Drought puts focus on livestock nutrition

Cattle producers asked their drought-related nutrition questions to a panel of experts during a Beef Cattle Research Council webinar on July 29.

The panel stressed the importance of feed testing during drought conditions. Tests shows if a crop is safe to feed on its own or whether it needs to be mixed with other feedstuffs. While the number of samples is dependent on the size of the field, 20 to 25 samples usually provides a good representation of a field’s nutritional or risk levels.

Feed samples can help producers monitor nitrate levels in forages and other crops. Nitrates present an issue in annual forages such as oats and barley.

Drought stress can cause nitrate accumulation in plants, especially if high rates of nitrogen are applied pre-plant or in-season. Without moisture, plant metabolism slows, and nitrates may linger in the stem.

A nitrate level above 0.5% should be monitored and managed. Diluting high-nitrate feeds can reduce the risk of nitrate poisoning. To avoid the shock to their system, a seven to 10-day transition period helps cattle safely transition to feed with higher nitrate levels.

Poor canola stands in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and parts of Alberta have producers looking to this crop as a potential green feed. However, farmers should exercise caution because canola can cause white muscle disease in calves because of vitamin deficiencies. Canola is high in sulfates, which can tie up selenium, vitamin E and copper. Producers can mix these vitamins into the ration or use ruminal boluses or injections. Specialists recommend that canola hay or silage should make up no more than 50% of a ration. BCRC released a salvage crop calculator so producers can determine the value of alternative feeds for their livestock.

Farmers should also be aware of the amount of straw they feed to cattle. Straw is high in fibre but poorly digestible. It is also low in minerals, vitamins, energy and protein. As a rule of thumb, producers can feed between 1.25% and 1.5% of a cow’s body weight in straw. For example, a 1,400 lb cow can consume between 18 and 22 lbs of straw in its ration. Producers should use caution when resorting to feeding straw as the cows will also require feeds that provide greater energy and nutritional value. However, grain may cause acidosis if the cattle aren’t used to a feedlot-like ration.

Panelists included Dr. Cheryl Waldner, the NSERC/Beef Cattle Research Council senior research chair in beef cattle health in large animal clinical sciences at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine; Dr. Bart Lardner, a professor in the department of animal and poultry science at the University of Saskatchewan; Dr. Andrew Acton, a cattle rancher and veterinarian at Deep South Animal Clinic in Ogema, Saskatchewan; and Dr. John McKinnon, professor emeritus in the animal and poultry science department at the University of Saskatchewan and owner of a nutrition consulting company.

More information and resources are available at [beefresearch.ca/droughtmanagement].

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1 day ago

Forty-six regions in BC are eligible to participate in the federal livestock tax deferral program, announced yesterday, more than anywhere else in the country. The program allows producers who downsize their breeding herds by 15% to defer reporting the proceeds until the following year, when they buy replacement stock. But after multiple years of drought, the BC beef herd is cruising 25-year lows and some producers are calling for more support to maintain and rebuild their herds. For more, see: [www.countrylifeinbc.com/bc-leads-livestock-tax-deferrals/]

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5 days ago

After weeks and weeks of no moisture, there's rain in Kelowna today. While much more moisture is needed over the coming weeks and months to reduce drought conditions and the air smells of wet campfire, the slow, steady rain is very welcome for fruit grower#BCAg#BCAg ... See MoreSee Less

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6 days ago

The first Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust Grassland Set-aside Variety Trial Field Day was held at Delta's family-owned Tecarte Farms, August 27. Co-owner Bill Bates and DFWT executive director Christine Schmalz welcomed more than 35 people to view seven acres planted to different grassland blends specifically chosen to rejuvenate the soil and support the farm's blueberries. For the Bates family, it was time to try something different following the decline of the field's blueberry bushes over the past several years. "We tried everything, and nothing worked," says Bates. The blueberries were removed in May and the grassland crops planted about a week later.

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Bessette Creek is the latest watershed hit with a temporary fish protection order this year as the province moves to protect returning Chinook salmon. A total of 131 surface and groundwater users must cease drawing water immediately, with forage producers, greenhouses and nurseries impacted. "Declining flows in Bessette Creek reached record lows in early July 2026 and have remained below the minimum level required to support fish population survival," says the province. Bessette producers have embraced voluntary cutbacks, scheduled irrigation and other measures to reduce water use, and are also waiting on funding to boost water storage infrastructure. They're the second group of producers hit with a provincial order this year. Salmon River irrigators were told to top watering earlier this month following a reprieve to address wildfire risk. Growers in both the Salmon River and Bessette watersheds are urging the province to support new water storage infrastructure in advance of next year.

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There is a problem... having lived in the salmon river ( silver creek ) area, I remember a fish biologist telling family members that salmon only "survive" in high iron content creeks, they do not "thrive".... salmon river ( silver creek ) is a very high iron content, would stain clothes brown when i would use bleach... So don't expect high salmon numbers off of that creek , even in ideal situations...

I just wish they would take an interest in CHASE CREEK....went bone dry...100% of trout abd other species died...smell was terrible from rotting fish. Understand this has happened many times in the past. Chase Irrigation District totally responsible for this disaster. Now fishermen are complaining about major drop in water levels at Pillar Lake.

They could not mismanage things worse than they have. It's impossible for them to. The fact that farmers that we need for our animals are now suffering the consequences our governments have not protected us from, is absolutely fucking wild.