Feed & Forage [BE.FF]

Ensiling Potatoes with Silage to Add Feed Value to the Pit

High input prices have prompted us to closely look at the cost of feed supply for next winter and one way to bulk up silage and add energy is to…

Maximising Performance of Growing and Finishing Cattle

With exceptionally high feed costs this year it is vital that the target weight gain from a specific ration is being achieved. Any drop in daily liveweight gain will mean…

Improving Silage To Reduce Costs

Improving silage quality provides an alternative resource of nutrients to livestock that may have otherwise been supplied in concentrate feed. Ruminants have evolved to eat grass, therefore the more we…

Using Potatoes as an Alternative to Barley for Finishing Cattle

Stockfeed potatoes can be used as an alternative to expensive barley and are worth considering for feeding to finishing cattle to spin out home grown barley stocks if they are…

Feeding Pre-Calving Minerals

An important factor in the pre-calving period is to ensure the cow is getting adequate minerals in her diet. Mineral levels in UK silages are variable and are influenced by…

Transitioning Off Fodder Beet

The importance of transitioning livestock on to fodder beet slowly, to allow the rumen bugs to adapt to the high sugar diet is well documented. However, as calving and lambing approaches, the slow and steady approach should also be used for transitioning the livestock off the beet.

Forage for Profit – Carbon Audits

Forage Crop Ground Preparation

Good ground preparation of forage crops is a large contributor to their yield potential, with a fine, firm seedbed, with the correct pH and nutrients being the ideal. Peter Lindsay, SAC Consulting Senior Consultant discusses ground preparations in this short video.

Magnesium Supplementation of Suckler Cows – Are You Covered?

As turnout approaches, now is a good time to reassess your mineral supplementation strategy for grass staggers prevention in the suckler herd (also known as hypomagnesaemia or grass tetany). Whilst access to spring grass is one of the key risk factors for lactating cows, with the high passage rate of lush, wet grass through the digestive tract reducing magnesium absorption, there are several other factors to consider.

Improving Baled Silage Quality: What’s it Worth?

When buying or selling silage bales, nutritional value is rarely taken into account, but the variation in quality can be huge. Having an analysis to hand might allow you to command a better price if selling and the buyer is more aware of the silage quality they are purchasing and whether it is suitable for the class of stock it is destined for.

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