Our annual meeting went well.
Dr. Martin Nyachoti emphasized how important it is to know the feed you are supplying to your animals. As corn and wheat prices fluctuate, more and more people are looking at alternative feed ingredients. Be sure to know what nutrients alternative feeds supply and in what forms to ensure that your animals stay healthy.
Garry Wollmann showed some very convincing numbers describing his experiences with using the feed model. In his case, a $15,000 investment has reduced the land base needed for phosphorous balance by almost half and cut the amount he’s spending on phosphorous supplements by over $50,000. Sometimes simple solutions are all that are needed!
Dr. Geza Racz discussed phosphorous in the soil. The part I found particularly interesting was the graph he showed on commercial phosphorous versus manure phosphorous. The commercial phosphorous hits with a bang at the beginning of the growing season (when P is most needed) whereas manure phosphorous supplies a more constant, lower level of phosphorous for a much longer period. Even on fields that have high soil test phosphorous from manure, it’s worth putting on some commercial phosphorous to get the crop started.
We finished off with a delicious lunch, thanks to Irene Maynard, and some good discussions around the lunch table.
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