AgriPost January 25 2013

January 25, 2013 1The Agri Post

January 25, 20132 The Agri Post


By Les Kletke

A sorting process until nowreserved for only the highestvalue crops will be available toupgrade just about any crop bythis fall. Don Campbell is with IntellSeeds who are building afacility at Oakville, which willhave the new colour sortingequipment, and he said it willbe affordable for just about anycrop. “We believe that thistechnology and the price thatwe will make it available will

It was an eventful week for Megan Kemp at the CanadianWestern Agribition. Kemp won Grand Aggregate in the 2012Canadian National 4-H and Youth Judging Competition. Kemp of Pilot Mound representing the Manitoba YouthBeef Round-Up Team received a $2,500 scholarship, anopportunity to judge at the First Lady Classic and a buckle. Fifty-seven youth competed in the Canadian National 4-H and Youth Judging Competition. Competitors judged mul-tiple species of livestock by examining, analyzing and ex-plaining the market qualities of the livestock. Kemp was one of three young 4-H stars who were pre-sented with a scholarship in November.

Affordable Colour Sorting

make it reasonable to upgradeany crop,” said Campbell, along time member of the seedtrade. He will manage theOakville facility that will bebuilt this summer. He expectsequipment to be in place toprocess the 2013 crop. Colour sorting is not a newprocess for cleaning seed buttechnology from AMVT, aChinese firm, has made itaffordable for all crops. It hasbeen used for bean plants andfor processing food grainswhere it was justified by thehigher value of the crops.

“Now we will be able toapply it to just about anycrop,” said Campbell. “Itcould be used to upgradewheat or any cereal crop.” Heexpects that customers willtake their higher crop home orfind other markets but heexpects that most of thescreenings will be marketedlocally in Oakville. He said hiscompany will be in negotia-tions with the local elevatorand is hopeful an arrangementcan be reached but the firm isnot connected to any elevatorcompany.

Campbell is so convinced ofthe technology that hiscompany has obtained theCanadian distribution rights forthe AMVT technology andexpects to be selling it acrossCanada. David Liang is with AMVTand he said the technology usesoptical colour for precisecleaning based on seed colour. “We believe it can be used onany crop,” said Liang. “It willbetter maximize the processingand is higher capacity thanprevious options. It is costefficient.” The company alreadyhas two units in Canada. Hesaid the Oakville plant, when inoperation this summer, will befunctional in adding value tocrops but will also be a showcase for the equipment allowingpossible customers to see it inoperation. Liang is confident themachinery will have three mainapplications, cleaning pedigreeseed, upgrading low qualitygrain, and processing food gradecrops. Intell Seeds expects to beginconstruction on the Oakville siteas soon as weather permits andbe fully operational by fall.

Don Campbell, centre, is sure that the colour sorting equipment offered by AMVT will change theseed business in western Canada. He will manage a facility with the equipment at Oakville andhas the Canadian distributorship. He is flanked by David Liang and Gary Zhu of AMVT China.

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Judging CompetitionJudging CompetitionJudging CompetitionJudging CompetitionJudging Competition


There is much talk these days in academic and bureaucratic circles (I don’t hear the words comingfrom the ranch much) about the “social license to operate.” While this is likely not something thathas come up at your supper table it likely should. “Social license” is not something we get from MPI or need to buy before an upcoming weddingreception. The term refers to society’s general acceptance of what we do on our ranches and farms.Our social license is based in the beliefs, perceptions and opinions held by your local community aswell as in our towns and cities. Don’t miss the words “perceptions” and “opinions” in that last sentence. Society’s view is notalways based on reality or science. When society shapes its view from misinformation, or a lack ofinformation, we get regulations and marketing campaigns that have a negative impact on your abilityto do business. This is why it is part of our job as producers to ensure that consumers have accessto the best science-based information we can provide. Until recently, agriculture has really not paid a whole lot of attention to its social license becausesociety was mostly content to simply go to the local Co-op or Safeway for groceries with littlethought of what happened before food got to the store. There is that old line about school kids (orsometimes 20 year olds) thinking their milk comes from Sobeys. This is changing and we need to pay attention. There are examples all around us of what happensto an industry when it loses its social license. Seal pelts generated good income for decades until theindustry lost the acceptance of consumers. Hog and poultry producers are being pushed to adjusttheir practices, not because of new government regulations but because their customers and consum-ers have demanded change. More and more consumers are asking, “Where does my food come from?” They care about theanswers. As a consequence, retailers and restaurants, our customers, are paying attention. So shouldwe. Animal welfare is a big part of our social license. It is critical that the general public has confidencethat those of us in animal agriculture take proper care of our livestock while they are under ourcontrol. In the years ahead our customers will no longer just be taking our word on this issue-they will wantsome verification of our practices. This can be achieved through adherence to a sound, science-basedcode of practice. Voluntary codes of practice like this exist in many professions and industries, fromyour local TV station to your family doctor. Since September 2010, the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) has been reviewing andrevising the Code of Practice for the Handling and Care of Beef Cattle. The Council is made up of abroad cross section of society and includes regulators such as vets from the Canadian Food Inspec-tion Agency, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, beef producers and the CanadianCattlemen’s Association. On January 8, the council opened up the draft-revised code to the publicfor comment. You can find this draft at nfacc.ca. I welcome the renewal of the beef code of practice. In many ways, the revision of the beef code ofpractice can be viewed as our industry renewing its social license to operate. The code’s revisions are based on the current scientific understanding of animal welfare and care,and not the latest whim from the internet. While I know that not all beef producers will be comfort-able with everything the code suggests, I feel that the committee has done a good job of ensuring bestpractices that are practical for producers to implement in their operations. In fact, you are almostcertainly carrying out these practices today. The broad cross section of views on the committee means that the scientific understanding andresearch had interpretation from a wide variety of viewpoints. This is critical if we are to achieveacceptance of the code from society at large. “Acceptance from society at large” is the stage we are at in the beef code’s revision. The draft hasbeen posted on the council’s website for you and the public to review. It is critical that as many beef producers as possible participate in this process and submitcomments to the committee. Please call Manitoba Beef Producers if you want help with this. Thereis a very small minority of people in Canada who feel that animal agriculture should not exist andthat your operation should disappear. I would prefer if these points of view did not dominate thecommentary on the code. The beef code of practice is not a regulatory issue for producers. You don’t need to fear govern-ment inspectors arriving on your ranch to confirm you compliance. But, you can expect buyerswriting compliance into contracts before they purchase your animals and they might even be willingto pay a bit more for that. Producer participation in the process, through comments on the code, will insure that down theroad you and your kids have contracts that fit your operation and that our industry keeps its sociallicense to operate.

By Joan Airey

Manitoba Youth Beef Roundup organizers held a ticket auction to raise money for a newManitoba Youth Beef Round-Up Scholarship program. The winning ticket was purchasedby Steppler Charolais, Miami. Their farm name will be featured on the Manitoba Youth BeefRound-Up T-Shirts for 2013. Breeders supported the auction by buying ten-dollar ticketsdonating $3,040 in total to the scholarship fund. The sixth Annual 2013 Manitoba Youth Beef Roundup is from August 2- 4 in Neepawa.Roundup is an all breeds Junior Event where, along with a cattle show, juniors participatein marketing, showmanship, grooming sales talk, quiz bowl and other competitions. “This educational fun weekend is a unique opportunity for juniors to participate in an allbreeds nationwide event. The goal in mind for this event is to meet new friends and learnabout the livestock industry,” said Lois McRae, an organizer of the event.

Maintaining OurMaintaining OurMaintaining OurMaintaining OurMaintaining OurSocial LicenseSocial LicenseSocial LicenseSocial LicenseSocial License

Ranchers Raise Moneyfor New Scholarship


by RolfPenner

PennersPoints

[email protected]

“I’ve had enough. So my conclusion here today is very clear: the debate [about geneticallymodified (GM) food] is over. It is finished. We no longer need to discuss whether or not it is safe.After over a decade and a half with three trillion GM meals eaten there has never been a singlesubstantiated case of harm. You are more likely to get hit by an asteroid than to get hurt by GMfood.” These are strong words. You might think they come fromthe CEO of a big biotech company. But they don’t. Thespeaker is author, columnist, and radical environmentalist,Mark Lynas. At the annual Oxford Farming Conference on January 3,Lynas offered this public confession and apology: “I apolo-gize for having spent several years ripping up GM crops. Iam also sorry that I helped to start the anti-GM movementback in the mid-1990s, and that I thereby assisted in de-monizing an important technological option which can beused to benefit the environment.” What changed Lynas’s mind? He discovered science and,as he says, “In the process I hope I became a better envi-ronmentalist.” He concedes that those who are opposed to GM crops are part of an anti-sciencemovement. At one time, he was proud to be part of such a group and of its success in getting GMcrops banned in places all over the world. He now realizes what a mistake he’s made and is trying tomake amends for having made a villain out of such an important technological advance. Lynas has also apparently discovered logic, at least one particular logical fallacy known as“argumentum ad hominem.” Instead of refuting the content of an opponent’s reasoning, you attackhim or her personally. In response to Lynas’ final anti-GM article in the newspaper, The Guardian,someone wrote, “So you’re opposed to GM on the basis that it is marketed by big corporations. Areyou also opposed to the wheel because it is marketed by the big auto companies?” This simple, sensible argument threw Lynas for a loop. He went looking for more fact-basedarguments, started reading peer-reviewed papers, and slowly discovered that many of his moststrongly held beliefs about GM were little more than “green urban myths.” He details his journeyfrom a position of raw emotion to one of real-world knowledge on his website, at marklynas.org,where you can read a transcript of, or watch, his 50-minute Oxford speech. Through this apostasy, Lynas discovers a “depressing irony,” that the anti-biotech campaignerscomplain about GM crops only being marketed by big corporations when this is a situation theyhave done more than anyone to help bring about.” Because of all the endless negative campaigningdone by environmentalists it now costs “tens of millions to get a crop through the regulatorysystems in different countries.” This, in his words, makes it “prohibitively expensive to all but thevery biggest corporations.” Lynas has a great analogy about his former activist friends who go around destroying researchtrials of new crops, which have yet to be finished. It comes from British National Farmers UnionPresident Peter Kendall, who says it’s akin to “burning books in a library before anyone has beenable to read them.” In his closing remarks, Lynas drives the point home, “The risk today is not that anyone will beharmed by GM food, but that millions will be harmed by not having enough food because a vocalminority of people in rich countries wants their meals to be what they consider natural.” Mark Lynas is to be applauded for his vocal, public turnaround on genetically modified crops.Given that, he had surrounded himself with so many people who likely now regard him as aturncoat; it was a difficult thing to do. Let’s hope some of them will follow his example, put passion and prejudice aside, and finally takean unbiased look at the facts about genetically modified crops. The world would be a better place ifthey did.

No, it is not the Year of the Goat on the Chinese calendar, it is the Year of the Snake but I don’t likesnakes and I am not going to write a column about them. In my opinion, snakes have two uses, boots

and handbags that is their only value. If you are an animal right-ist and care about reptiles as pets, you can send your commentsto someone who cares, not to me. It is the time of the year when most of our New Year’s Reso-lutions have fallen by the wayside, and we are back on the couchinstead of working out, and those who enjoy smoking are backat it even if they do have to go outside to enjoy their habit. It isalso the time of year that we are finalizing plans for the on-farmoperation. Harvest was the ideal time to plan crop rotations. There is no

better time to select crops for a field than when you are scouting them from the cab of the combine,but markets and weather have a way of changing what gets planted where and when. But as YogiBerra said, “How are you going to know where you’re going without a map?” At least if you havea plan you can change your mind. Things will change and that is a part of this great business. It mightrain in the US Midwest this spring and prices will change or it may not and these prices might berealistic. People born in the Year of the Goat in the Chinese calendar are mild mannered and pessimistic.They are creative, dependable and calm. They are happy when left alone and enjoy being at home.That sounds like a perfect farmer. “Pessimistic?” you ask. Well I think farmers are the most optimistpeople in the world and a dash of pessimism would bring a balance of reality. The pessimist alsoprepares for some things to go wrong and that is essential in our business. We know that things willgo wrong and we have to prepare for them. The year of the goat would not be a bad sign for a farm venture to be born under, and as you planfor the next year consider it those traits of calm and preparing for a few downturns would not be abad thing to include in the plans. People born in the year of the goat tend to be reserved and quietspending time in their thoughts, and that indeed makes a good farmer because our business hasbecome much more of a thinking than a doing business. The image of big shirt, small hat is a thing ofthe past. Good luck with your plans in the Year of the Goat because I don’t like snakes.

Even when things seem to beperfect something can alwaysgo wrong. With the cold weather we’vebeen having, we’ve been put-

ting the horses in the barn at night to give them a break from thetemperatures. In the winter, we feed a mixture of beet pulp andother feeds as an evening ration to help keep the horses weighton and to be nice by giving a warm feed on a cold evening. One ofmy concerns with feeding beet pulp however is how much itexpands once it has been soaked. I always worry about the horsespotentially getting a condition called choke. Basically, choke is exactly as it sounds a blockage in the esopha-gus, usually caused by feed. I have read studies that say you canfeed beet pulp dry but after experiencing choke I will never takethat chance, I make sure our pelleted feeds are well soaked. Choke is fairly easy to recognize. The horse will usually showno interest in its feed, will stand with its head in a loweredposition, and will display a discharge through its nostrils andmouth. It may cough and flex its neck as it’s trying to get rid ofsomething from the back of its throat. If you notice, these symptoms do not hesitate. Call your vetand remove the feed and water from the stall until the vet arrives,just in case the horse tries to eat and further block itself up evenmore. Once the vet arrives, he will generally give the horse a sedativeand then pass a tube through its nose to its stomach. When heencounters the blockage, he will gently encourage it to move tothe stomach. Sometimes they will need to flush water through tohelp break up the blockage. This can get a little messy. Ultimately, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. For horses that like to gulp their food, we have heard of placinga few large rocks in the feeder to help slow them down and againwetting down and soaking the feed goes a long way for peace ofmind and a healthy horse.

By Cora HohenbergHorse Sense

Year of the Goat? Anti-GM ActivistDiscovers Science

PreventChoke inHorses

Take the anxiety out of farm successionplanning with a workshop that offers a groupof experts including a lawyer, accountant,financial planner and Manitoba Agriculture,Food and Rural Initiative (MAFRI) staff. On Friday, February 8, at the SteinbachLegion located at 294 Lumber Avenue, from8:30 am to 1 pm. Cost is $20 per person andincludes lunch. Topics for discussion are the Farm Suc-

Jared Preston, a 17-year-oldfrom Ste. Rose du Lac, KoltonMcIntosh, a 17-year-old fromEriksdale and Rachel Howatt,a 15-year-old from Manitou,were the 2012 recipients of theGrant Moffat HerdbuilderAward. Each of the three youth wasawarded up to $2,000 towardthe purchase of a heifer calf

cession Planning Process, Legal Considerationsin Farm Succession, Tax Considerations inTransferring the Farm, Financial Planning andUsing Your Money to Achieve Your Goals,and an Advisory Panel. Pre-registration is required by February 1by contacting the Manitoba Agriculture, Foodand Rural Initiatives Steinbach GO Office at204-346-6080 or Beausejour GO Office at 204-268-6094.

MAFRI to Host Farm Succession SeminarMAFRI to Host Farm Succession SeminarMAFRI to Host Farm Succession SeminarMAFRI to Host Farm Succession SeminarMAFRI to Host Farm Succession Seminar

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selected from a Manitoba pure-bred sale. Jared Preston purchased aCharolais heifer, Kolton McIn-tosh a Simmental heifer andRachel Howatt a Red Angusheifer. Grant Moffat, of HolmsydeCharolais, Forrest, went miss-ing in August 2006. The fundsgenerously donated by cattle-men, friends and relativesacross the country were of-fered as a reward for tips lead-ing to his whereabouts. Aftera year, a committee handlingthe funds made a decision tochannel the money toManitoba youth for startingtheir own purebred herd inmemory of Moffat. More funds were raised atauctions during a couple of

Manitoba Beef Producer’sAnnual Meetings in 2010 and2011 making it possible tocontinue this worthwhile causein his memory. Grant invested a lot of en-ergy in actively helping youthget started in the business andthis seemed the most fittingway to utilize the funds. Over20 applicants submitted es-says, making the selection ex-ceptionally difficult. The par-ticipants were evaluated ondesire, need and previous ex-pression of interest in the in-dustry. The Grant MoffatHerdbuilder Awards will bepresented again in 2013, withthe application deadline beingSeptember 1. For applicationand donation information visitgrantmoffat.com.


From Aquaponics toZesty Salads, the popularGrowing Local Confer-ence will have it all. Theannual event will bringtogether Manitobans fromall walks of life for twoinspired days of learningand sharing abouthealthy, sustainable andfair food in our province. There’s something foreveryone at GrowingLocal. If you want to turnyour fences, lawns, andornamental gardens into athriving food-producingoasis, Do not miss “EdibleLandscaping” with MarkKlassen of Urban Eatin’. In Need of tips forincorporating healthylocal foods into yourweekly meals, then threenutrition students willshow you how. Wondering what life islike on small Manitobafarms these days? Comehear “Stories from theFarm” from local foodproducers. The conference kicks offon Thursday, February 28with a screening of theacclaimed film “To Make aFarm” at 7 pm. Describedas “exceptionally hope-ful” by the VancouverInternational FilmFestival, the documentaryfollows the lives of fiveyoung people who havedecided to become small-scale farmers, includingManitoba’s own WesHuyghe of Little PathFarm. Conference participantscan then take in two fulldays of hands-onworkshops, discussionsand displays, plusdelicious lunches andsnacks, on March 1 and 2.The conference will takeplace at the MarlboroughHotel and is expected toattract well over 500participants. Organized by FoodMatters Manitoba andtheir planning partners,Growing Local is madepossible thanks to thegenerous contributions ofpresenters, volunteers

Growing Local Conference Covers Local Food from A to Zand sponsors such theMarlborough Hotel,Health Canada, Provinceof Manitoba, CBCManitoba, AssiniboineCredit Union, Manitoba

Alternative Food Re-search Alliance, ManitobaCooperator, HeiferInternational Canada andAssiniboine CommunityCollege.

For more informationand to register visitfoodmattersmanitoba.caor call 204-943-0822.


By Les Kletke

Alana Epstein knowswhat the first question isgoing to be when acustomer approaches herdisplay at a trade show. “About a mile,” shesaid, smiling, as acustomer approaches.Epstein has been attend-ing trade shows for eightyears and is on the road27 weeks of the year forRostech. Epstein is basedin Montreal. She said thecompany began in thestereo business 47 yearsago, now the wirelesscameras are the mostpopular item on its salespage and people want toknow the capabilities. “The wireless camerawill work for about a mile,if there are no obstruc-tions,” said Epstein andthen waits for thecustomer to ask questionsabout their particularapplication. She said the mostpopular application forthe cameras is security. “People live off the farmor want to be able to seewhat happens when theyare not there,” she said.The camera is not tied toany alarm system butdoes provide a recordingof what happens in site ofthe camera. “The next question is,can they monitor on theirsmart phone? Everyone

Directors and Officers of a corporation are responsible for theiractions, the actions of the corporation and in some instances theactions of other directors. The courts have assessed damagesagainst directors of corporations for wrongful actions. While some people believe that, a LTD. or INC. companycreates a legal veil leaving limited liability behind. This is not true.Directors and officers can be held liable for improper conduct toshareholders or members for the management of funds, creditorsfor breach of trust or misappropriation of funds, knowledge ofillegal or improper acts, making improper loans, fraudulent actsand transactions or decisions which are not authorized by thebylaws of the corporation, employees and volunteers for unpaidwages and unsafe working conditions. The D&O policy is designed so that the insurance company isresponsible to defend the directors and officers from legal actiondue to a wrongful act and to pay the costs and damages includingthe cost to defend. The D&O policy can be compared to an errorsand omissions policy that protects the business, except in thiscase the directors and officers’ liability insurance protects thedirectors. Remember, the allegations do not have to be true. The mere factthat allegations exist will result in significant defense costs on thepart of the director. Some questions to ask:- Are you following the provincial and federal legislation?- Are your premises well protected from burglary or theft bydead bolt locks, and alarms?- Are your procedures such that they will discourage, prevent orreduce the possibility of fraud, errors and mismanagement?- Do you avoid conflict of interest situations?- Do you hire competent experts?- Do you have clearly defined job descriptions? Be sure to seek advice and purchase insurance from those whounderstand your business! Andy Anderson is an Associate Insurance Broker specializingin General, Life and Group Benefits for Farm, Commercial/Agri-business Ph: 204-746-5589 Tf: 866 765 [email protected] /rempelinsurance.com /valleyfinancial.ca.

She Sees it Coming

Alana Epstein of Rositech explains the applications of a wireless camera to a customer on thetrade show circuit.

wants access to it fromtheir phone, and thatworks so it is an easyanswer.” The system begins atunder $500 and she saidthat makes it veryattractive for barnmonitoring, “You don’thave to save too manytrips to the calving barn in-30 to make that worth-while. There are all thebenefits of being able tomonitor the animals at any

time, but removing theneed to go outside in themiddle of the night is aprime one for the farmer.” Epstein said the abilityto have the camerainterface with a phone hasbeen a huge factor andthe company is moving toother innovations. “We have an optionwith a joy stick andpeople can change thepicture on the screen andsplit it to use up to four

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cameras at a time,” shesaid. “We work with theindividual to design thesystem that fits theirneeds. Most people startwith one camera and thenadd more as they getfamiliar with the equip-ment and its applica-tions.” She estimates hercustomers are an equalsplit between barnmonitors and securityapplications.

“You don’t have to save too many trips to thecalving barn in -30 to make that worthwhile.”


By Peter Vitti

Good winter post-calvingfeeding programs, which con-tain a higher plane of nutritioncompared to those fed duringthe previous state of gestation,can be tailor-made for beefcows for about 80-90 daysafter calving. These new dietsare geared for helping the cowproduce lots of milk for thenext few months and prior tothe grazing season in order tohelp produce heavier andhealthier calves by weaningtime. Furthermore, new first-calf mothers are going to needextra nutrients for continuedgrowth. It’s also important to raisethis bar of good cowherd nu-trition even a little further forgood reproductive perfor-mance that extends from calv-ing time to well into the breed-ing season. We want cows andheifers to repair their repro-ductive tracts and resume anormal estrus cycle as soon aspossible once they drop theircalves. University field trials con-ducted on post-partum cows

Beef CowsNeedGood

Feed AfterCalving

that quickly return to a repro-ductive life proves higher con-ception rates than similar cowsthat cycle later. This is becausethe early cows can have oneor two more estrus cycles andthus have more chance of get-ting pregnant, particularly ina limited breading season. Thecalves of these same early-cy-cling cows are shown to beolder, heavier at weaning timeand more uniform, whichholds better weaning weightvalue and revenue. Unfortunately, reproductiontakes a lower nutrient prior-ity compared to other de-mands during the post-partumperiod. When all nutrientsfrom the diet and body re-serves are accounted and par-titioned, nature dictates thatlactation and growth take pre-cedent. For example, manycows fed an inadequate dietcan temporarily milk well, be-cause they breakdown theirown body fat for nutrients,but often they do not getrebred. Therefore, it is impor-tant to achieve all the nutrientrequirements of the post-partum beef cow into thebreeding season. According to National Re-search Council (NRC) esti-mates, most post-calving beefcows, which maintain an ad-equate body condition of 2.5-3.0 (1 = emaciated and 5 =obese) and are nursing new-born calves; typically needabout 50 percent more dietaryenergy and 10-15 percent moreprotein over early to mid-ges-tation stages. Such mature beef cows (i.e.:600-700 kg) can only receive

their nutrient requirementsby consuming about 2.0-2.5percent of their body weightper day in good quality feedon a dry matter basis. Undernormal circumstances, it’snot that difficult to make-uprespective winter lactationfeeding programs as long aswe remember that energyand then protein are the firstand second limiting nutrientsfor all post-calving beefcows. Of the two nutrients,dietary energy is the largestand the nutrient often diffi-cult to meet, Post-partum beef cows re-quire about 60-62 percentTDN (total digestible nutri-ents) and about 11-12 per-cent crude protein in their dietby the time they are milkingat their highest levels (re: 10litres per day). First-calf heif-ers do not eat and do not milkcompared to older maturecows, but their dietary con-centrations are very similarbecause they need extra nu-trients required for growth.It is also important to keepin mind that all cows thatcalve out in early Februaryto April may need 20-30 per-cent more dietary energy justto keep warm, which is addedto their most basic mainte-nance needs and supersedesall milk production and re-production requirements. Essential cattle mineralssuch as calcium, phosphorusand other essential macro-minerals along with A, D andE vitamins should also beprovided in post-partumcow diets. They need tocompliment whatever min-

eral levels are found in post-partum forages and othersupplemented feeds. In a simi-lar fashion, trace mineral re-quirements of beef cows nearlydouble since the start of thewinter season, and respectivebio-available sources of copper,zinc, manganese, iodine, cobalt,and selenium need to be fed. Unlike above the dietary en-ergy, protein, minerals and vi-tamins provided in dry or semi-dry diets, if we do not haveenough fresh, clean water forpost-calving cows even the bestdietary intensions can go astray.Optimum feed consumption,adequate feed digestibility andgood nutrient absorption bybeef cows of any post-calvingdiet relies upon substantial wa-ter intake. It is often recom-mended that up to 50 litres ofgood quality water per nursingbeef cow be provided on a dailybasis. Whether water comes fromwaterers or a snow-pack, mostsources are often well estab-lished before the cows calve out.Likewise, putting togetherpost-calving diets should not bemuch trouble. Since foragesmake up 90 percent or more ofmany gestation diets, many ofthese same forages are going tobe supplemented with high en-ergy and/or protein feed to in-crease their plane of nutritionto lactation/breeding status. To start, adequate qualitygrass hay, grass-alfalfa mixtures,or cereal/corn silage with a TDNof 56-60 percent and 9-12 per-cent protein make an excellentfoundation for post-calving beefcow diets. In contrast, low qual-ity forages such as grain strawand poor quality grasses areoften too low in dietary energy(high in fibre) and protein con-tent to make up a substantialportion of a well-balanced post-partum beef cow diet.

The next step: even the bestquality beef forage is likely tobe shy of dietary post-partumenergy. Therefore, 0.5-2.5 kg ofgrain such as barley, corndistiller’s grains (extra protein)or a commercial 13-14 percentcow-pellet should be added.Keep in mind, if the cold win-ter winds blow; another 0.5-1.0kg of energy concentratesshould be fed in order to helpcows keep warm. Lastly, acommercial beef mineral (withvitamins) should fed at 50-100grams per head per day alongwith salt, usually placed by anygiven water source. With these primary steps

covered, given today’s com-modity prices for forage,grain, protein supplementsand cattle mineral, the costof sound post-calving beefcow rations should be in therange of $1.75-$2.00 per headper day. These couple of dol-lars should provide good win-ter-feed during a significantwinter portion of the post-calving period until the latespring or summer, which as-sures that the cowherd canrebound quickly after calv-ing and they are ready to getrebred with next year’s calfcrop and revenue.


It might not be an exact sci-ence, but the barnyard andboot study of manure is asimple reflection of the dairydiet being fed, how it is con-sumed, digested and finallypushed out onto the alley.When dairy cows defecate, wecan get a pretty good idea asto their nutritional status byobserving manure colour, con-sistency and content. If oneof these parameters is out ofline, necessary changes mightbe made to their dairy cows’diet for better manure, whichcan lead to improvements inoverall dairy health and per-formance. A 600-kg milk cow in lacta-tion produces up to 70 kg offresh manure per day, whichcontains both digested andundigested feed that passthrough the rumen and the restof gastro-intestinal tract. Italso contains a mixture of di-gested rumen microbes, rumenfluid, bile and other digestivejuices together with large vol-umes of drinking water as wellas recycled body-tissue waterbefore it is finally excreted. During a barn-walk, one ofthe first general rules of ma-nure evaluation is that given agroup of dairy cows, whichare eating the same dairy diet,most of them should producemanure of similar colour, con-sistency and content. Weshould also know that a smallfraction of cows (less than 5percent), for various reasons,will have significantly differ-ent looking manure comparedto the general cowherd. Regardless of our initial im-pression, what manure we ac-tually see will most likelycome from a relatively mod-est sample of dairy cows. It isrecommended that we look atthe manure of between 5-10percent of the cows to makeour observations and drawsome conclusions. For ex-ample, we should choose 15-20 cows from a 200-cow dairyto get this general consensus.It is also a good idea to movealong the fresh pies and pokea few with a boot to get a goodidea of manure content. For many dairy producersand specialists, the first ob-servation of a freshly droppedcow pie is its consistency. Manure consistency is agood indicator of the digestionstatus in dairy cattle. It is de-pendent upon feed type, nu-trient and dietary fibre con-tent, water intake (and qual-ity) and digestive passage rate.A normal manure consistencyshould be porridge-like andwhen the animal defecatesshould produce a slightlydome-shaped pile. Relativelyloose manure can range from aslightly rapid passage of ma-nure through the cow to ex-treme water-like diarrhea. Atthe other end of the scale,thicker manure can lookfirmer, drier and possibly maketaller piles.

Good DairyManure

Equals GoodNutrition

In cases of loose manure,some of its origins often startwith dairy diets that are for-mulated with too muchsoluble protein or diets thatdo not contain enough effec-tive forage-fibre in order toproduce a good “forage fibremat” in the rumen. These aretwo of the more common con-ditions from a possible longerlist of causes that speed upthe passage of feed through-out the gut and cause loosemanure. To correct these com-mon situations some produc-ers either decrease the solubleprotein of the diet by lower-ing the amount of high qualityforages fed or adding ½ kilo ofstraw, accordingly.Other cases of loose manureare far more serious and theiractual causes seem to be harderto pinpoint. For example, sub-clinical acidosis (SARA)causes loose manure consis-tency to vary amongst herdmembers as well as other mul-tiple changes over time foreach suffering cow. Unlike high dietary proteindiets, which can cause loosemanure in all herd members,manure from SARA cows isequally loose, but pasty, shiny(re: intestinal sloughing) andcontains small bubbles. Aseach affected cow goes througha typical “off feed-on feed”cycle, its SARA manure maydisappear and can be tempo-rarily replaced by more solidlooking manure. Unfortu-nately, as the SARA conditionsreturn rumen acid levels startto rise, water is then broughtback into the gut in order toneutralize them and the shinyloose manure begins again. Itis this state of manure incon-sistency that dairy producersmight identify a prevalentSARA problem in the herd. In similar acidosis and ex-tensive hindgut fermentationsituations, mucin casts (fibrin-tissue) may also be found insuch abnormal manure. Theyare secreted into the gut in or-der to cover up extensivelydamaged areas. It should berecognized that sloughed-offmucin casts might be found inmanure of any consistency. Just as manure consistencycan tell how feed is being di-gested in the cow, the contentsof manure can also tell pro-ducers what is working or maynot be working in the dairydiet.

Manure that is producedfrom dairy cows fed a well-balanced nutritious ration(with adequate effective fibre)is very uniform. It containsdigested feed particles withthe majority of processed for-age fibre no greater than 0.5",and with little escaped grain.If a cow pile is littered withlong-stem fibre or largeamounts of grain, it could be asign of inadequate dietary ef-fective-forage fibre, unproc-essed added grain, or even thepossibility of forage (i.e. si-lage) harvested in an extremestate of maturity. Compared to cow pie ob-servations of consistency andcontent, the “normal” colourof manure offers some, butlimited, valuable informationas to how feed is being di-gested. Manure colour usuallyreveals the type of diet beingfed to the cows. As expected, high hay orhaylage diets tend to producedark green manure, while cornor barley silage producesbrown manure. Likewise, ra-tions with high grain contenttend to produce relativelylight-coloured manures. Whenfeed is going through the ani-mal at a particularly high rate,it may turn into an unusualgreen/brown-gray colour. Arapid colour change may sig-nal that something is amisswith the cows’ present ration. Whether it is observationsof colour or manure consis-tency and content that catchesour eye (or boot), good dairymanure is a result of feeding awell-balanced diet to lactatingdairy cows. Consequently,good dairy manure that isdropped on the ground bythese healthy cows is likelyrewarded with good milk pro-duction going into the bulktank.


Janet Hurst has written aconsummate book on goats.Admittedly, there is more in-formation available on anyspecific area of goats andgoating, (yes, she makes itinto a verb) but for a beginneror moderate goat enthusiastshe provides all the informa-tion you might need. Hurst begins with her in-volvement with the animalsand moves through breedingprograms and breed selectionbefore getting into the usageof goat products and everypart of the goat can be usedin some way. She discussesthe production of cheese,soap and fiber products atlength. If there is a shortfallof the volume, it is in the lackin the area of management ofgoatherds, which she wouldbe qualified to discuss sinceshe tends to have one of thelargest goat milk herds in theU.S. She is not a veterinarian buthas studied cheese making atthe Vermont Institute of Tech-nology and Guelph Univer-sity, which perhaps explainswhy only the first two chap-ters deal with the animalsthemselves and the rest of thebook delves into uses of goatproducts for everything fromcheese to scarves. The book is an easy to readand well-designed issue thatholds your attention whetheryou are a goat devotee or not.I particularly enjoyed thechapter on meat goats and therecipes that included everypart from the choicest chev-ron to the marginal cuts ofgoat. Hurst does a good jobon the whole spectrum andincludes a few concoctionsthat have me waiting for thebarbecue season more eagerlythan usual. She does not spend a lot oftime on the history of the ani-mal or get preachy about itbeing the most consumedmeat in the world. She doesnot leave the impression thather intention is to convert theworld to Goatism or what-ever devotees of the animalare called. She provides a goodamount of information in aclear easy-to-read format thathas some great pictures andprovides a bit of fun along theway. I have to admit that I didhave a penchant for goatcheese before picking up thisvolume and the description ofthe process of makingcheeses and their possibleuses did have my mouth wa-tering. She stops short of rec-ommending the wine pairingsfor a goat cheese and wineevent but the reader is leftwith the feeling she wouldknow and after reading, Iwould trust her recommenda-tion.

By Les Kletke

The Whole Goat Handbook -Is Exactly What it Claims

Will it change your life? Prob-ably not, but that is not whatthe Whole Goat Handbookwas intended to do. It is aboutinformation in an entertainingformat and it does that.

AgriPost January 25 2013

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