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. 

When assessing silage quality James explains Dry Matter Digestibility, Dry Matter, Crude Protein and pH, while he also discusses feeding rates to gain 0.5-0.6 kg/head/day on a weanling over the winter.

When it comes to rations, James highlights at to look out for on the label, with ideally 5-6 main ingredients:

-       Energy is the most important nutrient

-       Protein is needed for growth

Information is power – read the feed label carefully & speak with your merchant.

For finishing farmers that have cattle housed, James explains what to look for in a ration and building up cattle on ad lib to be managed without any issues.

When it comes to mineral inclusion rates James discusses what is important in a pre-calving mineral.

Finally, James highlights the upcoming mart events taking place in Donegal on 22nd Oct at the Donegal Livestock Mart, 29th Oct at the Inishowen Livestock Mart and on 4th Nov at Milford Livestock Mart.

For more episodes from the Beef Edge podcast, visit the show page at:
https://www.teagasc.ie/thebeefedge

 
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