By Alice McFarlane

Crop regrowth for cattle feed should be done with caution

Oct 15, 2021 | 4:01 PM

MELFORT, Sask. — The crop has been combined but there has been a lot of second growth in fields this fall.

The dry conditions have resulted in a shortage of cattle feed and that has livestock producers looking for alternate sources.

Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture Livestock and Feed Extension Specialist Alicia Sopatyk said she has received a lot of calls from producers who want to use that regrowth for livestock feed.

Sopatyk said whether farmers are grazing or cutting and baling, there are some considerations to take into account when working this into any feed plan.

“First and foremost, residual chem applications,” Sopatyk said. “Check the labels of any products applied previously to the field or to that crop to ensure there isn’t a grazing or feeding restriction.”

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Nitrates can accumulate in the plant because of a stressful events like drought or frost. It can have a serious impact on animal health, according to Sopatyk.

“They cause a reduction in the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood, which can result in abortions or death of the animal due to asphyxiation,” she said.

Depending on the level, there may be opportunity to acclimate the cattle to the feed source, but careful feed management would be required.

“Canola and other brassicas can also contain sulfur, which, depending on the level, can result in trace mineral deficiencies, blindness, polio and death in extreme cases,” she said. “Depending on the maturity of the plants and level of sulfur, there may be opportunity to use the feed in a diluted scenario.”

Sopatyk said it’s important to consider total dietary effect in these situations, and to talk to your local livestock and feed extension specialist or nutritionist to discuss your specific situation.

She said a visual assessment of feedstuffs is not accurate enough to access quality.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW