Feeding options
Almost every year, some part of the province is short of hay. The usual solution is to buy hay from somewhere else. But Jim Armstrong, a livestock agrologist with Saskatchewan Agriculture in Tisdale, says farmers should examine other options.
“One of the other alternatives may be to move the cows to the hay for overwintering,” he said.
Armstrong compares the wintering costs of moving 100 cows (without calves) to and from a new site with the cost of transporting enough hay to feed 100 cows. He estimated it costs $2,100 to move the herd 320 kilometres. Moving the needed hay that same distance would cost $7,500.
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Armstrong said costs would increase by an extra $3,800 if the cows were calved at the new site, taking into account a calving bonus of $35 per live calf (assuming 95 percent survival) plus the cost of trucking the calves home.
“Even with the added cost of the calving, trucking the cows appears to be the better option,” he said.
Producers have to compare how much in labor and yardage costs, such as facilities and equipment, could be spent by overwintering cows elsewhere rather than feeding them at home. On the other hand, other employment opportunities for the producer may exist if the cows don’t need to be fed.
Quality of care at the new site must also be considered. The owners have to trust that the caregiver will treat the cows well.
“If the cows are calved before returning home, there is some additional risk. The calving bonus based on live calves is an incentive for good calving management,” Armstrong said.
Quality of feed figures in the decision too. Buying hay can be an advantage because, due to weather, farmers cannot always control the quality they harvest on their own farm. They can control the quality of hay they buy.
Armstrong has calculated the total costs of wintering a 1,400-lb. cow for 200 days. These costs, which total $302, include hay, barley, salt, mineral, straw, labor, yardage and calving bonus.
When feeding cows at home, labor and the cost of extra care for calving are usually hidden in the final returns when the calves are sold. But, when comparing the cost of caring for the cows at home with the cost of hiring someone else, the full costs must be estimated.
-ÊSaskatchewan Agriculture
Attack dandelions now
Spring 1995 was ideal for dandelions and now is the time to control the perennial weed with herbicide.
Manitoba Agriculture weed specialist Carla Allen says moist growing conditions in the province over the past few years have allowed many seeds to take root.
“Dandelions contain huge tap roots which allow the plant to regularly regrow from new buds,” she said. “Even though the weed may be sprayed with a herbicide in the spring, the plant can often regrow from the root system.”
To prevent dandelions from popping up next spring, producers should treat the weed this fall. Products such as 2,4-D, Banvel and Roundup are registered for fall dandelion control in stubble fields. Roundup is registered for pre-harvest dandelion control.
Perennial plant growth is slow in the fall so fields should not be tilled until two to three weeks after application to ensure the herbicide has moved fully into the plant.
“We often forget about dandelions in fall because the plants are not blooming and are camouflaged as the leaves hug the soil surface,” says Allen. “However, herbicide applications are most effective now because the herbicide readily travels in the plant’s root system, causing damage.”
Tillage can also be effective but this is not an option for farmers practising minimum tillage.
– Manitoba Agriculture
