Knowing the feed value after harvest is the key to marketing or feeding
a greenfeed crop.
“Test. Test. Test,” said Don Green of Manitoba Agriculture.
“And if you are buying greenfeed or hay of any kind from another area
or soil zone, be sure to test for mineral content. The supplement
farmers feed now may need to be increased or decreased depending on
what is in your new feed.
“If you are selling the feed, a complete test of the product will help
market it.”
One of the tests should include nitrates. Whether due to drought stress
or early frost, if the cereal crop is damaged and stops growing,
nitrates can build up to lethal levels. This can result in animal
illness or death when the surplus nitrates tie up oxygen in the blood
and prevent its transportation from lungs to body tissues.
Hay with high nitrate levels can be blended with other feed to produce
a safe product.
“You need to know about your crop, just like with grain,” said Green.
