“We need less feed intake, less manure, less emissions, because that is where the complaints are,” said Daniel Berckmans. “That means we must be more efficient in the core equation.”

That “core equation” is his way of adding up animal feed needs: base metabolism plus activity, plus thermal or environmental regulation, plus mental state, plus the production of meat, milk or eggs.

Berckmans is a biosystems researcher out of KU Leuven university in Belgium and the University of Tennessee. He was among the speakers at a July 10 forum on precision livestock farming at the University of Manitoba.

Energy used by the base metabolism — basic functions of life like keeping organs running — can be calculated through heart rate. Berckmans said there are at least six companies working on a commercially feasible way to measure that, and technology for horses is likely to debut this year.

Animal activity can be tracked through things like aggression monitoring. Berckmans cited his previous work on a seven-year project, which found that aggression in pigs could be detected by measuring the distance between the camera and the pig’s back, “because they jump up,” he said.

Research has also been done on the energy horses expend when frustrated versus when calm. Berckmans pointed to data outlining energy expended while a horse was running in a ring alongside energy expended by brain activity at the same time. The horse was shown a bucket of food. When the horse realized it wasn’t going to get the food, it became frustrated and began to expend more mental energy.

Infection and disease can also cut production and profit. Sensors can help localize infection in a barn, compartment or room, potentially reducing disease spread and antibiotic use. Berckmans noted technology that monitors and analyzes the sound of coughs in a facility.

“Precision livestock farming gives us the data,” he said.

It can then be used to measure how far an operation is from desired outputs and to design prediction-based controllers.

“That’s what we do for decades in airplanes, in making mechanical systems, electronic systems,” Berckmans said.

While there’s been lots of research into agricultural use of precision technology, very little has been implemented, he said.

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The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has released their long-promised update to national feed regulations. Formally referred to as the “Feeds Regulations, 2024,” the final version of the framework was registered June 17 and published for public view July 3 in part 2 of the Canada Gazette.

“We’ve been waiting for this for over 14 years to get to where we are today,” said Melissa Dumont, executive director for the Animal Nutrition Association of Canada (ANAC).

The new requirements will be introduced gradually. Labelling rules and compositional and safety standards came into effect July 3, with a one-year transition period where industry can follow either the existing or new requirements.

Other rule changes were in force immediately. That included removing mink and foxes from the definition of livestock, approval and registration requirements, feed content standards, rules around feed for export, risk investigation procedures, record-keeping requirements and exceptions noted in both the Feeds Regulation, 2024 and the Feeds Act.

All other parts of the new rules will have a staggered rollout over the next 18 months, according to the CFIA website.

New complaint procedures, rules around recalls and packaging, regulations on imported feeds, traceability requirements and hazard assessments and preventative controls/control plans will be in the next wave, coming into force in June 2025.

Licensing requirements, export documentation, rules around import of a non-compliant feed and the new scope of livestock species will be some of the final parts of the regulations to come into force, slated for December 2025.

Industry in waiting

In 2010, ANAC approached the CFIA with a request to modernize feed regulations to be more in line with current industry realities.

There had been significant developments in animal nutrition knowledge, technology and customer requirements in the previous decades, industry argued, and it was time for the regulatory environment to catch up.

The 2024 regulations include a range of new and updated requirements touted to improve the safety of livestock feed, reflect international best practices, improve food safety and support innovation within the animal feed sector. The updated regulations will provide a transparent process for the approval and regulation of feed ingredients and feed products, the CFIA said.

“There are a lot of benefits that have come out of the new regulations,” said Dumont.

The previous regulations had last been reviewed in 1983, including nutrient minimums and maximums, and safety levels.

The new document is more flexible, allowing for easier change.

“One of the main things (about the new regulations) is that many of the documents are incorporated as reference. They’re still part of the law, they are referenced in the regulations, (but) they sit outside of the regulations. Through consultation processes, these documents can now be updated based on new science as it becomes available,” Dumont said.

Dumont said the new feed regulations will change some of the products that require authorization, which she said will increase focus on a safety and risk-based approach. She also expects they will improve trade opportunities.

Nutrient requirements have also gotten a modern polish.

“The minimum nutrient requirements were very old, and some of them actually required us to put too many nutrients in the feed,” Dumont said.

“The law was requiring us to do that. This has now given us that flexibility and it also takes, again, that risk-based approach by requiring feed businesses to have preventive controls in place, so to prevent risks and hazards as they occur, as opposed to dealing with them once they occur.”

Most farms will not be required to have preventative controls. That aspect of the regulations doesn’t apply to producers who produce non-medicated feed. Farms that mix medications into feed on-site farms will have to meet the regulatory standard, due to food safety concerns connected to medication residue in animals. If a farm has multiple species, is making their own feed and uses many different medications, it may need more complicated preventative controls.

“One of the changes is that we will be able to use veterinary health products in mixed feeds,” said Dumont. “If any company notifies veterinary health products to Health Canada and it goes through the process for approval, we will then be able to mix it in feed as long as it’s been approved for use in feed.”

It is Dumont’s hope that newly available tools will reduce the regulatory burden on producers. Much of that burden was not risk-based or food-safety-based, she argued, but simply hung on so long because regulations were so old.

Getting the word out

The CFIA has published guidance on the new rules. ANAC is also working with national producer groups to help them develop educational material for their producers.

The CFIA has scheduled two information sessions on the new rules: one in English on July 24 and another in French July 22.

ANAC also has their own voluntary certification program called FeedAssure, which meets the preventative control requirements in the regulations, Dumont said.

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The Canadian Dairy Commission announced Monday that its 4(m) milk class has been updated to allow dairy processors to get the 4(m) permit price for buttermilk incorporated in making skim milk powder sold for animal feed, effective Feb. 1.

The class is also now updated to include liquid buttermilk for animal feed as an eligible permit product in the 4(m) milk class, up to the set limit, the commission said.

Eligible end-uses for products sold in the 4(m) class already include skim milk powder bought either for direct feeding to farm animals, or for blending and repackaging into a feed blend. The class also includes the animal feed blends themselves, to be sold for feed as-is.

The expansion allows for inclusion of liquid buttermilk, whether evaporated or not, for direct feeding to farm animals.

Companies registered in Canada and using SNF-type products to make feed and feed blends may be eligible for a 4(m) permit. The limit under the 4(m) permit program for animal feed is now up to 20,000 tonnes of skim milk powder-equivalent per year.

The commission had originally announced Dec. 24, 2020 that it was considering such an update to the 4(m) class effective for Feb. 1 this year.

Prices for SNF sold in the 4(m) class are updated monthly and posted online, the commission said, noting that 4(m) butterfat is priced at the same level as butterfat in class 4(a). — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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The announcement comes amid rising global feed grain prices and tightening supplies, and as more companies work toward reducing the carbon footprint of their operations. Insects are seen as a sustainable alternative to fishmeal and other high-protein feeds.

The plant will produce 60,000 tonnes of animal feed protein annually from Hermetia illucens, a highly nutritional type of fly, along with 20,000 tonnes of oils for poultry and swine rations and 400,000 tonnes of fertilizer, the companies said in a release.

According to InnovaFeed, the insect is already endemic in Europe and is not considered to be a pathogenic or invasive species.

Construction of the facility at Decatur, about 230 km southwest of Chicago, is slated to begin next year, pending permits and approvals.

The facility will be built adjacent to ADM’s massive corn processing complex and will use corn byproducts as feed for the insects, as well as waste heat and steam from the corn processing plant. The collaborative scheme will emit 80 per cent less carbon dioxide than a stand-alone facility, the companies said.

“ADM Decatur’s corn-based co-products will be recycled locally to feed insects through infrastructure connected to the site. This production model will also allow InnovaFeed to use 27 MW of residual energy recovered from the ADM process, energy that was not previously recovered,” InnovaFeed said in a statement.

InnovaFeed also on Thursday launched an insect protein production site in Nesle, northern France, currently the world’s largest with a capacity of 15,000 tonnes of insect protein. It will ultimately feed the equivalent of 400,000 tonnes of fish, poultry and pigs.

The companies did not disclose how much they would invest in the Decatur project.

— Reporting for Reuters by Karl Plume in Chicago and Sybille de La Hamaide in Paris; includes files from Glacier FarmMedia Network staff.

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Producers were already looking at a feed shortage after drought conditions stuck much of the province in 2018, particularly areas of southwest Manitoba and the Interlake. Most of agricultural Manitoba had qualified for the federal livestock tax deferral program in 2018 — a program that allows a producer to defer part of their cattle sales to the next tax year, but requires forage harvest in the region to fall to half or less normal yields.

Compounding that, farmers were already forced to extend the feeding season at both ends, with a cool, dry spring keeping cattle in the feedlot in early 2018, and drought-stricken pastures forcing producers to start feeding cattle far earlier than usual in the fall.

The first months of 2019 did little to help. Temperatures in January and February dipped beneath -30 C for stretches at a time, further chipping away at feed supplies.

By March, provincial livestock specialists warned that feed supplies were getting thin, while there was little extra feed on the market after the previous dismal year.

Ray Bittner, livestock specialist in the Interlake, warned that already tight ration plans were reaching the end of their rope, while pastures that were already strained from 2018 might delay turnout again, creating the second year in a row of an extended spring feeding season.

Those same livestock specialists also sounded the first alert on fertility problems in the coming breeding season if the feed situation didn’t turn around. Those fears were later realized in some areas. Veterinarians in the Interlake have reported regular open rates between 20 and 30 per cent as of late 2019.

Pressures may have led producers to put their cattle out too early in 2019, further stressing pastures, experts later said.

“Many years, there’s a little bit to eat left on pastures — some residue, but this year there’s very little to eat because the residue was eaten last fall,” Bittner said in late April.

Fearing another short feed year, many producers planned on more greenfeed or silage acres, the province and producers both reported.

Little hope with hay

The start of the haying season offered little optimism.

Lack of rain and poor regrowth radically reduced the first, and normally the heaviest, cut of the year again.

John MacGregor, co-ordinator of the Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association’s Green Gold hay-monitoring program, estimated that the province’s best cuts only hit 60 per cent of normal as of the end of June, and many fell far below that. The association ultimately estimated that first cuts largely ranged between 40 and 60 per cent of normal, while the worst cuts may have dropped to 10 to 30 per cent.

Many producers found themselves waiting far longer than normal to harvest their first cut, sacrificing some feed value for biomass. First cuts were still underway as of mid-July, compared to the usual early June timeline for much of the province.

“Last year was one of the worst years I’ve ever gone through since 1989,” Glen Metner of Moosehorn said at the time. “In some places, we were doing 50 bales per quarter section. This year, it doesn’t look any better. It’s probably worse.”

Rainstorms bolstered parts of the south later in the season, although both the Parkland and Interlake remained dry.

By late July, producers were already bracing for a bad winter. Concerns over feed were reaching fever pitch in a month later. A dozen municipalities in the Interlake and Parkland declared a state of agricultural disaster in late August, pointing to short feed and a looming cull that they worried would dramatically decrease cattle numbers in their area. That list eventually grew to 16 municipalities.

Producers in those regions were reportedly already feeding on pasture, using up some of the now precious overwintering feed.

Grasshoppers had also become a problem, with producers noting significant forage losses.

While rain promised to improve second cuts in some regions of south central Manitoba, parts of the northwest had “very little to no” second cut, the province said, while producers in the hardest hit areas were already starting to cull.

MacGregor estimated that those areas that did see a second cut reaped up to 80 per cent of normal yield.

Feed concern prompted the province to once again open up additional Crown lands for grazing. A similar program was launched in 2018, although beef producers at the time said that many of those lands had little access and infrastructure difficulties, leading to poor uptake. The province also released multiple newsletters urging producers to consider alternative feeds, as well as to use the provincial hay listing to source hay.

The Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association also extended its efforts. The organization announced an online resource focused on hay updates and pricing information. The Keystone Agricultural Producers and Manitoba Beef Producers also launched a hay listing resource page.

The feed situation left even more municipalities eligible for the federal livestock tax deferral than in 2018. A total 96 regions were named eligible for the deferral, compared to 81 the year before.

All dried up

Water worries added to producer anxiety in dry regions. Producers reported hauling or piping water to cattle as dugouts dried out in the first part of the summer.

August rains helped refill dugouts in parts of the south, the province later reported, although the situation remained critical in parts of the northwest and Interlake. As of Sept. 3, only 40 per cent of the Interlake’s water supply was rated “adequate,” and dugouts were still declining.

Water quality issues led to a number of cattle deaths at an Interlake farm, after cattle were put into a paddock with a shallow and stagnant dugout. The dugout had developed toxic blue-green algae, impacting an estimated 10 animals, a Gimli-area vet told the Co-operator.

The looming winter may look depressingly familiar to farmers as they look into 2020.

Feed experts are once again forecasting a winter of creative feed rations as producers reach for everything from feed additives to food processing byproducts.

The province has seen an influx of feed grain after a suddenly wet fall and three-day snowstorm over the Thanksgiving weekend stranded crops. At the same time, that same wet winter put the brakes on silage harvest, sparking further feed concerns and adding yet more complaints of “the year from hell.”

The province has since sponsored a string of workshops hoping to help producers deal with short feed. Above average open rates in some areas have sparked further concern over nutrition.

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That has some producers worrying they do not have enough forage on hand at this time to meet winter feed needs.

“There are numerous strategies that can be used to help stretch limited forage supplies,” said Janna Block, extension livestock systems specialist at NDSU’s Hettinger Research Extension Center. “However, the first step is to get a good estimate of what is currently available.”

She recommended producers take inventory of all forages, which includes bale weights and number of bales for each lot of hay. A lot is defined as the same species grown on the same field and harvested within a 48-hour period. Storage losses should be included by using estimates of 20 per cent for hay stored outside and seven per cent for hay stored inside.

The next step is to determine the number of livestock in each production group (mature cows, bulls, replacement heifers, etc.) and estimate the number of feeding days. In general, dry matter intake needs can be estimated at 2.5 per cent of body weight.

“This estimate can be refined further with known forage quality, but this is a good place to start,” Block said.

Feeding waste also should be included in calculations for feed needs. Waste can vary significantly, depending on how forage is delivered to the herd, but rolling out bales on pasture typically results in the highest waste due to trampling, overconsumption and contamination from urine and feces. Research indicates that losses for this feeding strategy may range from 25 per cent to 45 per cent.

Assume that a 200-cow operation requires 553 tons of hay on an as-fed basis for a 150-day feeding period. If hay is valued at $80 per ton, monetary losses from hay waste easily could approach $20,000. That does not include additional hay or supplement that would have to be provided due to waste to meet livestock needs.

“When substantial amounts of forages must be fed to livestock on a daily basis, it is a good idea to use some type of barrier to reduce waste,” Block said. “These could include hay feeders, panel feeders, bunks, tire feeders or some other type of barrier. Grinding and/or processing forage also can reduce waste and increase utilization by livestock; however, increased costs are a factor that must be considered.

“An understanding of cattle nutrient requirements and nutrients supplied by forage is critical to use hay supplies in a cost-effective and efficient manner,” Block noted. “Proper sampling and laboratory analysis of forages are important for any given year and become even more so with extreme weather conditions like the ones experienced this year.”

Results of a forage analysis can be used to allocate certain lots of hay to production groups and determine when or if supplementation will be necessary.

If possible, producers should sort and feed livestock by production groups to allow for the best use of forages with varying nutrient concentrations.

For example, in general, lower-quality forages (minimum of 50 per cent total digestible nutrients, or TDN, and seven per cent crude protein, or CP) can be fed to dry, mature beef cows in mid-gestation. Moderate-quality forages (55 to 58 per cent TDN and eight to nine per cent CP) can be used to meet cow requirements during late gestation.

The highest-quality forages (59 to 65 per cent TDN and 10 to 13 per cent CP) should be reserved for first-calf heifers throughout pregnancy, growing calves and mature cows during early lactation.

“It is important to remember that factors such as breed, cow body condition, milk production, age and environment will influence requirements,” Block said. “Computerized ration balancing is typically necessary to determine specific needs for an individual group of animals.”

Also if possible, cows should be sorted and fed based on nutrient requirements (that is, first- and second-calf heifers, old cows, mature cows, etc.) to use forages most efficiently. In addition, producers should keep an eye on body condition scores (BCS) of the cow herd to evaluate the effectiveness of winter feeding programs. Mature cows should be fed to calve at a BCS of five, with first-calf heifers fed to achieve a BCS of six to allow for increased nutrient requirements for growth.

Research has shown a strong relationship between BCS at calving and subsequent reproductive performance. Cows in better condition also are better able to withstand extreme weather conditions. Therefore, achieving and then maintaining desired condition scores now will allow cows to manage colder temperatures without sacrificing condition. Feeding groups may need to be re-evaluated throughout the winter so that lactating, thin and old cows with increased requirements can be fed separately.

“When hay supplies are extremely limited, producers could consider developing a limit-fed ration that contains minimal amounts of forage and greater levels of nutrient-dense feeds such as corn silage, grain and/or byproducts,” Block said. “These alternative feeds will be in high demand this winter across the state, so it is important to determine feed needs as soon as possible to ensure an adequate supply.”

When comparing feed options, include all transportation, storage, waste and feeding expenses. Depending on facilities, available feed resources, costs and management strategies, limit feeding can be implemented with cows on the ranch or at a commercial lot.

In addition to looking into alternative feeds, considering whether to use ionophores to stretch feed resources this winter might be worthwhile. Ionophores are feed additives that alter rumen microbial populations to increase efficiency of energy use.

These products are inexpensive and can be mixed into dry or liquid commercial feeds or mineral mixtures. Research has shown that cows can maintain body condition while consuming seven to 10 per cent less hay when fed an ionophore.

“Winter feeding represents a significant portion of input costs and is even more challenging when facing current market conditions,” Block said. “All options must be closely evaluated while keeping an eye on the bottom line to ensure that carrying animals through the winter is feasible. Culling strategies should be developed and producers should be prepared to reduce livestock inventory if necessary.”

The post Steps to stretch limited hay supplies appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

“The yearling run is right around the corner,” remarked Robin Hill of Heartland Livestock Auction Ltd. in Virden.

Dry pasture conditions and rising feed prices are expected to speed up cattle volumes to auction in the fall, after many locations take a summer hiatus.

“We’re running out of pasture this way, and I know the Interlake is maybe even worse off,” Hill said.

According to Manitoba Agriculture’s most recent crop report, pasture conditions are rapidly declining across the province due to hot, dry weather. In the Northwest region, pasture conditions are rated as 50 per cent good-to-fair and 50 per cent poor-to-very poor. In the Central region, the report expects livestock owners to begin supplementing feed on pasture lands soon, if they haven’t began to do so already.

Fed cattle and bulls are also likely to come to market sooner than anticipated, due to drier-than-average summer weather.

“Dry conditions should bring the calves and feeders to town a little early this fall,” said Hill.

This week, fed cattle prices were up by C$2 to C$4 in some locations.

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The closures highlight the pain for global agriculture companies from the outbreak of African swine fever in China, the world’s top hog producer and pork consumer.

African swine fever, for which there is no cure and no vaccine, kills almost all infected pigs, though it does not harm people.

The disease has killed more than a million pigs in China since the nation’s first reported case last August, cutting demand for feed ingredients such as soymeal and pre-mixes, which are blends of vitamins and other nutrients sold by Cargill and other suppliers.

“This is not a six-month trend for China to recover,” Chuck Warta, president of Cargill’s animal nutrition and pre-mix business, said in an interview. “This is a 24-month, 36-month kind of resetting of the world’s population of animals.”

The outbreak accelerated closures of Cargill feed mills in coastal regions of China that were also prompted by a westward shift over the past decade of the areas in which livestock are raised, Warta said. Most of the facilities will not be re-opened even if China gets African swine fever under control, he said.

Cargill closed three feed and animal-nutrition plants in the second half of the fiscal year that ended on May 31, representing an approximately 150,000-tonne reduction in capacity, according to the company.

But Cargill still sees a bright future for its animal nutrition business in China, Warta said. The company said it is spending US$65 million to replace a pre-mix plant in Nanjing and is also buying land for a similar facility in Henan province.

“We’re idling some assets, but we’re shifting those resources into a different type of production that is more positioned to serve the market,” Warta said.

Cargill reported on Thursday that reduced hog feed demand in China, along with the ongoing U.S.-China trade war and flooding in the U.S. Midwest, led to a 41 per cent slide in adjusted quarterly profits.

For the first six months of 2019, China’s soybean imports dropped 14.7 per cent from the same period last year as African swine fever curbed demand for hog feed, Chinese customs data showed on Friday.

Expectations for China to boost meat imports after losing hogs has caused some livestock producers in exporting countries to feed animals longer so that they grow bigger, Warta said.

— Reporting for Reuters by Tom Polansek in Chicago and Rod Nickel in Winnipeg.

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That means getting feed tested to determine what nutrients are available in what quantity, to allow for formulating a winning ration.

Why it matters: Cattle producers are facing feed shortages and need to plan the most efficient rations possible to get through the winter.

Livestock specialists like Bart Lardner of the Western Beef Development Centre and Kim Ominski of the University of Manitoba have long argued producers should be making decisions based on such data.

This year is no different, but growing conditions have made it a more pointed argument.

Forage yields fell short across the Prairies this year, with poor pastures adding to the problem. In Manitoba, May’s cold, dry weather delayed turnout and ate away at feed reserves, matched by an early end to the grazing season in many parts of the province as both forage and dugouts dried out.

By midsummer, the province was already urging producers to consider alternative options like greenfeed, crop residue or silage. Bales became a common sight along roadways and in low areas normally ignored for feed. By August, some producers said they expected to turn to straw and feed additives to tide them over the winter.

More complex

The patchwork of feed sources may, indeed, help producers fill out their feed supply. At the same time, mixing and matching those sources has sparked questions from farmers facing down a far more complicated formula this year when it comes to planning their winter rations.

Ominski has fielded many of those calls in the last few weeks. The researcher, and former Manitoba Agriculture livestock specialist, says she has seen a surge of producers looking for guidance on rations.

“Forages are always one (feed) that can be highly variable. You can take any kind of a grass hay and the quality can range from like five per cent to 18 per cent crude protein, for example,” she said. “But producers are looking at using sort of alternative feeds this year.”

Byproducts like screening pellets, for example, can vary highly in nutrition from load to load, she said. Ominski expects an increase in the number of producers turning to crop byproducts to fill out feed.

Lardner is advising farmers to test all their feeds, including straw and poor-quality hay, and to make sure they’re familiar with their herd’s changing needs as winter drags on and both weather and gestation impact requirements.

“You need to know the energy, protein content and possibly even vitamin and mineral content,” he said.

Manitoba Agriculture sets crude protein needs at seven per cent for a mid-gestation cow, ramping up to 11 to 12 per cent crude protein once lactation starts. Likewise, a mature cow’s energy needs will jump from about 50 per cent TDN mid-gestation to 60 to 65 per cent after calving, an energy level similar to replacement heifers, although a heifer’s crude protein requirements will still hover between eight to 10 per cent.

Feed mix will also impact mineral requirements, according to the province, something that may be of concern to producers broadening feed sources this year. Manitoba Agriculture guidelines suggest an even 1:1 calcium-to-phosphorus mineral package for alfalfa, but a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio for greenfeed or straw.

Watching the herd

There’s also going to be changing needs as the herd progresses through the winter.

“Obviously, as those cows are getting closer to calving, which is out there next spring or early summer, you want to save your best feed, because her energy and protein requirements are going to be at their peak,” Lardner said. “They’re going to increase when she starts to lactate after calving. If you’ve got some lower-quality, roughage-type feed or maybe building a straw-based ration… then you might not put as much supplement into that ration if she’s just in first-trimester pregnancy.”

Farmers may also want to consider nitrate testing for “opportunity” feeds like hail-damaged or drought-damaged crops, he added.

Producers may also want to pad that ration if animals are already feeling the strain of poor grazing.

Ominski advised producers to add a body conditioning score into their plan, something she says will help identify animals that need to top up their nutrition and help producers group livestock according to nutrition needs.

“For example, cows with lower body condition could be fed with preg(nant) heifers,” she suggested.

The province has also warned ranchers to keep body condition in mind.

Kathleen Walsh, livestock specialist with the province, said fall body condition is too often ignored when farmers approach their winter feed plan.

“Weaning the calves will reduce the cow’s daily nutrient requirement and give her the opportunity to maintain or regain condition before winter,” she said by email. “As cows progress from mid- to late gestation and temperatures drop, it becomes increasingly difficult to put on condition.”

Nutrition requirements are 20 per cent higher for a lactating cow than a dry cow if the animal is to avoid losing body condition, she estimated. Manitoba Agriculture suggests cows have a 3.5 body condition score going into winter.

Any changing feed should also be introduced slowly, according to the province. Manitoba Agriculture suggests farmers transition the herd over 10-14 days, depending on the type of feed.

Turning to technology

Those without a nutritionist on call might want to get a technological boost.

Both Ominski and Lardner singled out CowBytes, a ration-balancing program put out by Alberta Agriculture and Forestry.

At $50, Lardner argued that it might be an affordable option for producers hoping to take the guesswork out of their ration.

“You can plug in the class of livestock, their weight, when they’re going to calve, the environment the animal’s going to be fed in — so, rain, snow, temperature — all of those things,” he said.

The program may also help producers keep better track of feed inventory or, working backwards, help make decisions on a cull, Ominski added.

“You take a look at the best-quality feed and you want to use that repeatedly for all your different costs of cattle, but obviously you’ve got a limited amount of it,” she said. “That program really helps you strategically say, ‘What feedstuffs am I using at what time as the animal progresses through pregnancy?’ and then to be able to do a running inventory.”

There may be slight wiggle room in those ration recommendations, Lardner said. A farmer might drop to 90 to 95 per cent of the nutrient requirement if cattle are in better body condition going into the winter, although he cautioned that a full nutrient requirement should always be the goal.

“The big thing though is to make sure that they’re watching their cow condition,” he said. “We don’t want these cows to come out in the spring in thin condition.”

A thin cow may get through calving, but take longer to reach first estrous, have lighter calves or poorer colostrum quality, Ominski warned.

Both Ominski and Lardner urged producers to bring in a professional nutritionist or speak to one of Manitoba Agriculture’s extension staff if they have any questions.

For her part, Ominski is urging farmers to finish their ration plan sooner rather than later.

“As we go through the winter, the price is going to increase, so being able to source that hay now means that you can feed those cows for a lower cost, because you’ve got everything lined up,” she said.

The post Finding a recipe for success on winter livestock rations appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

The Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) will continue to exempt feed mills from being licensed, it announced Sept. 12. That means feed mills won’t have to post security in the case of payment defaults to cover the value of grain farmers deliver.

The CGC also said it will continue to exempt agents with primary or process elevator facilities and producer railway car loading facilities from licensing and posting security.

“After consulting with the sector, the commission has decided that grain handlers that fall under one of these three categories may operate without a Canadian Grain Commission licence as long as they continue to meet the conditions associated with their respective exemptions,” the CGC said in a new release. “This decision reflects the clear feedback provided by stakeholders, as well as an analysis of the relative risks these types of operations pose to producers and the grain quality assurance system.”

For years the CGC has licensed primary grain elevators where western Canadian farmers sell most of their crops.

Under the Canada Grain Act licensed elevators are required to post security to cover money owed to farmers for delivered grain. The security is often in the form of a bond or letter of credit.

The Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) began advocating to license feed mills after Puratone, a major hog-producing company, which also operated a feed mill in Arborg, Man., went into creditor protection in 2012.

“This left several KAP members with as much as $300,000 in losses due to their inability to collect payments (on delivered grain),” KAP said in a 2016 submission to the CGC as it consulted the grain industry. “Following this occurrence, KAP members passed policy requesting that the exemption from CGC licensing for feed grain buyers be eliminated.”

However, KAP’s submission noted small feed mills buying grain for their own livestock remain unlicensed.

In 2016 the CGC proposed exempting operations that bought less than 5,000 tonnes of feed grain a year. KAP recommended using the value of feed grains purchased instead of the volume.

While several farm groups supported licensing feed mills, commercial feed mills opposed it, Remi Gosselin, the CGC’s manager of corporate information services, said in an interview Sept. 12.

“Under this proposal we were only considering a segment of the feed mill industry based on annual purchases,” he said. “And that proved not to be consistent with how the grain commission licenses other commercial grain operations. So it would have been difficult to administer and create confusion in the sector.

“We also conducted an internal analysis and confirmed that licensing feed mills would increase the administrative burden and overall cost of our program.

“We were looking at over 500 potential facilities (feed mills). There are quite a number of feed mills throughout Canada and at what threshold do you start licensing them?”

While KAP understands the CGC’s decision, it doesn’t resolve farmer concern about not getting paid, KAP president Bill Campbell said in an interview Sept. 13.

“I guess what it boils down to is, it’s up to the producer to do his due diligence to make sure the companies they deal with are in a sound financial position… ” Campbell said.

“How do I know if a company is in a sound financial position? They don’t even tell their bank if they are in trouble.”

Farmers need to know that not all buyers are covered by the CGC’s security program, he added.

At the time of its submission KAP was hoping the CGC would revise its security payment program to cut red tape and operating costs, initially covered by licensed grain companies, but believed to be passed back to farmers through the price they get for grain.

One option is creating a fund to cover farmers who don’t get paid. Assistant chief CGC commissioner Doug Chorney agrees a compensation fund would be cheaper than the current scheme.

“We have ideas on how we could move forward, which we will come back and consult about,” Chorney told KAP’s advisory council meeting in Brandon Aug. 9.

However, before changes can be made the Canada Grain Act has to be amended and that’s up to the federal government, he said.

The current security system costs about $9 million a year, Chorney said.

“Over 20 years, every 18 months we have a $1 million to $1.5 million default,” he said. “So we’re paying $9 million a year to solve a $1-million problem every 18 months. That’s not efficient. It works, but is it the best path forward? Payment security doesn’t come at no cost. So if it’s costing $1 million a year that’s theoretically coming back to farmers through basis and discounts… so we want to look at a system that is going to provide better production and cost less.”

KAP wants grain producers protected no matter who they deliver to, Campbell said.

“It’s not a large problem, but for those who are affected it’s a large problem,” he said. “If you have deliveries and don’t get paid for them that can be your financial ruin. That’s where we need to take a look at where everybody protects everybody.”

Campbell said KAP hopes if the CGC does change its security program it will consider protecting farmers who deliver to feed mills.

Asked if that was a possibility Gosselin replied: “I can’t speculate on that.”

The CGC decided to continue exempting agents with primary or process elevator facilities and producer railway car loading facilities because they don’t buy grain from farmers and their operations don’t pose a risk to Canada’s grain quality assurance system, Gosselin said.

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