Night feeding
A project recently reported in a Feedstuffs newsletter compared the performance of feedlot cattle fed at 7:30 a.m. only, 4 p.m. only and at both 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The trial was initiated in July and the cattle were fed a 92 percent concentrate diet for 84 days. Time of feeding had no effect on daily dry matter intake.
Cattle fed in the evening gained 13 percent faster than morning-fed cattle, and six percent faster than those fed morning and evening. Those fed in the evening only were the most efficient and morning-fed cattle were the least efficient. Both gain and feed efficiency differences were statistically significant.
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The authors concluded that performance of the split-fed cattle, compared with the morning cattle, were associated more with the advantages of evening feeding than to the advantages of feeding twice daily.
It is assumed the relationships between digestion, metabolism and surrounding temperatures may be the explanation for the evening feeding advantage. One cannot rule out other factors, however, such as behavioral modification.
– Animal Nutrition Update
The value of residue
Industrial use of crop residues, such as straw, is being considered as an additional source of farm income. However, crop residues improve the chemical and physical conditions of soil.
Above-ground crop residues control wind and water erosion by reducing wind velocity and the impact of raindrops. They trap snow, protect soil from freeze-thaw cycling and drying and reduce evaporation. Residues also improve infiltration of rainfall.
The advantages of residues often outweigh disadvantages which include increased rodent and insect populations, carry-over of diseases and release of toxic compounds.
The above-ground residue creates the conditions for below-ground residues to decompose and interact with the mineral component of the soil. This creates more favorable chemical and physical conditions for plant growth. Above-ground residue is most beneficial to soil and crops when it doesn’t decompose. Below-ground residue is most beneficial when it is transformed into soil organic matter.
Harvesting “excess” residue for fuel or particle-board may seem a desirable economic alternative. Over the long term, repeated removal of crop residue can lower soil productivity. The loss of yield may be slow, but with time it adds up. As a result of crop residue removal, the cost of farming may increase.
Additional fertilizer will be needed because the nutrients in residues are no longer cycled back to the soil. In addition, tractor draft will increase because of loss of tilth.
Preventing the loss of soil is far more economical than recreating soil from subsoil.
At the Agriculture Canada Research Centre at Lethbridge, the replacement value of the nutrients and organic matter in five centimetres (two inches) of good topsoil has been calculated to be as much as $35,00 per acre if replaced with commercial fertilizer and cereal straw.
Determining safe levels of “other” uses of residue and exploring ways of enhancing the decomposition of crop residues, as well as developing techniques to manage high residue levels, should be a priority.
– Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
