Considerations for Salvaging Crops for Feed

By Adriane Good, MSc, PAg, Livestock and Feed Extension Specialist, Moose Jaw

With hot, dry weather persisting through the last several weeks, some producers have looked to salvage crops for feed instead of grain. Salvage crops can be a great feed source for livestock; however, there are a few things to keep in mind when salvaging crops:

1. Check the grazing or feed restrictions on the chemical used on the crop. Some pesticides, like lambda-cyhalothrin, are not approved for livestock consumption. If feeding and grazing restrictions exist, ensure the crop is fed in the manner instructed on the label, or not fed at all.
2. Feed test. Nutrient values are important to know to determine how much of an animal’s nutrition can be provided by the salvage crop. Key nutrients to look for on a feed test are crude protein, total digestible nutrients or net energy values, neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre and mineral content. A water test will help you ensure total dietary mineral levels are within the required range.
3. Test for nitrates. Nitrates are incredibly important to watch for in stressed plants – whether that stress is hail, drought, frost or otherwise. Cereals and brassicas, especially those fertilized for grain production, are well-known nitrate accumulators, as are weeds like kochia and pigweed. Nitrate testing will help you determine if nitrates will be a problem and allow you to blend the feed to a level that will reduce the risk of toxicity.
4. Watch for diseases. Depending on your growing conditions, ergot bodies may be present in salvaged feed. Ergot bodies are typically found in cereal and grass crops under prolonged wet soil conditions and cool weather. These conditions favour the development of ergot bodies in crops as they extend the flowering period, which is when crops are susceptible to infection. If your crop has visible mould, or was put up with excess moisture, check it for mycotoxins with a feed test.
5. Watch for other anti-nutritional factors. Some crops, like flax or buckwheat, and weeds, like kochia, naturally contain substances that can negatively affect livestock, especially when these plants are stressed. Many of these toxic substances cannot be tested for, so it is important to include these feeds at low levels in the ration.
6. What is the crop worth as feed? There are a lot of things that go into pricing salvage crop as feed, including the costs that went into growing the crop, the lost revenue from the grain, and harvest costs. A calculator is available to help producers determine a price for feed from their salvage crops.

Salvaging crops as feed can be a great way to still get use out of a crop despite the challenges that can be associated with it. For more information about feeding salvaged crops, contact your local livestock and feed extension specialist or the Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1-866-457-2377.