Kaskiw: Delayed seeding, day length and feed shortage
- Details
- Published on Thursday, April 10, 2014
By: Elmer Kaskiw
myWestman.ca
The recent return to below normal temperatures forecast for later this weekend will set this year’s snow melt back once again, especially in northern portions of southwestern Manitoba.
Given the present weather outlook, a return to normal temperatures and significant melting are not forecast once again until mid-April. A lot can still happen between now and May 1, however, a delayed seeding is looking to be more and more probable.
In a normal spring melt, we still typically require two to three weeks of good weather after the snow has melted before spring seeding gets underway. Given present conditions, a two week snow melt would put us into the last week of April with at least another 10 to 14 days of dry down needed before fields are tractor ready. This would mean a start no sooner than the first week of May. Any adversity, such as a late April snow, and we will be well into mid May once again, cutting a huge slice out of this region’s prime seeding dates of May 1-15.
Daylight hours and photo period
The increase in day-length has certainly been noticeable over the last couple of weeks, with the average daily increase in daylight actually maxing out at a rate of three minutes and 44 seconds per day around the spring equinox in the Minnedosa/Shoal Lake and Russell areas.
The average day length will still continue to increase, but at a reduced rate. It will plateau in around June 21. In Morden for example day length peaks around June 21st at 16 plus hours of daylight and then begins to shorten gradually after the first week of July. In Roblin, day length also peaks around June 21 but at 17 hours of day light and holds this level well into the second week of July, after which it drops off more rapidly.
Understanding day length or photoperiod is important because it impacts the way our crops grow. Photoperiod is the response of plants to the relative lengths of light and dark periods within a 24-hour cycle.
Soybeans are a good example of a crop that flowers in response to photoperiod, or day length. When the days begin to shorten after June 21, day length-sensitive soybean varieties are triggered into flowering.
For this reason, soybeans are referred to as “short-day plants” There are genetic difference amongst soybean varieties in their sensitivity to day length. Choosing varieties that are more sensitive to day length will allow these varieties to perform better in more northern regions with longer summer days.
Feed supplies dwindle
The weather is really beginning to have an impact on feed supplies as the cooler temperatures have ramped up consumption once again. Normally at this time of year, producers are well into their better quality feeds as cows enter the latter stages of pregnancy or have cows that have already calved and will soon need to be rebred.
Unfortunately, for many it is this high quality feed that is in shortest supply. This lack of high quality feed will necessitate the need for grain supplementation in order to meet the cow’s nutritional requirement as we enter this crucial feeding period.
A cow in her last trimester will need to have energy or TDN levels of approximately 58 to 60 per cent and a crude protein level approaching 10 per cent. A lactating cow will see these levels elevated to 60-65 per cent TDN and 11 to 12 per cent protein.
Given that most feeds have TDN levels in the mid 50 range and protein levels of generally less then 12 per cent, a typical grain supplementation required would be in the neighborhood of eight to 10 pounds of rolled barley per head per day or in case of oats 10 to 12 pounds per head per day.
