Education Commons^™

G03-1527 Annual Forages For The Nebraska Panhandle, Burt A. Weichenthal, David D. Baltensperger, K. P. Vogel, S. D. Masterson, J.M. Blumenthal, J.M. Krall

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Annual forages have value as pasture, green chop, silage, and hay. With adequate soil moisture, these forages grow very rapidly during their appropriate growing seasons. Advantages and disadvantages of various annual forages, results of dryland and irrigated forage trials, tips for achieving quality forage, and issues related to animal health and feeding forages are discussed in this NebGuide.

G03-1527 Annual Forages For The Nebraska Panhandle, Burt A. Weichenthal, David D. Baltensperger, K. P. Vogel, S. D. Masterson, J. M. Blumenthal, J. M. Krall

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Advantages and disadvantages of various annual forages, results of dryland and irrigated forage trials, tips for achieving quality forage, and issues related to animal health and feeding forages. Annual forages have value as pasture, green chop, silage, and hay. With adequate soil moisture, these forages grow very rapidly during their appropriate growing seasons.

Ec02-153 Selecting Alfalfa Varieties For Nebraska 2002, Bruce Anderson, Michael Trammell, Charles A. Shapiro, Patrick E. Reece

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Yield potential, pest resistance and seed price should be considered when selecting alfalfa varieties in Nebraska. The most important variety decision on many farms and ranches is the selection of alfalfa. The choice of alfalfa variety affects production for three to 10 or more years, whereas varieties of annual crops can be changed every year. Many alfalfa varieties are available from private and public plant breeders. Over the years, yield trials conducted at widely distributed Nebraska locations have tested most varieties sold in the state.

Ec01-872 Nebraska Crop Budgets 2001, Roger Selley, Tina N. Barrett, Richard T. Clark, Robert N. Klein, Steve Melvin

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

The 2001 Crop Budgets contains a list of representative field operations and materials that provides a reminder of items typically invovled in producing the crop. The budgets are presented in a worksheet format with a "Your Estimate" column for recording modifications in costs.

This publication covers the following crops: Forages -- alfalfa, annual hay, corn silage, grass, grass hay, and pasture. Grain -- corn, dry beans, grain sorghum, proso millet, oats, soybeans, sugar beets, sunflower, wheat.

G98-1358 Feeding To Maximize Protein And Fat, Rick J. Grant

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide describes feeding guidelines to increase milk fat and protein production.

Proper feeding management of dairy herds can both improve the economy of production and provide a healthier cow. To achieve these goals, producers must feed to increase production of milk with maximum levels of milk fat and protein.

Milk solids components include fat, protein, lactose and minerals. Normal values for milk fat range from 3.7 percent (Holstein) to 4.9 percent (Jersey); milk protein ranges from 3.1 percent (Holstein) to 3.8 percent (Jersey). Lactose is usually 4.6–4.8 percent for all breeds; minerals (ash) average .74 percent. Because current milk …

Ec98-149 Summer Annual Forages For The Nebraska Panhandle: Variety Tests, 1989-1992 And 1997, Burt Weichenthal, David D. Baltensperger, Patrick E. Reece

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Summer annual forage grasses can provide valuable forage as pasture, green chop, silage, and hay. With adequate soil moisture these forages grow very rapidly during warm summer months. Most varieties are relatively drought resistant because of efficient water use. It is important to select a type and variety most suitable to the system in which it is to used. Nebraska producers have relied primarily on six types of summer annual forage grasses to meet or supplement forage needs. This circular is a summary report of summer annual forage trials conduted in 1989-92 and 1997 to obtain forage production and quality …

G93-1168 Moisture Testing Of Grain, Hay And Silage, Bruce Anderson, Rick Grant

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide offers methods to help producers test moisture content of grain, hay, silage and other feeds.

Knowing the moisture and dry matter (DM) content of feeds is important to farmers for several reasons:

1. Livestock performance depends on DM consumed; thus, DM content must be known to accurately formulate rations.

2. Knowledge of moisture content is needed for harvest decisions during haying and silage chopping and for safe storage of grains, hay, and silage.

3. Moisture content is a major factor related to the value, or price, of forages and grain.

Every producer should be able to test for …

G92-1111 Mineral And Vitamin Nutrition Of Dairy Cattle, Rick J. Grant

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide focuses on the best sources of minerals and vitamins, current requirements for production, and feeding practices to best meet these requirements and promote health and productivity of dairy cattle. Dairy cattle require at least 17 minerals and three vitamins in their diet for optimal milk production, reproductive performance, and herd health. Although classical mineral or vitamin deficiency symptoms are rare, in many cases under- and overfeeding of certain minerals and vitamins does occur. Even small imbalances or deficiencies can develop into reproductive, health, and milk production problems. As herd milk production averages in Nebraska climb, it will become …

G89-915 Testing Livestock Feeds For Beef Cattle, Dairy Cattle, Sheep And Horses, Rick Grant, Bruce Anderson, Richard J. Rasby, Terry L. Mader

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide provides tips on how to determine feeds you should analyze and nutrients to measure. It tells how to interpret the results of feed analysis.

Why Test Feeds?

Nutrient concentration can vary considerably in feeds, especially forages. Protein in alfalfa hay can range from 10 to 25 percent or more of the dry matter; grass hay will contain between four and 18 percent protein.

Use feed tests to target specific feeds to different livestock. Feed high quality forage to the most productive livestock or when nutrient needs are highest. Feed lower quality forage to animals with lower nutrient needs. …

G89-915 Testing Livestock Feeds For Beef Cattle, Dairy Cattle, Sheep And Horses, Rick Grant, Bruce Anderson, Richard J. Rasby, Terry L. Mader

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide provides tips on how to determine feeds you should analyze and nutrients to measure. It tells how to interpret the results of feed analysis.

Why Test Feeds?

Nutrient concentration can vary considerably in feeds, especially forages. Protein in alfalfa hay can range from 10 to 25 percent or more of the dry matter; grass hay will contain between four and 18 percent protein.

Use feed tests to target specific feeds to different livestock. Feed high quality forage to the most productive livestock or when nutrient needs are highest. Feed lower quality forage to animals with lower nutrient needs. …

G89-915 Testing Livestock Feeds For Beef Cattle, Dairy Cattle, Sheep And Horses (Revised April 1997), Rick Grant, Bruce Anderson, Richard J. Rasby, Terry L. Mader

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide provides tips on how to determine feeds you should analyze and nutrients to measure. It tells how to interpret the results of feed analysis.

Why Test Feeds?

Nutrient concentration can vary considerably in feeds, especially forages. Protein in alfalfa hay can range from 10 to 25 percent or more of the dry matter; grass hay will contain between four and 18 percent protein.

Use feed tests to target specific feeds to different livestock. Feed high quality forage to the most productive livestock or when nutrient needs are highest. Feed lower quality forage to animals with lower nutrient needs.

G86-826 Irrigating Alfalfa (Revised October 1990), Delynn Hay

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Alfalfa has certain water use characteristics. Knowing these and how to monitor soil moisture, apply water, manage irrigation, and schedule water application will help you grow a high quality crop. Irrigation makes it possible to grow high quality alfalfa throughout Nebraska on a wide variety of soils. Alfalfa, relatively drought tolerant, will produce yields almost proportional to the amount of water available to the crop. This means that alfalfa will respond favorably to irrigation. Because of its longer growing season, the seasonal water requirement of alfalfa will be higher than for other crops. Irrigation management must consider characteristics such as …

G86-775 Prussic Acid Poisoning, Norman Shcneider, Bruce Anderson

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Prussic acid poisoning and its treatment are discussed in this NebGuide, along with methods to reduce its occurrence.

Sudangrass, forage sorghum, and sorghum-sudangrass hybrids are often used for summer pasture, green chop, hay, or silage. Under certain conditions, livestock consuming these feedstuffs may be poisoned by prussic acid (HCN).

Exposure to excessive prussic acid--also called hydrocyanic acid, hydrogen cyanide, or cyanide--can be fatal. However, producers can manage and feed their livestock to avoid problems with prussic acid.

G84-713 Brooding And Rearing The Home Goose Flock, Earl W. Gleaves

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide discusses brooding and rearing small geese flocks, including feeding from starter to growing and finishing on pasture, and slaughter, cleaning and processing procedures.

Goose growers in general have not been caught up in the ultra- efficient feed utilization trends that have developed in other parts of the poultry meat industry. This may be due to of the fact that the geese are good foragers. Understandably, growers have concluded that a considerable saving in prepared feeds can be achieved by rearing the birds on pasture. Even without special foods, the goose is more rapid growing than other domestic species …

G81-543 Establishing Dryland Forage Grasses, Bruce Anderson

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Preparation, seed selection, seedbed preparation, fertilization, methods of seeding, time and rate of seeding, weed control and more are covered in this NebGuide.

Grass pastures provide more total nutrients to the cattle and sheep industry in Nebraska than any other feedstuff. However, many areas often face a shortage of pasture during certain seasons of the year.

In eastern Nebraska abundant cool-season pasture usually is available during spring and fail, but during July and August there is little or no grass growth. Conversely, warm-season native range provides much forage during summer in central and western Nebraska, but not in spring and …

G77-357 Selecting Alfalfa Varieties For Nebraska (Revised December 1997), Bruce Anderson, Michael Trammell, Patrick E. Reece

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Yield potential, pest resistance and seed price all should be considered in selecting alfalfa varieties in Nebraska. This NebGuide discusses them.

The most important variety decision made on many farms and ranches is the selection of alfalfa. The choice of alfalfa variety affects production for three to 10 or more years, whereas varieties of annual crops can be changed every year.

Many alfalfa varieties are available from private and public plant breeders. Over the years, yield trials conducted at widely distributed Nebraska locations have tested most varieties sold in the state.

G77-357 Selecting Alfalfa Varieties For Nebraska (Revised December 1994), Bruce Anderson, David Holshouser, Patrick E. Reece, Michael Trammell

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

The most important variety decision made on many farms and ranches is the selection of alfalfa varieties. The choice of alfalfa variety affects production for three to 10 or more years.

Yield potential, pest resistance and seed price all should be considered in selecting alfalfa varieties in Nebraska. This NebGuide discusses them.

G77-350 Mineral Nutrition Of Range Beef Cattle, Marvin W. Heeney

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Minerals play a very important role in the well-being of the range beef herd. Minerals are essential for practically all of the metabolic functions of the beef animals. Minerals are classified as 1) major and 2) minor or trace. The major minerals include calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chlorine and sulfur. The trace minerals include copper, cobalt, iodine, iron, manganese and zinc.

Each mineral is discussed here in terms of its function, deficiency symptoms and availability in the range beef cattle diet.

G74-142 Harvesting And Preserving Hay Crop Silage, Rick Grant, Rick Stock

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide describes principles of successful hay crop harvest, silage preservation, management techniques to obtain high quality hay crop silage, and proper use of silage storage facilities.

Most hay (legume and grass) crops can be ensiled, or made into silage, successfully. For best feeding value and preservation, consider the special requirements for ensiling each crop.

Hays to be ensiled should be selected on the basis of economics. Which are the most profitable for supplying nutrients? For example, legumes have a relatively higher value for dairy herds than for beef finishing operations because of dairy cows' higher requirement for protein.

G74-170 Nitrates In Livestock Feeding (Revised July 1996), Richard J. Rasby, Bruce Anderson, Norman Schneider

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Most forages contain some nitrates. When feeds containing nitrates are consumed by ruminants, nitrates are changed in the rumen to ammonia that is then converted by bacteria in the rumen into microbial protein. Nitrates are not always toxic to animals.

This NebGuide describes signs, causes, prevention and treatment of nitrate poisoning in livestock.