BCG - Feed testing a must for Canola Hay
- By: "Farm Tender" News
- Water & Irrigation News
- Nov 01, 2018
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By Louisa Ferrier - BGC
In 2006, canola hay was produced across the region however, it gained a bad reputation as merely ‘sticks inside string’ due to the timing and treatment of the hay that was made.
Now it’s time to reconsider the value of the product and with the right methods, canola can make excellent hay and silage, and livestock will choose well-made canola hay if the palatability is right.
In a recent webinar from Brett Davidson, Agriculture Victoria Dairy Extension Officer, he encouraged producers to consider factors including time of cutting, stem thickness and conditioning to attain a quality and palatable product.
How to
Conditioning is critical to crack the stems which speeds up curing and helps palatability ie. the ‘mouth feel’ making it easier to chew.
Crops cut from mid to late flowering and a bit higher (to avoid thicker lower stems) than other hay types have proven to have the best leaf retention, provide finer stems and better feed quality.
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Feed testing is also important, and growers were urged to feed test with an Australian Fodder Industry Association (AFIA) approved method. To do this, sample several bales to get a representative spread.
The three main quality traits to test for are:
* Neutral detergent fibre (NDF): The rule of thumb is “the bigger the number, the longer it takes to pass through the livestock rumen”. Livestock need NDF above 30 per cent, with a cut-off about 60 per cent. If too high, animals will fill up and can’t get adequate nutrient intake.
* Metabolisable energy (ME): most diets need 9-10 MJ ME/kg dry matter (DM). This can go down to 8.5 megajoules (MJ), but samples as low as 4 MJ are challenging because animals can’t eat enough to get adequate energy.
* Crude protein (CP): can vary immensely. Requirements of sheep and cattle can range from 6-20 per cent of DM, depending on class. The test doesn’t differentiate between nitrates and proteins in the plants, so if protein is above 24 per cent have a nitrate test done as well.
Use the feed test and crop chemical history to fill in AFIA or Livestock Production Assurance (LPA) vendor declarations, to comply with quality assurance programs.
Hay quality in 2018
Test results so far this season have shown good quality. Stems are a lot thinner because they were cut earlier which improves palatability and reduces wastage (Table 1 in images). As the season progresses, samples are expected to show higher NDF, lower CP and ME.
Feeding canola Hay to livestock
No matter what it is, all feed-types have their limitations. If livestock are getting too much of one feed for a long period, they have a slightly higher chance of complications. An old rule of thumb is ‘dilution is the solution’ so ‘shandy’ the feed to reduce these risks.
Introduce the canola to animals slowly so they can become accustomed to it. Put a bale out when they’re not hungry, eg. after feeding cereal grain and slowly build up the quantity. Canola hay should be no more than 60 per cent of the ration. Get advice from a vet or nutritionist if you have any issues.
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