Page 38 - MWC 02-04-2021s

The Midwest Cattleman · February 4, 2021 · P38
Meeting Protein Requirements When Protein is Expensive

By Katie VanValin, Assistant Extension Professor, University of Kentucky
alone can make an ingredient head per day the cost would have For cattle on diets high in rap-
impractical, there are also times been approximately $635 dol- idly fermentable carbohydrates
when supply becomes limited and lars. In Kentucky forage testing such as starch coming from corn
ingredients may simply not be can cost anywhere from $10-25 or other cereal grains, NPN can
available. We saw this last spring dollars, and in this example, we be an economical way to increase
One of the things that we know at the beginning of the COVID-19 saved approximately $315 dollars protein in the diet, while decreas-
for certain is what goes up must pandemic when ethanol plants by completing a forage test and ing the inclusion of crude protein
come down, and in the agricul- slowed production or closed all using the information. In situa- contributing feed stuffs such as
ture industry the opposite is also together. The question ultimately tions where we are under feeding distillers grains and soybean
true. For a whole host of reasons, becomes, what options do we have protein, money might be saved on meal. The most common source of
we see fluctuations in all our com- for meeting protein requirements, the feed bill, but what you are giv- NPN is urea, which analyzes at
modity prices. In the beef indus- when protein is expensive? ing up is performance which can 287.8% CP, making it by far the
try, we can sometimes use this In the case of forage-based be a bit more difficult to track. cheapest source of CP on a per
to our advantage to cheaply feed diets the first thing we need to do Once cows become thin (BCS ≤ 4), unit basis. However, caution must
cattle, while other times we are in order to assess protein supple- we see negative effects on repro- be taken to ensure the safety of
forced to get out the pencil and mentation is to get a forage test! ductive performance. In growing cattle when feeding urea, as this
paper (or excel spreadsheet) and Without a forage test we are sim- cattle, under supplying protein ingredient can be toxic when in-
look at our options to try and de- ply taking a stab in the dark at can lead to decreased ADG, which clusions or intakes are too high.
crease feed costs. As of last week what protein is being supplied in means we are leaving pounds on General guidelines to consider is
(January 7th, 2021) the national the forage, and what needs to be the table (or at the feedbunk in that no more than 1/3 of the total
average value of distillers dried supplemented. This can lead to this case). diet CP should be derived from
grains was 122.99% relative to under or over supplying protein, When comparing commodities, NPN, and the diet should include
corn, compared to the 5-year av- both of which can have negative it is helpful to look at them on a no more than 1.5% urea on a DM
erage of 109%. Soybean meal pric- economic impacts. For example, price per unit basis whether that basis. Always work with a nutri-
es are being pushed even higher, if we had distillers grains priced unit is protein or energy. This tionist when formulating diets
based on national averages dis- at $235/T and were feeding 3 lbs comparison should be made on a that contain urea, as this ingredi-
tillers grains were at $8.04 per per day to 30 head over a 90 day dry matter basis in order to truly ent is not appropriate for all diets
unit of protein with soybean meal period it would cost approximate- make a fair comparison since dif- and classes of cattle. Also work
coming in at $9.22 per unit of pro- ly $950 dollars. If we had a forage ferences in moisture across feed with a trusted feed-mill to ensure
tein as of last week. test that shows that we only need- stuffs can dilute concentrations urea is mixed properly to ensure
In addition to times when price ed to be supplementing 2 lbs per of other nutrients. While a lot of safety!
producers have come to rely on As with a lot of things in beef
48th ANNUAL purchasing individual feedstuffs, production, there is not one single
PRODUCTION SALE another potential alternative is solution to decreasing the price of
purchasing a protein supplement protein supplementation. How-
Tuesday, March 2, 2021 from a feed company. These prod- ever, sitting down and looking at
1:00 p.m. CST ucts may contain plant sources of your current costs and evaluating
At the ranch located eight protein, or a combination of both potential alternatives that are
miles north and one mile west of plant and non-protein nitrogen available to you may lead to sav-
Guide Rock, Nebraska (NPN) ingredients. It is import- ings, or at least ensure that per-
ant to note that these products formance is not being sacrificed.
• 40 Powerful Beef Business 2yr Old Bulls may contain supplemental min-
erals and that should be factored
All bulls in the sale have genomic enhanced EPD’s to ensure accuracy. into the cost of the product.
• 33 Heifers - 13 are bred for spring calves. 20 are bred for fall calves.

• Featuring ‘ Program’
Cattle Weekly
• DVAuction Service for convenient
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Vienna, Mo 65582 Selling All Classes of Cattle Wednesday @ 10:00 a.m.
For more information: Ross Patton 573-308-6657 • Bill Patton 573-308-6658
• David Patton – 573-308-6655 •
Visit our website at www.scrsvienna.com • or E-mail us at: SCRSVienna@gmail.com

“ ”
He Sells • S&S 53D Encore 38G

Ron and Nancy Schutte View Our Online Sale Catalog At:
www.schutteandsons.net
1417 Road 2100,
Guide Rock, NE 68942
Phone: (402) 756-3462
Cell Phone: (402) 746-4378 This sale will be broadcast live on the internet
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E-mail: rnschutte@gtmc.net Real time bidding & proxy bidding available @