The Rural Voice, 1998-10, Page 48Feeding strategies to
feed them through
By Nancy Noecker
Livestock Advisor
Have you heard the latest price of
hay! Whether your barn is full of it,
you are trying to sell it, or are looking
like mad for a source of it, hay and its
price is the hottest topic of
conversation at any farm gathering.
So, with availability down and prices
up, how we get the best use out of our
forages is the next best topic of
conversation. So in no particular
order, please consider the following:
• Inventory what you do have. This
includes the number of bales, and
what they weigh; number of lbs. of
hay; of what types (the good, the bad,
and the gut fill).
Test the major forages. This is not
the year to feed based on "I think that
it's pretty good hay". If a $35 test lets
you save 1 lb. of hay/cow/day at
$.06/Ib. on 50 cows it equals $3/day.
• Figure out what your inventory will
carry. Cut to that number or figure
out your alternatives now. Failing to
plan now, is how we get thin cows
and humane society calls in February
and March.
• Consider buying gates, so you can
split the cows into two feeding
groups, (the very needy and the not
so needy) and feed accordingly.
• If you can't or won't split the group,
ship the thin cows, timid cows and
young cows, that won't compete for
feed.
• Take a hard look at your feeders.
Do they waste a lot of hay? Can they
be modified? Do you have enough
feeder space?,When on a restricted
diet, it is important that they all can
feed at once.
• Consider what other forage
feedstuffs are out there. Cereal straw
can be fed as part of a ration. Limit to
12-14 lbs. to avoid impaction of the
rumen. Make sure protein levels are
adequate and Tots of water is
available.
• Consider if there is a way to use
corn stalks. As grazing? Hay? Or
Bedding?
• Consider soy and canola straw.
They probably won't eat these, unless
44 THE RURAL VOICE
Advice
they can be chopped and mixed with
other forage, but use them for
bedding and they will pick at them.
• Use bedding: Lack of bedding
increases energy needs by 10 - 15 per
cent; (that's 1 - 2 lbs. grain or 2 - 3
lbs. good hay/cow/day). Consider
anything that gets them off the cold
ground or manure — soy straw,
canola straw, corn stalks, bark or
sawdust.
• It looks like using grain to replace
some hay may be a dollar -wise
decision. You will need to price out
the costs on a pound of nutrient base.
Five to six pounds of corn may
replace 8 - 10 lbs. of hay, but it will
need to be worked out for your set
up.
• Don't get carried away with grain
however. Once you go over 10 - 12
per cent of the diet (2 - 3 lbs./1000 lb.
of body weight), you will depress
forage digestibility.
• If considering grain, will you buy
from the mill? Off the combine?
Where and how will you store it and
how will you feed it? If your hay is
really tough in fibres and low in
protein, a protein supplement will
help to drive the rumen and increase
digestibility of your forage.
• Many mills offer beer pellets. These
can be good, but shop around for
price and content. A pellet is not a
pellet is not a pellet.
• Go for a fat fall. Try to fatten them
up in the fall period, to save on
energy needs in the winter. A fat cow
has six per cent lower energy needs
than a thinner one. A cow in good
shape can lose 10 - 15 per cent of her
body weight from fall to spring. But
this requires constant monitoring.
• Pray for an easy winter, and early
spring! But get yourself prepared,
none the less. Or as an old Arabian
proverb puts it "Trust in Allah, but tic
your camel".0
How will you transfer
your business?
By Dael Bierworth
Business Management Advisor
Will you be appointing an heir or a
successor? Both will get access to
some of your hard earned assets when
you retire.
If you opt for an heir (or heirs)
you will be deciding on who will take
control of what assets. To do this,
you can either gift assets while you
are alive or create a necessary legal
document that clearly indicates your
intentions after death. Many folk find
a combination of the two attractive as
it can give a sense of fulfillment as
well as security. Timing for selection
of an heir can be anytime before your
death.
A somewhat greater challenge is
the selection of a successor(s). That is
someone who will have the skill,
aptitude and willingness to commit to
the ongoing success of your business.
Research in England and France
suggests that early identification of
successors increase the chances of
success of the new owner. This
hinges, of course, on the present
operator taking the steps to help the
appointees Team the skills required to
operate successfully. The present
operator in this situation slowly
moves from being the day-to-day
manager to becoming the teacher,
facilitator., coach and mentor. Your
role changes as competence is gained
in the operation of the business.
Some of the skills may be best
taught off site. Examples of this are
post -secondary institutions, hands-on
learning at a similar business, or the
establishment and operation of an
enterprise that can be added to the
family business at a later time.
Research indicates that over half
of young business people have post-
secondary education and a similar
number has non -family business
experience. Nearly 70 per cent of
these managers have worked in other
occupations before assuming control
of the family business. It is also
important, according to this research,
that the potential successor be
encouraged to be involved in a
business that is seen as viable. The
average age of successors is 30,
before final control is transferred.
Using this as a rule of thumb, the
present owner can judge the time line
for preparing for the next generation
transfer. One of the real dangers is
transferring the businesses before the
necessary skills have been mastered.
A number of difficulties were