Oats

Cereal Grains Enhance Dairy Cropping Options

Fri, 16 Apr 2021 16:53:10 GMT

Growing an array of cereal grains to augment the traditional corn-alfalfa cropping cycle has become the new normal for dairy farmer Josh Tranel and his family of Cuba City, Wis.

“We got burned so many times with alfalfa winter-kill,” Tranel shared on a recent Iowa State University webinar . “And we wanted to take advantage of a longer growing season. Trying to raise all of our feed in just a few months in the summer wasn’t working very well.”

The Tranels now raise a variety of small grains as both cover and nurse crops to feed their 600-cow organic herd. Through several seasons of trial and error, they have learned the best ways to incorporate winter wheat, triticale, winter rye, oats, sorghum-Sudan grass, and summer forage “cocktail mixes” into their cropping plans. By raising more cereal grains, they also are now able to grow more corn as well.

“In our old rotation, we could only keep about 25% of our acres in corn,” said Tranel. “Now we can routinely plant 40% of our acres to corn.” He cited several additional benefits to embracing small grains, including:

Soil health and protection. By keeping the ground covered virtually year-around, less soil is lost to erosion, soil tilth is improved, nutrient update is better, and weed pressure is reduced.

More tonnage from the same acres. Tranel shared a calculation of their 5-year average annual tons per acre now versus their years of a strict corn-alfalfa program. On the same 2,000 acres, the farm’s new rotation yields an average of 12.25 tons of dry matter per acre per year more than the old program.

Greater manure management flexibility. Because crops are coming off at different times of the year, the Tranels have more opportunities to hose-applicate liquid manure on acres close to their dairy site. This saves on hauling time and expense; allows them to keep their manure inventories lower; and expands the manure application season, versus just small windows of opportunity in the spring and fall.

The Tranels also appreciate the harvesting flexibility of cereal grains, which can easily be chopped for silage; baled and wrapped; or grazed. Because they are almost always one-cut crops, the chop height can be fairly low, at about 3 inches.

Along the way, they’ve learned to customize forages and harvest times depending on the target group of animals they will be feeding. Lactating-cow rations generally require harvest at boot to late-boot stage for maximum digestibility. Heifer forages will yield appropriate nutrition and more tonnage at the heading-milk stage. Dry-cow rations are best formulated with forages like winter wheat at the milk-to-dough stage.

Tranel’s favorite small grain forage? “Triticale, for sure,” he shared. “It has flexibility for fall or spring seeding, is fairly high in protein, and has tremendous NDF value compared to alfalfa.”

Former Dairy Partner, Quaker Oats, Introduces Oat Beverage

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 20:59:26 GMT

In a previous partnership with Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) and the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP), Quaker Oats used to encourage Americans to make their oatmeal with low fat milk. Now, the company has left their dairy partnership and has come up with their own version of oat ‘milk”, Quaker Oat Beverage, which will be launched in January 2019.

In 2014, the Quaker Oats Man, also known as Larry, began sporting a milk mustache as a symbol of Quaker’s new formed partnership with DMI and the MilkPEP. According to the American Dairy Association, the oat company encouraged consumers to make their oatmeal with low fat milk instead of water and serve it alongside a glass of milk for a boost of protein.

Leaving their partnership with DMI, the company has now branched out into the milk alternative world. Dairy companies like Dean Foods, who purchased the plant-based dairy-alternative company , Good Karma, have begun eyeing up the milk alternative business. Reddi-wip also launched their version of plant-based products, coming out with two non-dairy whipped toppings.

Possibly as a result of the milk labeling debate , which could potentially be enforced by the FDA, Quaker chose to leave the word ‘milk’ off of its packaging, instead using the words “oat beverage.”

Oat ‘milk,’ possibly the next milk alternative fad , has seen increased sales in the U.S., with European companies like Oatly becoming popular in small coffee shops and chains. Quaker believes this milk alternative is more than just a fad and will release the liquified oat beverage in grocery stores early next year.

Plant-based beverages have been stealing market shares from dairy for years , and the trend isn’t showing signs of slowing. While consumers seem to be jumping on board with the milk alternative trend, health professionals and nutritionists are more reserved about the fad.

“How much do you have to drink to get the recommended daily amount of soluble fiber?” asked Marion Nestle, a retired professor who specialized in nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University. The answer: four 8-ounce glasses. “Or you could just eat a bowl of oatmeal, “she told The Bulletin.

The Happiest Doorstep on Earth!

Sun, 08 Nov 2020 17:26:17 GMT

In case you missed it you can now share the -8-25-20 evening of absurdity with nationally-syndicated cartoonists Leigh Rubin, creator of the comic strip “Rubes,” and Wisconsin State Journal editorial cartoonist Phil Hands. This odd couple riffed off each other’s cartoons, demonstrated how the twisted minds of two different cartoonists work. If you’ve ever wanted to learn from a professional smart-aleck or full-time doodler, now’s your chance!

Enjoy!

https://youtu.be/DMKXBYXOkHQ