BROOKS, Alta. — Barley remains the grain of choice for Alberta’s feedlot industry, although price determines how much is used.
That’s the message Bill Graham of Lakeside Feedyards in Brooks had for barley growers Nov. 24 in this feedlot and farming-rich area.
Lakeside and two other feedlots owned by Nilsson Brothers feed more than 100,000 head at any given time.
Graham said if the three lots were filled with heavy steers, all on a finishing barley ration, the steers would eat more than 1,000 tonnes of barley per day, or four to five percent of all the barley grown in Canada this year.
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Feedlots are big business for barley growers, and they’ve become even bigger business over the last 20 years, said Graham.
“How much barley does it take to finish a steer? I can tell you that 20 years ago I would have given you a much different answer to that question.”
The average market weight of today’s steers is 1,400 lb., compared to 1,140 lb. 20 years ago, he said. Feedlots are adding about 500 lb. per animal at the finishing stage, compared to 350 lb. 20 years ago.
“We are spending, on average, over a tonne and half of barley to get each animal finished,” said Graham.
Based on 1.5 tonnes of barley per animal and the average fed cattle figures over the last four years, he figures Alberta feedlots use about 3.83 million tonnes of barley per year.
Alberta growers produced about 4.6 million tonnes of barley this year.
“It shouldn’t be too controversial to say that there are times when Alberta has a feed barley deficit, in that the quantity that we need is not available from the local supply and we have to bring in feed from other provinces,” Graham said.
The deficit can be particularly keen in southern Alberta, which has a high concentration of feedlots. That means other feed options are considered if the price is right.
Options include feed wheat, corn, rye, wheat dried distillers grain and corn DDG, but feedlots pay a premium only for corn DDG.
Graham said most feedlot managers pay a 20 to 25 percent premium over barley for corn DDG, all of which comes from the United States. It’s mostly used in the southern Alberta and only as far north as Brooks because of shipping costs.
Graham said corn DDG, a product of ethanol production, has high energy because of its oil content. Alberta feedlots used about 400,000 tonnes of corn DDG in their rations last year, according to Graham’s admittedly rough estimates.
Corn DDG use has increased significantly here in the last five years, but it may not last, he added.
“A lot of these ethanol plants are starting to install equipment to strip some of the oil out of the distillers dried grains,” he said, which would make it a less desirable feed. Price would be adjusted accordingly.
Feed wheat is another attractive option for feedlots. It has about 10 percent more protein than barley on average and more energy than barley for animal maintenance and gain.
However, Graham said extra protein is not of much value in finishing rations. As well, wheat has greater potential for digestive upset, bloat and grain overload in hot rations with up to 90 percent grain.
He said the type of wheat isn’t as much of a factor as price when it comes to feedlot purchases, but kernel size is an issue. Larger kernels are preferred for the rolling process, while smaller kernels compound digestive problems in cattle.
Wheat DDG also has good energy value and is reasonably well digested by cattle. It is more readily available in central Alberta feedlots because it is produced in Lloydminster, Unity, Sask., and other central locations.
As for corn, it is typically too expensive. Though higher in energy than barley, a corn ration requires supplemental protein, which adds to the cost. Shipping costs can also be prohibitive.
Graham said barley growers don’t appreciate competition from corn.
“I would point out that importing corn is not really popular amongst the feeders, either. If we have to bring American corn up here to feed our cattle, while it may get us through at times when barley prices are extremely high, over the long term it will mean that we are just not viable as an industry.”
