Green Feed.....money maker or not?

[Sheepwheat]

Surprised at how many people are suggesting oats. According to my cows, oat green feed is inedible. Can hardly force them to eat it as compared to barley. What is your secret?

It’s what grampa did? Do you use a smooth awn barley?

[grassfarmer]

WiltonRanch, the yellowfeed may work for your own use but I know a lot of cattlemen that wouldn't buy it so i'd be cautious growing that to sell.

AF5, Probably comes down to variety and stage of growth at cutting. We've been feeding some real nice stuff this winter where they wasted very little. Very late seeded so fairly short straw, cut green, no fill in the heads made in 2016. It was 12.4% pro, 59% TDN. Excellent cow feed.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

It’s what grampa did? Do you use a smooth awn barley?

I only grow rough awn barley, because the deer and moose leave it alone, whereas they devour the smooth awn, but the cows still far prefer it to oats.

[WiltonRanch]

WiltonRanch, the yellowfeed may work for your own use but I know a lot of cattlemen that wouldn't buy it so i'd be cautious growing that to sell.

I forgot to mention that. Lots of guys see it and if it isn’t green they’re put off. Even though a lot of times it’s better feed than some green stuff. We have always had better luck with barley and wheat. Oats palatability varies so much. Put it up earlier it’s palatable but can lack energy and put up late it’s full of grain and unpalatable straw. Barley and triticale is more forgiving. Even a barley oat mixture is something to look at.

[makar]

the little greenfeed i did sell guys were pissed off because they had to bury mine under theirs so the cows had to eat to get it, how that computes to worth less than hay i must be dumber than a cow.

[blackpowder]

Ya, old boys around here used to put it up awful ripe.
Now, make export quality oat hay, and they clean it up.
In this country you'd need a fair amount of good equip per acre.
Used forage equip is shit.
Remember, cows are your salvage end users. At least that's how they're treated.
Always seem to be the lowest margin crop. Few cows left here.

[Leduc cowboy]

I agree the secret is to have good equipment that does the job. One guy around here has a 12’foot discbine blows out the swath wide then tedders it and rotary rakes it then makes big square bales and puts it in shed the bales are beautiful. It usually stacked in shed for sale well the old school guys 18 foot haybine swaths are still in field rotting . No different then everything in life if you have something of quality people will pay a premium for it .

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Remember, cows are your salvage end users. At least that's how they're treated.
Always seem to be the lowest margin crop. Few cows left here.

That is why I have cows( well that and the ever present fear of global cooling), to add value to the products that otherwise are nearly unmarketable. To salvage the hail damaged, frost damaged crops, to use the land too wet to farm, to eat the rained on hay or slough hay, or damaged bales. When viewed this way, their margins are actually quite high, as compared to leaving land idle, or giving away poor feed.