed to reduce winter feeding costs was also demonstrated.
During the tour it was shown that snow can be an asset when considering winter swath grazing, Harris said. “Livestock, once trained, will switch from water to snow, which reduces the need for a permanent water supply.”
Harris said compared to traditional winter feeding, winter swath grazing saves baling, hauling and feeding forage; hauling manure from corrals to fields; bedding, because cows will bed in sheltered areas on fresh snow; and watering costs on fields with no water source.
For more information on swath grazing, call: Brendon Kowalenko, rangeland agrologist, grazing & technology program, Unity, Sask., 306-228-6402; Dave Cubbon, extension agrologist, Saskatchewan Agriculture, Meadow Lake, 306-236-7600 or Brian Harris, 306-953-2784.
– Saskatchewan Agriculture
Vitamin E yields tastier pork
A little vitamin E may be all it takes to make pork more appealing to restaurants. Pork isn’t served in restaurants as often as beef and chicken because it can’t be precooked and frozen without taking on a rancid flavor. But University of Guelph animal scientist Roger Hacker and colleagues at Ridgetown College have found that feeding pigs vitamin E supplements stops recooked pork from tasting rancid and prolongs its shelf life by two days.
“Better quality and more versatile pork would give the industry a big boost,” said Hacker. “If the industry wants pork to be first with consumers, it’s going to need to use these technologies.”
He found that if pigs are fed between 200 and 400 IU of vitamin E from the time they weigh 60 kilograms until they weigh 100 kg, the degree of oxidation (the acid buildup that gives meat a rancid taste) is reduced. He also discovered that vitamin E doesn’t affect daily weight gain, feed intake or carcass yield of pigs.
Hacker said if pork keeps longer and doesn’t oxidize, restaurants will be more apt to buy it. And if the shelf life is longer, supermarkets may pay up to 10 cents more per kg.
– University of Guelph
