Will commercial livestock feeders pour oats down the throats of pigs and cattle this winter?
Not likely, said feed grain broker Doug Chambers of Quality Grain.
“Oats may look cheaper by the bushel because you can buy it for $2.50, but when you factor everything in, paying $4 for barley is a better deal.”
That’s because it takes 65 bushels to make up a tonne of oats, rather than 46 bu. of barley.
“The value per tonne of them is not that different,” said Chambers.
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Livestock feeders occasionally ask him about using oats as feed, but generally they back away from the idea, he said. Barley became the most expensive feed grain in North America earlier this year, but has since dropped.
“Barley has already come down 20 bucks a tonne in Lethbridge, so it doesn’t look as bad,” said Chambers.
An Edmonton area hog farmer who had considered including oats in his ration backed away in the end.
“Barley bids started to come down and with such little difference he said, ‘barley’s where I should be,’ ” Chambers said.
But certain oat crops make a great feed: those with lots of volunteer barley in the harvested product.
“Ironically it’s a better feed, but a discounted product,” said Chambers.
So while farmers may feed more oats to their own animals, Chambers doubts that commercial feeders will buy much.
“People inquire about it, but after they know the whole story, they head back the other way,” said Chambers.
