AN AGRONOMIST in a major hay producing region has reassured livestock producers there is no more risk of nitrate poisoning from canola hay than there is from any other high protein hay.
Greg Toomey, Landmark Elmore, said farmers easing hungry stock onto feed sources rich in protein always needed to introduce the new feedstock carefully to minimise the risk of nitrate poisoning or other gut issues but said there were no higher risks using canola hay than products such as lucerne or clover hay.
“You could see a similar thing in any new product, the important thing to recognise here is that canola hay can be a fantastic product for livestock producers when used correctly,” Mr Toomey said.
He said hay producers in his area had tested their canola fodder for nitrate levels and that it had not come back particularly high.
“It is very much a case of taking the same precautions you do with any new fodder product.”
Australian Fodder Industry Association (AFIA) chief executive John McKew said he had not heard of nitrate poisoning issues with canola hay, but said during the last major time livestock producers were using canola hay there were problems with the product being insufficiently conditioned.
“There were issues, particularly with dairy cattle, with punctured rumens caused by tough stalks,” Mr McKew said.
“I haven’t heard of this being a problem this year as people learnt their lesson and have conditioned the product adequately.”
However, he said people feeding their animals should check whether the hay would be difficult to digest or contained tough stalks.
“For those people buying canola hay it is still important to ensure the digestibility, whether that is through using a feed wagon if you have access to it, but in general I think the feedback is that the product is better this time around.”
Mr Toomey said he thought canola hay presented fantastic value at present.
“In this area there were sales around $320 a tonne, but there are reports of canola hay being sold at around $250/t.
“Given the feed quality tests, people buying it for that price are getting a great value product, which probably stems more from market acceptance issues rather than any inherent problems with the hay itself.”