Getting Winter Ready Part 2: Winter Nutrition
James Strain, Nutritionist with Inishowen Co-op, is on this week’s Beef Edge Podcast to discuss winter nutrition.
James highlights the importance of a good herd health plan, which is key, before looking at nutrition to maximise winter performance.
The importance of dry matter digestibility (DMD), dry matter, crude protein and pH are also discussed when it comes to assessing silage quality, while James also outlines the feeding rates required for weanlings to gain 0.5-0.6kg/head/day over the winter.
When it comes to rations, James highlights what to look out for on the label, with ideally 5-6 main ingredients. When assessing the label, energy is the most important nutrient, while protein is needed for growth. Information is power, he advises, read the feed label carefully and speak with your merchant.
For finishing farmers where cattle are housed, James explains what to look for in a ration. He also details the management required when building up cattle to ad-lib diets.
The importance of mineral supplementation also features, with James highlighting the importance of pre-calving minerals.
Finally, James previews the upcoming mart events taking place in Donegal on 22nd October at the Donegal Livestock Mart, 29th October at the Inishowen Livestock Mart and on 4th November at Milford Livestock Mart.
For full insights, listen to the Beef Edge podcast below:
For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page.
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More from the Beef Edge: Getting Winter Ready Part 1: Winter Housing