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The Midwest Cattleman %u00b7 October 24, 2024 %u00b7 P18JUG Livestock Watererswww.weslynn.net Ph: 515-771-6036WesLynn EnterprisesPerformance Tested for over 25 years Clean Fresh Water Every Time Open Bowl Design Draw Tube for Natural Drinking Action Feed Trap Keeps Feed out of Water Reservoir No Flap, Disks or Balls for animal to moveAccording to the U.S Drought Monitor, approximately 20% of Kansas presently faces drought conditions, while 40% remains abnormally dry. Many issues arise from this lack of rainfall that affects livestock producers. Kansas State University beef cattle nutritionist Phillip Lancaster said ranchers who grow their own hay encounter forage fields that yield less than normal, which leaves them needing to buy more.%u201cProducers are now purchasing hay from different parts of the state and country to make sure they have enough feed resources for the upcoming winter,%u201d he said.%u201cPeople who need hay for livestock with higher nutrient requirements have started looking elsewhere to find higher quality forage than they were able to put up themselves this year.%u201dWith remote transactions and contactless payments becoming more common, Lancaster said producers must %u201cget eyes%u201d on the forage before they purchase it to ensure its quality.%u201cThere are several different aspects we can evaluate by visiting the farm and looking at hay in person,%u201d he said. %u201cOne of the biggest things is its leaf-to-stem ratio. The highest quality hay will have more leaves with fewer stems and seed heads.%u201dAdditionally, Lancaster urges buyers to ask sellers for a forage test to guarantee its nutritional value.%u201cIt will tell you things like a hay%u2019s protein percentage and fiber amount,%u201d he said. %u201cA forage test will also provide a relative feed value. This figure can be compared to a standard number that allows a producer to see where that hay ranks and what is considered good quality.%u201dHe added: %u201cYou want to ask the person taking the samples for the analysis %u2018What cutting did this come from?%u2019, %u2018Where in the haystack did this hay originate from?%u2019 and %u2018Was it taken using a bale core?%u2019, so you have a good representative sample of the hay that is there.%u201dBeyond verification, producers should evaluate a forage%u2019s price relative to its quality using a cost per unit of nutrient value. %u201cFigure out what the key nutrient you%u2019re going to need out of the hay you%u2019re buying and determine its cost per unit (usually measured in dollars per pound),%u201d Lancaster said.%u201cIn beef cows, the main nutrient of concern is energy, so look at the cost per unit of total digestible nutrients (TDN), which estimates a forage%u2019s digestibility.%u201dBuyers must also establish how hay was stored prior to a transaction, according to Lancaster.%u201cParticularly, (buyers should think about) how it was stored since the forage sample was taken for analysis because additional moisture after that will affect the quality that you are going to actually get compared to the quality when that sample was acquired,%u201d he said.%u201cAsk the seller %u2018Was it covered?%u2019 and %u2018Was it raised off the ground?%u2019 to figure out how much moisture a given bale was potentially absorbing in storage.%u201dGOT HAY? A GUIDE TO PURCHASING FORAGEK-State beef cattle nutritionist Phillip Lancaster shares considerations for purchasing off-the-farm forageBy Jacob Klaudt, K-State Research and ExtensionWE ARE ONTHE WEB!midwestcattleman.comMoreover, producers should consider buying hay on a tonnage basis instead of per bale.%u201cLivestock eat pounds; they do not eat volume. Having a total weight in tons gives a producer the ability to better calculate how much is needed and if enough is being purchased,%u201d Lancaster said. %u201cWhen bales are not wrapped to the same density, their sizes and weights can vary greatly.%u201dK-State beef cattle nutritionist Phillip Lancaster says forage buyers may require sellers to provide a mycotoxin analysis if concerned about mold