The popular CowBytes is back
Livestock and Feed Extension Specialist, Weyburn Saskatchewan Agriculture
Fall is here, and with that comes the excitement of the fall run and getting the mother cows ready for the winter-feeding period and the next calf cycle. This is also a great time to take stock of your feedstuffs and get a handle on whether they will meet your cow herd’s nutritional needs throughout the winter, both in quality and quantity.
The first step in this process is testing the feed. A lot of hard work goes into growing and harvesting the feed, so ensuring it meets your herd’s nutritional requirements is important. The only way to truly know the quality of the various feeds on your farm is to send samples to a lab for analysis. Livestock and feed extension specialists with the Ministry of Agriculture have put together a resource specific to the ins and outs of feed testing. As the feed is tested for quality, it is also a prime time to verify your inventories, including bales weights of each feed. If inventories are short or there is no extra available for severe winter weather, it may be best to start sourcing additional feed now. The ministry has a list of processed feed companies to aid in your search.
The next step is to enter the feed test data and feed inventories into CowBytes, the ration balancing software. CowBytes is an excellent resource that enables beef producers to formulate their own feed rations. The software comes preloaded with average values for common feeds, but we strongly recommend you enter the values from your feed tests. The nutritional quality of feed can vary immensely year to year and from one area to another. The more accurate the input, the more accurate the output of the ration.
No one wants to be worrying about sourcing and transporting additional feed in the middle of winter. Using CowBytes with your information and cowherd specifics can help ensure your cow herd requirements will be met. This also allows you to manage your feed inventory and prevent over- or under-feeding, costing you money or affecting animal health and production. Costing out your rations is also an option in this software, allowing you to play around with different feeds and supplements, aiming for a least cost ration. You can always consult with a nutritionist or your local livestock and feed extension specialist to go over the prepared ration together. CowBytes does offer generalized tidbits of nutritional data for certain feeds; however, these folks can have great insight on localized feed quality in any given year.
How do you get started? CowBytes is now available for purchase through the Beef Cattle Research Council. The software costs $60 and will be delivered on a USB flash drive via regular mail. Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Agriculture specialists have put together a set of tutorials on how to use the software, which can be found on our YouTube channel.
To learn more about feed testing or using CowBytes, please contact your local livestock and feed extension specialist by calling the Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1-866-457-2377.