May 31, 2001

Dry Weather Should Prompt Winter Feeding Plans

As dry weather settles in across the western Dakotas and surrounding areas, now is the time for livestock producers to plan ahead for winter hay and feed needs, says a North Dakota State University beef specialist.

"Producers will have more options available and it’ll be less expensive if they plan ahead now rather than to trying to find feed this fall and winter," says Greg Lardy of the NDSU Extension Service. He says recent rains in the region have improved the situation, but many areas remain dry.

Co-products from the region’s agricultural processing industries may be good options, he says. "Typically we see some seasonal declines in prices for those products," Lardy says. "Producers may be able to take advantage of those declines to minimize costs."

Wheat midds, corn gluten feed and soybean hulls may be ways to stretch tight forage supplies. Although wheat midds have a moisture content that requires flat storage or aeration to minimize deterioration, they can be stockpiled. There are few handling or storage concerns with the other products, Lardy notes.

Producers that use large quantities of the co-products may also be able to contract for winter delivery of pelletted sugar beet pulp and other co-products, he says. Some sprouted grain is likely to come on the market this summer as producers move last year’s grain and prepare for harvest. Much of that grain will also make good feed.

"One disadvantage to purchasing feed now may be cash flowing those purchases," Lardy says. "But if producers can manage feed purchases now, they may be better off in the long run. The drought situation in Montana is so severe that we won’t be seeing any hay coming out of that state this year. Southern Saskatchewan and Alberta are also pretty hard hit. We have enough of a drought problem right now that prices for feed are not going to come down."

Although the western half of North Dakota is dry, the eastern half of the state is soggy. And that is not helping the situation, Lardy says. "If producers in the eastern Dakotas and Minnesota can’t get in the fields to get their hay harvested, hay supplies will be even tighter."

###

Source: Greg Lardy, (701) 231-7660, glardy@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu

Click here to download an Audio clip to accompany this story. (577KB wav file) 

Click here to download an Audio clip to accompany this story. (552KB wav file)