NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State
University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
July 23, 1998
When insects, diseases, hail, wind and weeds take their toll on crops, making hay may be the best way to harvest what's left.
"Cattle producers need to look for every opportunity to find cheap feed for overwintering their cattle," says John Dhuyvetter, a North Dakota State University livestock specialist at the North Central Research Extension Center near Minot. "And this is a way to salvage at least some value from those crops.
"If you use a common-sense approach to feeding, there are a lot of things you can do to stretch feed supplies," he says. "Cattle can use just about anything as a feed as long as it's mixed and blended with other feed ingredients."
Dhuyvetter says that when small grains have reached the early dough stage, they may make excellent hay with good protein content. "The feed value is going to depend on the extent of the damage to the crop and the stage of development," he notes. A forage test on crops harvested for hay might help plan rations to make the best use of good and marginal feeds.
One potential danger with feeding forage from small grains is nitrate poisoning, Dhuyvetter notes. "If there's extensive leaf damage, photosynthesis may be interrupted while the roots are still bringing nutrients into the plant. That presents the opportunity for nitrogen buildup," he explains. A solution is to allow the plant to partially recover before harvesting. As photosynthesis resumes, nitrogen levels will fall. Forage testing laboratories can also conduct inexpensive nitrate tests to ensure that forage is safe.
Frequent rains have prevented spraying in some regions, creating fields with severe weed problems. Dhyvetter says kochia, especially, is crowding out crops in some Minot-area fields.
"Kochia can be considered a pretty good feed," he notes. "At young stages of growth it contains up to 20 percent protein. For peak nutrient content and palatability, cut kochia when it is 20 to 26 inches tall. The protein level drops as the plant matures."
Dhuyvetter cautions producers to mix kochia with other feeds. Feeding high levels of kochia for more than a month may cause diarrhea, photosensitivity and reduced performance. Some research showed reduced kidney and liver function in cattle fed large amounts of the weed for extended periods of time.
"The key is to dilute the kochia by mixing it with other feeds."
Of other common weeds in North Dakota, only nightshade is toxic enough to pose a threat to livestock. Dhuyvetter notes that some weeds damaged by weather conditions can harbor the same nitrate concerns as grain crops.
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Source: John Dhuyvetter (701) 857-2911
Editor: Tom Jirik (701) 231-9629