The Rural Voice, 1998-08, Page 50MORRIS SACHS
SILO
CONSTRUCTION
SILO ACCESSORIES
SILOS DISMANTLED,
REBUILT AND REPAIRS
363-3900
R.R. #1
Elmwood, Ont.
NOG 1S0
• FARM DRAINAGE • EROSION CONTROL
• BACKHOEING & EXCAVATIONS
Frank Fischer, Harriston 519-338-3484
"We install drainage tubing."
�,
H
'ibooLANO SQ6
Marvin L. Smith
B.Sc.F. (Forestry), R.P.F.
Farm Woodland Specialist
765 John St. West
Listowel, Ontario N4W 1B6
Telephone: (519) 291-2236
Providing advice and assistance with:
• impartial advice/assistance In selling timber,
including selection of trees and marking
• reforestation of erodible or idle land
• follow-up tending of young plantations
• windbreak planning and establishment
• woodlot management planning
• diagnosis of insect and disease problems
• conducting educational programs in woodlot
management
• any other woodland or tree concerns
PACIFIC WESTERN OUTDOOR FURNACES
• Safe • Economical • Convenient • Insurable
97.2% EFFICIENCY 99% SMOKELESS
• Wood fired hot water
furnaces
• Unique round design
fire box
3' to 4'
wood
uses
2' wood
Visit our
display at the
Durham
Wood Show Aug.
7 - 9/98
Gerald Saunders
RR #5, Woodstock N4S 7V9
(519) 467-5441
Joncorig
ofergY 00,1 ,• w
• Converts wood to gas
and gas to heat
• Reduced smoke,
emissions and ash
Russell Miners
RR #1 Kemble NOH 1S0
(519) 376-7907
46 THE RURAL VOICE
Advice
Is feeding wheat an
option?
by Dawn Pate, Livestock Advisor,
Simcoe, OMAFRA
As whcat fields start turning
golden it is time to consider whether
all the wheat should be sold or
whether it would be economical to
add to dairy ration.
Wheat contains 12 per cent
protein, compared to 10 per cent
protein in shelled corn. By
substituting wheat for some of the
corn in the grain ration the level of
protein supplement that needs to be
fed can be reduced. However, due to
the characteristics of the wheat
protein and gluten, the amount of
wheat that can be fed is generally
limited to 25-30 per cent of the
concentrate mix.
Gluten is responsible for the pasty
nature of wet wheat flour that is so
important to the baking process. That
characteristic can lead to problems if
too much is fed in a ration or if it is
introduced too quickly. Most
palatability problems are caused by
grinding wheat too fine. Finely
ground wheat results in a floury meal
that forms a sticky material in the
cow's mouth which tends to lower
palatability. This can be minimized
by coarse rolling or grinding the
wheat. Problems can also be
minimized by feeding the cracked
wheat as part ofaTMR.
Cattle should be introduced to
wheat feeding slowly to give the
rumen microbes time to adjust. Start
by feeding one quarter of the target
amount that you want to feed and
then work up from there over a two
to three week period. During the
adaptation time period closely
monitor the dry -matter intake of the
cows and back off if the dry matter
intake decreases by more than 10 per
cent.
When adding wheat to a ration
take into consideration the fact that it
is rapidly broken down in the rumen.
Roughages that would work well
with a wheat based ration would be
alfalfa, haylage, lush pasture or
excellent alfalfa hay.