PIPESTONE, Man. – Feeding a straw-grain ration will carry a cow through the winter, but to make it work, a producer needs to get close to every aspect of the process.
If a producer doesn’t watch, the straw can end up in a pile of manure, local producer Blaine Culbertson told a gathering of cow-calf operators.
“If (the manure) is stacking up like cordwood, you don’t have enough energy,” he said, during a presentation in which he offered many tips on straw feeding.
This meeting, organized by the Reston and District Grazing Club, was intended to teach local producers about straw feeding. Many don’t have much hay because of drought.
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Straw feeding is common in some parts of Saskatchewan and Alberta where droughts often occur, but is not common in hay-rich southwestern Manitoba.
Meeting organizer Trevor Atchison, who raises cattle near Pipestone, said many producers want to know how to stretch their scant feed supplies over the winter.
For his own cattle Atchison has hauled straw from 80 kilometres away and has become creative with what he considers hay.
“We cut cattails and bulrushes and you name it this year,” said Atchison.
Manitoba Agriculture livestock specialist John Popp, who raises cattle near Minnedosa, said farmers will be able to get their cattle through the winter as long as the animals each eat at least 10 kilograms per day of roughage.
He said some drought-stricken farmers in Alberta last winter were only able to feed three kg of straw per cow per day and “they made it work.” He said that was an extreme situation, but Manitoba farmers should realize they probably don’t need to panic about the feed situation.
“There’s a tremendous amount of options that we haven’t gone to yet,” said Popp.
He laid out a wide array of feeding strategies using mixtures of straw, hay and grain, including some that delivered only one-half or three-quarters of a percentage of body weight of dry matter to a cow per day.
“We’ll have to sit down and do some figuring, but I’m telling you we can make it work and we can make it work relatively cheaply because barley is not four bucks a bushel.”
But Popp warned producers not to take straw feeding lightly. A ruminant has a complex digestive system and a badly balanced ration can quickly lead to “a wreck.”
Especially if a producer is planning to feed less than one percent of body weight per day in roughage, the nutritional balance must be finely crafted.
“Don’t go out and play with some of these things because you’re playing with fire.”
Farmers should first call their local agriculture department livestock specialist or a feed company nutritionist to make sure they are providing their cows with enough nutrition to carry them through the cold months and keep their digestive systems operating efficiently.
Popp said some unusual feeds can be used if grain is not available. Cows will eat up to 2.3 kg of beans per day “if you sneak it into them.”
Brian Sterling said he fed his cows potatoes and they liked them more than corn silage.
Culbertson said he has often fed cows a straw-grain ration for 100 days and has not seen them suffer. He also believes that diet gave him an added bonus with low birthweight calves.
Popp said there is a huge range of feeding options in a hay-short year.
“Limited dry matter intake rations work,” said Popp. “You’re not in dire straits. You’re not screwed. You’re going to get your cows through the winter.”
