Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-10-22
Liberal Use of
Roughage Needed
to Produce Beet

To assist farmers and stockmen in
feeding beef cattle economically dur
ing the coming winter, specialists of
the department of agriculture point
out the need for a liberal use of
'roughage. The meat situation in the
United States requires maximum
of efficiency IN feeding if production
is to be maintained p the face OF high
costs for feed and labor. Recon-
mendations OF the department follow:
Economy should be the keynote in
production. However, discretion must
be used so that economy will be con-
sistent with good gains. A ration
might be so economical as to merely
maintain the animal, but this would
not be economy when gain in weight
was the object sought.
Greater Use Of Cheaper Feeds.
At the present time, when grain
and concentrates are so expensive, 1t
is all the more important that q
greater use be made Of cheaper feeds.
The cheaper feeds are those raised
on the farm and consist primarily OF
roughages. Then, greater economy
Will depend upone a greater use of
roughages, properly balanced with
some grain or protein concentrate.
1t should be borne in mind that a
balanced ration is not necessarily thu
most economical. A ration having a
nutritive ratio of 1.6 might produce
the greatest daily gains on 2-year-
old steer, yet it might show better
Judgment and more profit to feed a
ration with a ratio of Is. produced
by the utilization Of greater amount
of cheaper roughages, and 9 lesser
amount of the higher priced concen-
trates.
The practice of feeding high priced
feeds, and not making full use OF
roughages, is quite general thruout
the corn belt. In some of the middle
western states very little straw is
used for feed but practically all for
bedding. Quite often the cattle are
allowed to run around the straw
stack, resulting in a waste of at least
so per cent of the straw. Straw, AZ
dry roughage, forms a very pronni-
nent place in a ration for cattle,
.either~in the fattening lot or when
fed to stockers and feeders.
In some sections of Indiana oats
and wheat straw make up the entire
dry roughage for the greater part OF
the feeding period. In certain parts
of Nebraska, where alfalfa is pro-
duced abundantly, the straw is used
only for bedding. Even where alfalfa
hay is fed, cattle will eat more or
less of good straw if they have access
to it. 1t is good idea to keep some
straw before them. Let the cattle
pick it over and use what is left for
bedding.
Waste No Straw.
Now is good time to look at your
straw stack. Trim UP the stack by
raking down the sides and properly
topp1ng so as to shed the fall rains.
BY spending day on your straw
stacks now you will save many a ton
of straw which can be used in re-
placing considerably expensive hay
next winter.
In some states most Of the corn is
cut, shocked, and husked out by hand
later in the season. Why not let {,
shredder do the husking tnd have a
roughage left, the greater part OF
which will be relished by the cattle?
The shredded fodder, Which is re-
fused by the cattle, makes one of tn"
very best bedding materials.
Corn fodder, while it is gooa
rbughage is not an, economical! one.
There is very large waste in
handling. A large percentage of the
leaves are lost, and the corn .tselt
is about all the cattle get from the
entire corn plant. Run your fodder
thru a shredder feed the ear corn
separately, and the greater part Of the
corn plant will be utilized. Corn
fodder, however, can be used ad-
vantageously at the beginning Of the
feeding period in the fall or early
winter Range cattle that have
never seen corn or grain of any kind
can be put on feed more rapidly by
starting on green or curel corn fod-
der. This kind of cattle will begin
nibbling at the leaves and gradually
get to eating the corn. On the other
hand, if ear corn was placed befo,
them it would be days before they
would begin to eat it.
The use of ,legume hays, where
grown on the farm, will obviate the
use of high priced protein concen-
trates. Good hay, however, is higl,
priced and should be fed in such a
way to avoid any waste.
Corn stalks in the field, after the
corn has been removed, should be
utilized by kurning a sufficient num-
Der of cattle on them to clean up
completely before severe winter and
SHOWS come.
Protect Contents of SiIo.
The most important roughage, so
far as economical beef production is
concerned, is yet to be mentioned,
longer cheap feed, but in the strict
est sense of the word there is no
cheap feed. Silage is worth at the
present time from SO to s1S ton,
depending upon local labor conditions
and upon the quality and yield of
corn. Even at these prices it makes
one of the most economical cattle
feeds. More cattle can be handled
on a given farm area where the sl1O
furnishes the bulk Of the roughage.
More feed can be stored per cubic
foot Of space than by any other
means. Cattle can be fattened on
silage, supplemented with a small
amount Of highly concentrated
protein feed, such as cottonseed or
linseed meal, and little dry rough