rockridgecattle
Well-known member
I did not want to hijack the post on replacing alfalfa. But i have some questions.
Here is the original post
My questions or observations of a simple person are how is this cheapening feed costs.
If you do the math, it seems more expensive.
First senario:
You make the hay, you haul the hay, you feed the hay in bale rings. Cost associated with haying and hauling and feeding.
If you do not have enough you have three choices based on hay and calf prices
1. buy hay or grain or some sort of supplement
2. buy straw and feed in rings along side the hay or grind and mix with hay...cost associated with running a grinder or just feeding as is in a ring, growing or purchasing straw to feed
3. grow or purchase slough or native hay to stretch the feed
4. sell off enough cows to meet the demand of the hay you have
Second senario:
Make your hay...input costs on making and hauling and feeding
Make or buy corn...input cost to make and harvest the corn, or buy
Make or buy soybean meal...cost to buy?
use a grinder (include depreciation of grinder, repairs of grinder, cost to run grinder, be it tractor or electric (if that is possible) add in the cost to dump it out to the cattle add in the labour. Add in cost for insurance on ginder, interest if you bought it on credit.
At what point is it cheap feed. Once you add in all the other costs, it seems to become more expensive.
I could see using a system like the poster stated if you were going to feed in a feedlot and wanted a higher turn over of animals, fatten faster. But for stock on the farm, that is staying on the farm, you want to meet their needs cause anything else just gets dumped out the back end, or gets burned off on pasture.
Please explain how this is cheap feed.
Here is the original post
cleland":kp515z7u said:i grind my own feed to grow my yealing bulls on. I am currently looking using a mix of corn, alfalfa, soybean meal, and some minerals. On top of this ration I feed free choice grass hay. I came upon a deal this fall with a guy who had some alfalfa hay that had gotten wet but is still not bad at all, a little brown but no mold. I am looking for something to take the place of the alfalfa in my ratoin and feed the alfalfa free choice. In my ration I am not using the alfalfa for protein as I can get morn that I need from the sbm. Any suggestions on what I could use to ad some roughage and bulk fairly cheep? Not wanting to use Cotton seed hulls.
Thanks
Jeff
My questions or observations of a simple person are how is this cheapening feed costs.
If you do the math, it seems more expensive.
First senario:
You make the hay, you haul the hay, you feed the hay in bale rings. Cost associated with haying and hauling and feeding.
If you do not have enough you have three choices based on hay and calf prices
1. buy hay or grain or some sort of supplement
2. buy straw and feed in rings along side the hay or grind and mix with hay...cost associated with running a grinder or just feeding as is in a ring, growing or purchasing straw to feed
3. grow or purchase slough or native hay to stretch the feed
4. sell off enough cows to meet the demand of the hay you have
Second senario:
Make your hay...input costs on making and hauling and feeding
Make or buy corn...input cost to make and harvest the corn, or buy
Make or buy soybean meal...cost to buy?
use a grinder (include depreciation of grinder, repairs of grinder, cost to run grinder, be it tractor or electric (if that is possible) add in the cost to dump it out to the cattle add in the labour. Add in cost for insurance on ginder, interest if you bought it on credit.
At what point is it cheap feed. Once you add in all the other costs, it seems to become more expensive.
I could see using a system like the poster stated if you were going to feed in a feedlot and wanted a higher turn over of animals, fatten faster. But for stock on the farm, that is staying on the farm, you want to meet their needs cause anything else just gets dumped out the back end, or gets burned off on pasture.
Please explain how this is cheap feed.