Feed sources. What would y'all do?

[jedstivers]

Ok if y'all can fallow my rambling. This is just toughts for next year. We are grazing stockers on wheat, cotton stalks an corn stalks. They are on rate of gain so not much room to spend much. I know I could feed more if I owned them but right now I prefer to let someone else risk the money, I risk enough all summer I hate to do it in the winter too.
Feed an price:
Gin trash (very cheep)
Corn stalk bales baled on the farm
Oat baleage on farm ( prol plant rye next year)
Might have some wheat straw bales
Whole cotton seed 200-250 ton
Rice bran 140-160 ton
DDG 180-200 ton
Soy hulls 170-180 ton
Corn gluten pellets 180-200 ton
Anyway thinking about all this an either buying a grinder to handle it an make some kind of mix or even something as simple as just rolling hay off the front end of the tractor an have a bin on the back where I could drop piles of one of those feeds right on the hay. Therefore no bunks to buy an clean. Another thing is they love the corn stalks but leave a lot of the big stalks so maybe just a hay grinder an mix the baleage an cornstalks togather but not have the expense of the tub grinder/mixer.
Almost forgot, they have plenty of ptotein with the wheat an left over cotton.

 

[larryshoat]

Jed, it seems by-products are all regional as far as price. I'm giving 181 for DDGS and I can get corn gluten pellets for 150. I usually figure I can pay 20% more for DDGS over gluten pellets and be better off, there is a lot of energy in DDGS. Corn here would be 230 a ton. Talk about rambling there ain't one thing I've said even partially answers your question. Once corn goes this high it is hard to get a deal anywhere. In late summer I was buying gluten pellets for 75 and DDGS for 99, should have contracted a lot more but I only did 4 loads :dunce: .

Larry

 

[jedstivers]

Larry, rice bran is allI can get local, an that is 50 miles. We have a biodiesle plant 50 miles from us with soyhulls but they dont produce much. Can get all three out of Cairo area an it's 207 miles an those prices are with freight in them.

 

[Howdyjabo]

Gin trash and corn stalks are GREAT for cows.
using them heavily trying to put gain on calves can bite you in the butt.

Sometimes its cheaper in the long run to use more expensive ingredients and just enough trash or stalks to give them some long fiber.

What you do really depends on how much you are making /lb of gain. you need come under that with your cost/lb gain and some more to cover yardage costs. And if they have a minimal gain requirement that you have to meet, you need to make sure you go over that.

I've seen alot of contract grazing/feeding-- they LOVE to find a newbie. They won't feed enough to get much if any gain- so their profit is $0(if they are lucky) and the owner gets frame and compensatory gain to cash in on.

 

[jedstivers]

Gin trash and corn stalks are GREAT for cows.
using them heavily trying to put gain on calves can bite you in the butt.

Sometimes its cheaper in the long run to use more expensive ingredients and just enough trash or stalks to give them some long fiber.

What you do really depends on how much you are making /lb of gain. you need come under that with your cost/lb gain and some more to cover yardage costs. And if they have a minimal gain requirement that you have to meet, you need to make sure you go over that.

I've seen alot of contract grazing/feeding-- they LOVE to find a newbie. They won't feed enough to get much if any gain- so their profit is $0(if they are lucky) and the owner gets frame and compensatory gain to cash in on.

The wheat is for the gain. Lots of cotton seed let in the lint on the plants too so plenty of protein going through. Just trying to see if I can doo anything to boost them some more.

 

[TexasBred]

Jed put a mineral out that contains Bovatec. Look for 2880 gm/ton Lasalosid Sodium on the tag if you can find it. See if we can just help them utilize a bit more of what they're already getting.

 

[jedstivers]

Jed put a mineral out that contains Bovatec. Look for 2880 gm/ton Lasalosid Sodium on the tag if you can find it. See if we can just help them utilize a bit more of what they're already getting.

The mix I'm using has reminson (sp). Is Bovatec better?

 

[Texas PaPaw]

To boost adg on wheat pasture they need extra energy. Soy hulls or shell corn can fill the bill but not sure they would be cost effective. Many years ago fed lots of corn silage on wheat pasture but it got too expensive, especially when you figured cost of owning/operating the needed equipment. With the high current feed prices, I doubt any supplement will be cost effective.


Just another 2 cents worth.

 

[Texas PaPaw]

Jed put a mineral out that contains Bovatec. Look for 2880 gm/ton Lasalosid Sodium on the tag if you can find it. See if we can just help them utilize a bit more of what they're already getting.

TB

Who makes a mineral with that much bovatec? Most I have seen only have 1400-1600 mg/ton. Seems to me the higher level would be better.

Thanks for your input.

 

[kenny thomas]

Forget about the feed and get better calves. :lol2: Them old eared calves can't stand all that snow you are getting.
Before anyone gets upset I am just poking fun at Jed.
Jed, as you know at the grazing rate that has been common you can not add much in costs and still come out. The extra expense and labor (which some say is worth O) can eat up all profits. When you start adding a lot of feed the costs of gain can go up to .80 to .90 per lb of gain. I doubt you are getting that much for your work. I think what you are already doing should be working well with the current prices of all the additives. I do like the rumensun or bovatec added.
Since the owner should be making a lot more money this year think about a higher grazing rate next year. That is unless I send you some and it needs to be cheaper. :lol2:

 

[jedstivers]

Forget about the feed and get better calves. :lol2: Them old eared calves can't stand all that snow you are getting.
Before anyone gets upset I am just poking fun at Jed.
Jed, as you know at the grazing rate that has been common you can not add much in costs and still come out. The extra expense and labor (which some say is worth O) can eat up all profits. When you start adding a lot of feed the costs of gain can go up to .80 to .90 per lb of gain. I doubt you are getting that much for your work. I think what you are already doing should be working well with the current prices of all the additives. I do like the rumensun or bovatec added.
Since the owner should be making a lot more money this year think about a higher grazing rate next year. That is unless I send you some and it needs to be cheaper. :lol2:

That's why I study this stuff to see if something I am missing pops up. If thru were my calves sent from VA's finest then I would have room for tons of feed. :lol2: He did send more eared calves than last year but not as many as I thought coming out of the southeast. If nothing else I'm wanting to feed some sort of feed just to have them come up easy. Looks like cottonseed or soy hull pellets will be it.

 

[kenny thomas]

With current prices you might ask if he would want to supply something to help with the gain. It would still make him money.

 

[jedstivers]

With current prices you might ask if he would want to supply something to help with the gain. It would still make him money.

I think he's a little on the frugal side.

 

[kenny thomas]

All my friends with money say you have to spend it to make it. I just never have it to spend.

 

[TexasBred]

Jed put a mineral out that contains Bovatec. Look for 2880 gm/ton Lasalosid Sodium on the tag if you can find it. See if we can just help them utilize a bit more of what they're already getting.

The mix I'm using has reminson (sp). Is Bovatec better?

No sir, sometimes it's easier to get them to consume the mineral with bovatec rather than rumensin. Both are great products. Vigortone use to make a mineral with 2800gr. bovatec with 2 oz. consumption rate. Haven't checked lately. If not you should be able to find one with 1400.

 

[jedstivers]

Which has the most energy?
DDG
Corn Gluten pellets
Soy Hulls
Rice Bran
Wheat Midds
Whole Cotton Seed

 

[Texas PaPaw]

Which has the most energy?
DDG
Corn Gluten pellets
Soy Hulls
Rice Bran
Wheat Midds
Whole Cotton Seed

Net energy for gain per OSU spreadsheet

WCS 76.82
DDG 68.18
CGF 62
SH 55.5
Rbran 46.82
Wmid 45.45

To get a relative energy value multiply the price per ton X the net energy factor and the highest result is your best energy buy.

 

[jedstivers]

Which has the most energy?
DDG
Corn Gluten pellets
Soy Hulls
Rice Bran
Wheat Midds
Whole Cotton Seed

Net energy for gain per OSU spreadsheet

WCS 76.82
DDG 68.18
CGF 62
SH 55.5
Rbran 46.82
Thank you
Wmid 45.45

To get a relative energy value multiply the price per ton X the net energy factor and the highest result is your best energy buy.

 

[jedstivers]

Which has the most energy?
DDG
Corn Gluten pellets
Soy Hulls
Rice Bran
Wheat Midds
Whole Cotton Seed

Net energy for gain per OSU spreadsheet

WCS 76.82
DDG 68.18
CGF 62
SH 55.5
Rbran 46.82




Thank you
Thank you
Wmid 45.45

To get a relative energy value multiply the price per ton X the net energy factor and the highest result is your best energy buy.

 

[kenny thomas]

When you figure it out take that back to the amount that it will take to get a lb of gain and tell me if it is profitable to feed them on a grazing contract. I think not, but hope you can.