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The
past year has been a tough year for livestock producers and others who
depend on forages and grain-based rations to feed their animals.
Whether
you raise cattle, goats, sheep, horses, alpacas, etc., the cost of
fertilizer, hay and grains have significantly increased over the past
year. Despite the increasing costs of inputs, prices (at the sale barns
or direct farm sale) received for these animals, livestock or pleasure,
have not increased accordingly; if anything, they have decreased. A
possible explanation is animals being sold have significantly increased
in the past year and markets are saturated. The past two years of
drought and other environmental factors along with rising grain futures
prices could be considered the culprit. Existing pastures were in no
shape to support the current number of animals and/or people could not
afford to feed their animals as cost of hay and feed increased at an
astonishing rate. The purpose of this article is not to point fingers or
lay blame, but to encourage producers/hobbyists to reconsider their
management practices for feeding their animals.
Over
the past few years, I have begun to realize the on-going situation will
force the average producer/hobbyist to question how
"dedicated" they are to their livelihood/hobby. Every
year about this time (taxes), for the past five years, I go through
price sticker shock at the cost associated with being a small-scale
farmer and the limited returns.
After
years of reviewing enterprise budgets relevant to various forms of
alternative agriculture production and having the actual "farm
experience," it continues to amaze me the challenges faced by those
with a sincere interest in farming. I keep on thinking, there has
to be a better way.
During
several recent visits to a farm in Northwest Alabama the owner kept
talking about two books, one on natural sheep production and the other
on natural goat production. Having the experience of raising goats
for seven years, I had to question the concept of anything
"natural." During our various conversations the person
encouraged me to order the books; so I did, and they were very
enlightening. The author is Pat Coleby. She is the author of
Natural Farming, Natural Cattle Care, Natural Horse Care and two
other books on sheep and goat production. While she does not have a PhD,
she has something more relevant—30 years of experience in animal
husbandry, with a special interest in the relationship between the
health of the land and the health of the animals it supports. It
says this in the credits on the back of her books.
Her
books tend to follow a certain format. She presents a background on the
species and various breeds, discusses the various purposes they serve
and then addresses the "meat" of the book with such topics as
feeding requirements; land management; minerals, vitamins and their
relationship; and the possible correlation between nutrient imbalances
and potential health problems. Ms. Coleby and her experiences
originate in Australia and New Zealand, but the challenges they face are
no different than what farmers face here: concerns with parasites,
animal health and natural resource management. The more I read her
books, the more convinced I became there may be something to her concept
about the role of micronutrients and their relationship with animal
health.
Over
the past few years, livestock nutritional experts have begun to realize
the important role micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) play in the
health and heartiness of animals. It has been known for years
regarding humans and the need for a well-balanced diet, but has been
overlooked with animals. An example would be copper, which is
considered to be important in enhancing an animal’s immunities.
So
what does one do to address this approach? The first aspect is to
insure natural resources/production factors are in compliance for
quality production. (1) Soil testing. Make sure soil fertility is
prime for production, including micronutrients. If they are not
readily available in the soil, the vegetation cannot absorb or process
them. With the cost of fertilizer, it is important to avoid what may not
be needed and apply only what is necessary. (2) Forage testing. Have
forages and hay tested to verify their entire nutritional value. (3)
Know the nutritional requirements of your animals. Knowing the
difference between what is readily available and what is needed allows
the farmer to accommodate the difference with supplemental feed rations
and hay. Next, (4) monitor, evaluate and adjust accordingly. From
time to time visually assess the condition of your animals, monitor
their health, determine if improvements are needed, then react
accordingly. Finally, (5) expect positive results. Spending all that
time, effort and money could be a waste if one chooses to
"settle" for whatever happens.
I
hope this discussion helps you to evaluate your situation and reconsider
your options. Consider whether some of these approaches might help
reduce input costs, increase the overall health of your animals and
offer the overall goal of helping reduce the gap between expenditures
and returns. Be sure and take the time to invest in the relevant
version of Pat Coleby’s books and evaluate if what she suggests might
work for your situation.
Robert
Spencer is a contributing writer from Florence, Alabama. |
