MANAGING Tough Times Feeding Strategies for Coping with High Commodity Prices Dan Loy Iowa State University

MANAGING Tough Times Strategies Be efficient Maximize time outside the feedlot Minimize storage and feeding losses Find local feed bargains Use more corn co products

MANAGING Tough Times How to deal with high priced corn? Feed less corn Price of WDG and MDG in relation to corn: 75% and 62% (2/4/11)

MANAGING Tough Times Feed Losses--The 3 M’s MeasureMonitorManage

MANAGING Tough Times Trial 1--Bagging 80/20 WDGS:Hay

MANAGING Tough Times WDG trial 2—Mixed in mixer wagon and packed into bunker silo Fed to 255 kg calves for 118 days 54 calves were allotted to 9 pens (6/pen) with 3 reps per treatment Treatments were control, bunker mixture and WDG/hay (mixed daily)

MANAGING Tough Times WDG trial 3—Temporary Bunker

MANAGING Tough Times Summary ISU WDG storage demos Mixtures of WDG (30% DM) and ground hay of a ration of 80-20% as-fed (60-40% DM basis) –Yields a mixture that is approximately 40% dry matter and can be handled and stored using silage preservation methods –Storage losses were 9-11% –Mixing effectiveness using an end loader was acceptable

MANAGING Tough Times MDG storage trial 1 Three loads of MDG were delivered on October 18 and placed in silo bags

MANAGING Tough Times MDG trial 2 Three loads of MDG were “piled” into pyramids, covered with 4mm plastic and sealed with ground limestone Individual piles were opened 85 to 211 days later MDG was fed as a supplement to cows from the ISU beef breeding project

MANAGING Tough Times Summary ISU MDG storage demos MDG can be stored for days with storage losses from 7-12% Higher losses can occur if the rate of feedout too slow Low cost methods can be used if they successfully limit exposure of the feed to air

MANAGING Tough Times Are your cattle “locavores” Home grown feeds Similar feeds available from neighbors or unique byproduct feeds Regional opportunities like wet corn co products –Seasonal bargains, long term storage Local commodity pricing opportunities

MANAGING Tough Times Feed More Distillers Grains

MANAGING Tough Times Average Daily Gain

MANAGING Tough Times Sulfur levels can limit DG levels

MANAGING Tough Times Sulfur: the people that did the work: ISU: S. Hansen, M. Drewnoski, S. Ensley, E. Richter UNL: C. Nichols, J. Sarturi, D. Smith, T. Klopfenstein & G. Erickson Much of the information presented is from a webinar that was broadcast January 6, 2011

MANAGING Tough Times Sulfur is a required mineral-so what’s the problem with too much? Metabolism of S in the rumen

MANAGING Tough Times 60% of ruminal gas that is eructated is inhaled SRB pH dependent

MANAGING Tough Times PEM in feedlots with high S water McAllister: JAVMA 1997, 211:1275 PEM in feedlots with high S water

MANAGING Tough Times

Ad lib 45% 30%15%8%

MANAGING Tough Times PEM (56 d in feedlot; 25 d full finishing diet)

MANAGING Tough Times PEM (56 d in feedlot; 25 d full finishing diet)

MANAGING Tough Times

UNL Analysis 17,080 head Finishing trials Trials conducted from diagnosed polios

MANAGING Tough Times Results (Sulfur Level) Sulfur P < 0.01 Forage NDF P = 0.13 S x F P = 0.04

MANAGING Tough Times This is your calf’s rumen… S-S- S-S- S-S- S-S- S-S- S-S- S-S- S-S- S-S- S-S- S-S- S-S- S-S- S-S- S-S- S-S- Dietary Sulfate (DDGS, WDGS, etc) This is your calf’s rumen on sulfur SO 4 S - SRB Animation by Dr. S Hansen, ISU

MANAGING Tough Times Effect of pH on H 2 S S-S- S-S- S-S- S-S- S-S- S-S- S-S- S-S- S-S- S-S- S-S- S-S- S-S- S-S- S-S- S-S- H2SH2S H2SH2S H2SH2S H2SH2S H2SH2SH2SH2S H2SH2S H2SH2S pH H2SH2S H2SH2SH2SH2S H2SH2S H2SH2S Animation by Dr. S Hansen, ISU

MANAGING Tough Times How to Induce PEM High S diet Low (or no) roughage diet Highly fermentable diet (corn starch, wheat midds, grains, etc.) –Drop rumen pH and keep it low

MANAGING Tough Times Summary pH plays an important role in toxicity –Manage for acidosis Consistent feeding (time and amount) Increase ionophores (30-40g/ton) Increase roughage level (~15%) Cattle are most at risk during the early part of the finishing period

MANAGING Tough Times With good bunk management and inclusion of 15% roughage in the diet producers could include up to 0.5% S 10-20% increase in co-product inclusion

MANAGING Tough Times Variability in S content Increasing inclusion levels of co-products will increase risk due to variation of S in co-products Variation of S in co-products among plants can be considerable Load to load variation of S within a plant is typically 5-10%

MANAGING Tough Times Range of dietary sulfur 1 assuming within plant variation of sulfur content in ethanol co-product % Sulfur expected in co-product Co-product inclusion level, % of diet DM Diet S, % of DM 0.6 % % % % % Assumes no sulfur coming from drinking water and a maximum of 10% variation of co-product S content

MANAGING Tough Times Recommendations Can have up to 0.5% S if you include at least 15% roughage in the diet Use a consistent source (ethanol plant) of co-product Do not include high levels of S (>0.3%) until after the first 30 d Don’t forget to account for S from water

MANAGING Tough Times Changing Rations 1995 Feedlot Ration 2010 Feedlot Ration 2015 Feedlot Ration? ----Percent of Dry Matter Corn8054<30? Distillers’ grains--35>60? Corn Silage10-- Dry Forage510? (amnt, quality) Supplement51 Starch (min?)

MANAGING Tough Times