Feed often the culprit in disease cases

Nov 21, 2022

Producers are reminded to be careful this winter when choosing alternative or new feeds and are urged to test their feed

What could kill eight cows within 10 minutes?

That is one mystery the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s disease investigation unit faced last winter.

Dr. John Campbell, a long-time professor and head of the unit, said he had never seen a situation like that.

“It was a bunch of cows dying suddenly in a cow-calf herd where the producer got a new delivery of some flax screenings,” he said during an October Saskatchewan Agriculture webinar.

The screenings had come from a local seed grower, and Campbell said the producer fed six pails to 40 cows.

“Within five minutes it was pretty obvious something was wrong. A lot of these cows began to show clinical signs. They went down, weak in their back legs, twitching their eyelids.

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Video: Winter Canola Trial in Mississippi | Can It Work for Double Cropping? | Pioneer Agronomy

Can winter canola open new opportunities for growers in the Mid-South? In this agronomy update from Noxubee County, Mississippi, Pioneer agronomist Gus Eifling shares an early look at a first-year winter canola trial and what farmers are learning from the field.

Planted in late October on 30-inch rows, the crop is now entering the bloom stage and progressing quickly. In this video, we walk through current field conditions, fertility management, and how timing could make this crop a valuable option for double-cropping soybeans or cotton.

If harvest timing lines up with early May, growers may be able to transition directly into another crop during ideal planting windows. Ongoing field trials will help determine whether canola could become a viable rotational option for the region.

Watch for:

How winter canola is performing in its first season in this Mississippi field

Why growers chose 30-inch rows for this trial

What the crop looks like as it moves from bolting into bloom

Fertility strategy, including nitrogen and sulfur applications

How canola harvest timing could enable double-cropping with soybeans or cotton

Upcoming trials comparing soybeans after canola vs. traditional planting

As more growers look for ways to maximize acres and diversify rotations, experiments like this help determine what new crops might fit into existing systems.