By SHELLY STRAUTZ-SPRINGBORN
Michigan Correspondent

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Could carrot fed beef be the next big craze?
It’s not likely this year, but with a recent regulatory ban on feeding carrots, apples, sugar beets and other commodities to deer in Michigan, farmers are looking for other markets for these once high-dollar specialty crops. And, with an uncertain supply of hay, corn and other feedstuffs, livestock producers are looking for alternatives.

The combination has Michigan State University (MSU) officials offering information about the nutritional value of alternative feeds.
Steve Rust, MSU professor of animal science and Associate Professor Dan Buskirk recently developed a fact sheet for beef producers outlining the nutrient and pricing guidelines for replacing traditional feedstuffs – corn, silage and hay – with perishable commodities such as carrots and sugar beets.

“Producers realize the importance of continually evaluating alternative feeds on a price-of-nutrient basis,” Buskirk said.
“With the costs for traditional feeds nearing record levels and hay shortages existing in some regions of the state, the timing is right to consider supplementing cow-calf and feedlot diets with these surplus crops.”

Nutritional analyses indicate that carrots have nearly the same energy value as corn on a dry matter basis, and the nutritional value of beets can be compared to that of corn silage.
“For cow-calf operators, apples and carrots have some real merit,” Rust said. “Those are valuable because they can be fed as they are.”

Rust explained that sugar beets must first be processed prior to feeding to eliminate the possibility of one lodging in the esophagus of a cow and causing bloat. This likely limits the ability for many farmers to utilize sugar beets for feed.

“Mashing the sugar beets by driving over them with a tractor may be sufficient processing,” Rust said. “Equipment such as a tub grinder would work, too.

“But the farmer’s ability to do this would depend on the operation,” he said.

The ban on deer feeding was imposed in August after a captive deer in Kent County was found to have chronic wasting disease.
Tom Gallagher, who has about 100 head of beef cattle near Carson City, considered purchasing some sugar beets from a neighbor who traditionally raised the crop for deer feed. But, he said the need to process the beets before feeding them, coupled with the expense kept him from trying.

“The only reason I considered it is because I had a neighbor close by who is a beet grower. The beets need to be processed and I don’t have a good way to do that,” Gallagher said. “Then there’s the expense of them harvesting and delivering them.”

Kevin Gould, MSU Extension livestock educator for West Central Michigan, said he doesn’t believe a drastic switch in feed would be cost effective for producers this year.

“These commodities have been marketed at such high cull values in the past due to our baiting industry,” Gould said, “but it’s not cost-effective to buy them to feed to cattle right now.”

“We have to look at what’s it worth for the next best use,” Gould said. “The next best use appears to be cattle, but the challenge is how to get it and meet the performance goals economically.”
Gould, who also owns and operates his own 35-head cow-calf herd, said producers of these specialty commodities will have to decide what it’s worth to them to supply excess commodities for other uses.

“There is a market, but it’s not at the price these producers have seen in the past. Until we have buyers and sellers agreeing on a price, the crop will stay in the field,” he said.

“On the cow-calf side, I don’t see us utilizing carrots and sugar beets, especially with other feed costs coming down. With corn, there’s no risk. I can store it pretty readily and I know what I have. With carrots, the cows cannot consume enough bulk to get dry matter met, so you still have to feed other dry matter.

“Timing is important. We haven’t had a lot of time to digest this deal,” Gould said.

For more information about the nutritional value of alternative feedstuffs as well as pricing suggestions, visit the MSU Extension Beef Team website at www.beef.ans.msu.edu The information is also available at local MSU Extension offices.