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| I take care of stock cows for an older, corn farmer gentleman, have had his cows for about 4 years now, winter and summer. I also had him for a hay customer for about 15 years, so we get along pretty well. This year has been hard for hay and I showed him that prices are a solid $100/ton for grass hay, and going up (USDA NE hay prices), and it was going to be cost prohibitive for me to feed his cows this winter, especially when he has stalks to put them on. He was adamant that I keep the cows again this winter and he’d send corn and alfalfa (he rents out his stalks for good money I guess). This would help me keep some of my hay customers so it helps me out that way even though I had hopes of an easygoing winter.
So what kind of a ration should I be looking at? These are big stock cows, spring calvers. I have grass hay, medium and good quality, and a bale processor, and not really any storage/bins of any kind. He has alfalfa and shell corn. I’ll have to borrow/rent an auger to unload his truck. I have a couple grinders behind the barn that haven’t been run in 30years or so. I have used liquid protein on bales before so I do have a tank. Looking for thoughts and ideas and I’d like to have things worked out in my head before I go to the feed salesman for his advice/sales pitch.
Btw, ddg’s were hard to come by last winter so expect the same this year unless feedstore put in an adequate projection for this winter for all of his customers. I’d also like to keep things simple, my buddy starts 5 tractors a day all winter long for his operation, I’m use to starting just one.
Thanks for your help. | |
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Some ration help please
