Another Pondering Moment

[Caustic Burno]

Neighbor an I were discussing fertilizer cost and hay production this year.
The thought came up on buying urea at 500 a ton which is cheapest fertilizer we have priced.
Fertilize the hay fields with less ton's but as much N as normal as past years.
Urea is 46% N the most pounds you can get per ton.
This will produce lower quality hay and supplement protien through liquid feed.
For the first time is looks to be cheaper to supplement protien than produce quality hay.
With low quality hay you have the roughage to fill them up.
As the price of oil continues to climb so will fertilizer cost.
Toss this one around.

Edit current price per ton for liquid supplement is 240 a ton.

 

[Wewild]

We haven't use liquid protein in a while so i have no bases on info. i heard they may eat more hay??? True or not? i may have misunderstood.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Yes they will consume more hay.
At this time that is not an issue as I still have plenty of left over.
But it can stop raining tomorrow as well.

 

[Crowderfarms]

First off, in this area, you cant find urea for 500.00 a ton.Second is that I'll guaran-dam tee you that the Feed companies producing liquid supplements and tubs will raise their prices to the point that you'll be paying out the nose for their products too. We're all going to have to tighten our belts up to survive these trying times.Sooner or later this infected bladder is going to bust. ( thats the nicest way I can put it here)

 

[Wewild]

Yes they will consume more hay.
At this time that is not an issue as I still have plenty of left over.
But it can stop raining tomorrow as well.

I'm looking for the increase % so i can chiper on the increase in hay needed. Is it 5% or 10%? I considered this as an option but it means baling on land that has laid by for a year or so. To make good hay it would have to be planted and go through summer on some sorgrums and i know it won't make if it don't rain. We can get maybe enough with a lower intial investment by doing as you have stated earlier. At least we will be able to to get the LP. If it isn't economically feasible then we will have to consider other options.

If the rain is normal this year, we won't have a problem. If the rain is the same as last year, we will make it. If the rain is just as bad in 2009, we will be in trouble with some serious restructuring.

We have been fortunate to have chicken liiter available for ourselves but not on what we maybe looking to rent or cut for free.

 

[Cabo]

CB, the biggest problem with the urea is it needs rain soon after putting it out like a day or two or a lot of the nitrogen will evaporate.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Yes they will consume more hay.
At this time that is not an issue as I still have plenty of left over.
But it can stop raining tomorrow as well.

I'm looking for the increase % so i can chiper on the increase in hay needed. Is it 5% or 10%? I considered this as an option but it means baling on land that has laid by for a year or so. To make good hay it would have to be planted and go through summer on some sorgrums and i know it won't make if it don't rain. We can get maybe enough with a lower intial investment by doing as you have stated earlier. At least we will be able to to get the LP. If it isn't economically feasible then we will have to consider other options.

If the rain is normal this year, we won't have a problem. If the rain is the same as last year, we will make it. If the rain is just as bad in 2009, we will be in trouble with some serious restructuring.

We have been fortunate to have chicken liiter available for ourselves but not on what we maybe looking to rent or cut for free.

I have never read anywhere what the % is , I used it when I was baling really poor quality hay back in the 99 drought. One of the things that got us to thinking about it a guy that has a forty acre pasture bought a place from one of the neighbors that had to go in a home. He just wanted to live in the country doesn't want any cows or anything ask if I was interesting in baling his place. Our old neighbor used to bale it.
I was just thinking I could put up as many or more bales as I do now and cut fertilizer cost.
Just bale grass off his and use urea on my fields and you are right about you have to have rain that is usually not a problem here at 60 inches a year.
But as Crowder said that bubble could be burst easily by the price of supplements going up.

 

[Wewild]

I found this after doing a fair amount of searching.

http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/research/2001rr/20/20.htm

 

[Caustic Burno]

Thanks Wewild interesting read.

 

[cfpinz]

We haven't use liquid protein in a while so i have no bases on info. i heard they may eat more hay??? True or not? i may have misunderstood.

I've got two groups of cows (Nov/Dec calvers) here that I'm feeding 2 and 3 year old hay along with rolled corn stalks and some nicer hay. One group is getting a liquid protein supplement ($290/ton) and the other is getting 5lbs of 20% cubes ($275/ton) every other day. The liquid group eats more as well as they will eat anything you give them and leave very little. The group getting cubes doesn't eat as much and is more finicky about what they eat. The cube group is carrying more condition although both groups look as good as they would look during a normal winter on good hay. I'm keeping tabs on costs of the supplements as well as consumption and will decipher everything once I'm done feeding if anyone's interested in what I find I'll be happy to share.

 

[TexasBred]

We haven't use liquid protein in a while so i have no bases on info. i heard they may eat more hay??? True or not? i may have misunderstood.

I've got two groups of cows (Nov/Dec calvers) here that I'm feeding 2 and 3 year old hay along with rolled corn stalks and some nicer hay. One group is getting a liquid protein supplement ($290/ton) and the other is getting 5lbs of 20% cubes ($275/ton) every other day. The liquid group eats more as well as they will eat anything you give them and leave very little. The group getting cubes doesn't eat as much and is more finicky about what they eat. The cube group is carrying more condition although both groups look as good as they would look during a normal winter on good hay. I'm keeping tabs on costs of the supplements as well as consumption and will decipher everything once I'm done feeding if anyone's interested in what I find I'll be happy to share.

That's what the liquid is designed to do. Make them eat hay they othewise wouldn't. Haven't used any in a couple of years but never put any weight on cows with it in winter but they would hold condition ok. Calves did well so always wondered how much it helped with milk production.