Land use for rearing beef.

[kpb]

cs wilson, I agree completely with you--I also think running a cow-calf and yearling operation is the best because you can adjust the yearling numbers easily to fit grass conditions and feed available. That's what we try to do.
cowman, where I live (Carstairs) I generally budget for 7 tons per acre of silage (barley and tritacale with a little oats)and that is conservative. I think over the past 12 or so years we've likely averaged 8. Last year we had 10 due to the moisture. We have slight re-growth and can graze in the fall for a little while. I think you would get a lot more from corn but your inputs would be a lot higher and the risk is higher.
Our cost for putting in the pit has not changed a whole lot. We end up around $20.50 per ton in the pit (custom seeded and cut). ten years ago it was about $17 per ton. Our custom guy charges us strictly on time, trucks and acreage and not on the prevailing barley price. However if you go to buy silage from someone I think the right formula is 7 to 8 times the price of barley.


kpb

[cowman]

In the December Cattleman magazine they have barley silage listed at 27.88/ton and corn silage(Ont.) listed at $14.63/ton! Incidently they have barley listed at $2.23/bu and grain corn $2.54/bu. Now I would say that was mighty optomistic on the barley price?
But even if silage should be priced at 10 times the price of barley then the price should only be $22.30/ton? As I've said I don't know anything about silage, but these numbers would indicate you should be able to buy silage pretty cheap? Of course trucking would soon eat up any profit made by buying it cheap?
I often wonder how many people who buy their feed really factor in the trucking, when they consider the advantages of not growing their own feed. Not bad when you can just haul it yourself...not so good when it has to come forty miles!
Also, one other thing? If silage is $27.88/ton at 60 percent moisture and the same grain crop put up as greenfeed is $50/ton, which makes more sense from a cost factor? Say the greenfeed is around 12% moisture: That would mean you are getting 1760 lb. of dry feed? Silage(at 60%) would work out to 800 lb. of dry matter? $50 devided by 1760 gives you a dry matter cost of 2.8 cents a lb? Silage at $27.88 would give you a dry matter cost of around 3.5 cents? Seems to me you are paying quite a bit for the added water...or am I missing something?

[kpb]

Cowman, The biggest advantage to me of using silage is that I know I'm always going to get a crop. I've never not had a silage crop whereas I've had a few greenfeed crops turn into straw after a couple of rains. Also silage is the best for mixing in barley, mineral and protein supplement when feeding calves so that everyone gets the same ration. Finally, I'm set up with bunks for silage.
Generally I would say for the above reasons that silage is a better crop for feeding calves but hay is better for feeding cows (cheaper).
Lastly I know that the magazines quote silage at 10 times barley price but whenever I've bought it in the past it was 7 or 8 times (admittedly a few years ago). Silage generally only works, in my opinion, if the crop is close to home. Otherwise the transportation costs kill you and it's real heavy with all that water in it.


kpb

[kpb]

Anyone considering feeding their cattle in a small area year round vs sending them out to pasture should check whether or not the require an approval under the Agricultural Operations Practices Act. Section 1(b.6) of the legislation states that a' confined feeding operation means fenced or enclosed land or buildings where livestock are confined for the purpose of growing, sustaining, finishing or breeding by means other than grazing".


Glad I am far enough away so as not to be able to hear you YELL cowman !!! This legislation came info force on June 1/04 as an amendment to the AOPA Legislation which came into force January 1/02.