Cold weather fumigating
Stored-grain insects will be a greater problem than usual this year due to the damp crops harvested, but winter is the cheapest time to kill them.
“Use Mother Nature to eliminate rusty grain beetles and red flour beetles,” says Lloyd Harris, provincial entomologist with the Saskatchewan agriculture department. “Sub-zero temperatures kill these common farm-stored grain insects.”
The insects will die if the grain cools to -6¡ for at least six weeks. The colder the temperature, the less time needed to kill the insects. On the other hand, the larger the grain volume, the longer it takes to cool off.
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If a bin holds 3,000 bushels or more of grain, aeration with cold air is a good idea, Harris said. The grain may also be cooled by auguring out one or two truck loads, cooling it, and auguring it back into the bin. Either method is less expensive than fumigating.
“Fumigation is not recommended when the grain temperature is below 10¡. Under these conditions, the fumigation will take longer and may not be totally effective,” said Harris.
He suggests farmers check their grain by taking a coffee-can-size sample from the top centre portion of the bin, as this is where the insects are most likely to be located. This sample is poured over a screen placed on white paper. Rusty grain beetles and red flour beetles are small – 1.5 to three mm – and are reddish brown in color, showing up clearly on the white paper.
Elevators will not accept the grain with insects so farmers should check for insects now, and start the cold treatment no later than mid-February. After that date, Harris said, their only option may be to wait until spring and fumigate.
– Saskatchewan Agriculture
Oat hulls for beef cows
How can a beef producer best take advantage of the oat hulls that are a byproduct of the new processing industry in Alberta?
The processing of oats into groats, pony oats and oats for human consumption in north-central Alberta has resulted in a new byproduct available to cattlemen. The product contains oat hulls, as well as weed seeds, other screenings and small oat grain. Current processing yields over 20,000 tonnes of byproduct annually.
A 1992-93 feeding trial, from November to May, in the Barrhead area resulted in the following recommendations.
nBulk hulls weighed 12.5 pounds and pelleted product weighed 24 lb. per 20-litre pail. These weights were equivalent to 22.7 lb. per bushel bulk and 43.7 lb. per bushel pelleted. Oat hulls are highly variable in nutrient density. Samples average 7.4 percent crude protein and 29.8 percent acid detergent fibre.
nCattle starting on oat hulls showed some digestive problems. Hulls should be introduced gradually over a two-week period. Cattle like oat hulls and if the feed is offered free choice will eat 31 to 35 lb. a day if hay is restricted to 15 lb. daily. These high intakes resulted in weight gains for pregnant cows.
nHowever, it is cheapest to limit hulls fed to 25 lb. a day. This rate also minimizes digestive problems. A minimum of 10 lb. of hay per day should be fed with the hulls.
nThere was no rumen compaction in the Barrhead trial. Compaction could occur with oat hulls, however, if the hay fed was low in protein and digestibility. They suggest feeding hay with a minimum of 10 percent crude protein and 0.5 percent calcium.
nAll truck loads of oat hulls, whether bulk or pelleted, should be sampled. Producers should request a regular analysis plus bushel weight and percent fines.
nOat hulls can be used to extend hay supplies, and could reduce winter feed costs. Replacing half of a hay diet (costing $50 per ton and fed at 30 lb. per day) with 15 to 17 lb. of oat hulls would reduce feed costs by five to six cents per day if oat hull prices are about $44 per tonne (67 cents per bushel).
nProducers should check with processing plants to ensure a continued supply of oat hulls. Accumulating hulls over the summer months could be one method of guaranteeing supply.
– Alberta Agriculture,
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