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 Oro Station Farmer Shares his Story
“Learn something from everything you do – even if that means not
to do it again.” This quote shared by fourth generation farmer,
Neil McNiven at age 80 exemplifies that beef producers are
driven to innovate through trial and error and develop
strategies to improve management and production practices
resulting in improved margins.
Neil’s son, Andy McNiven, a Simcoe County beef farmer resides
with his wife Lisa and their three daughters Sarah 13, Lucy 7,
and Josephine of 4 months on a cow-calf to finish operation on
the 7th line of Oro Station. McNiven, a fifth generation farmer,
operates 1000 acres with 400 acres in crops and lives on
property that has been in the McNiven name dating back to 1831.
In a three year rotation, McNiven grows corn and oats, used for
feed and cash crop and red clover for haylage and seed
production with the added benefit of providing nitrogen and
organic matter for subsequent crops. With 130 British cross cows
in his commercial herd, McNiven calves in late spring with the
majority of his herd bred to black Simmental with a small number
of replacement heifers bred black Angus. Andy custom feeds
cattle in addition to his own calves and markets over 200 head
of cattle each year.
The largest single production expense for cattle operations is
feed. Andy recognizing this has looked to alternative feed
options to improve his bottom line and shared his top three
strategies with Ontario Beef.
Pasturing Corn Stalks in the Fall
 For many years Andy has been pasturing his cattle on corn stalks
in the fall as a simple and cost effective method for extending
the grazing season. Grain cornfields can provide feed for
several months during the winter and cattle will harvest any
grain that has been missed by the combine and the leaves and
stalks provide reasonable feed value. According to OMAFRA
Pasture Specialist Jack Kyle, most fields will provide between
one and two months of grazing per cow per acre (50 cows on 50
acres for one to two months). In addition, McNiven ensures free
choice mineral is available for his herd so that necessary
supplementation can take place when required.
Winter Feeding
Unrolling bales can offer both economic and environmental
advantages as an effective means of providing feed to beef
cattle
 during the winter months. When properly managed, it does
not compromise the health, comfort or performance of the
livestock. Economically, unrolling bales can reduce the costs
for labour, machinery and fuel, both in the feeding of the bales
and manure handling. McNiven unrolls the bales and moves the
feeding location daily to ensure the nutrients from manure,
urine and leftover material are uniformly deposited at
acceptable rates to enhance crop growth and minimize
environmental impact. “We have been winter feeding bales for two
years now and find that the cows are in better condition. By
unrolling the bales, we reduce the amount of competition during
feeding time and my waste management is taken care of,” shared
Andy.
Growing Turnips
“After hearing from the 2008 Ontario Pasture Award Winner, Scott
Honey, we decided to take a closer look into using turnips in
corn silage ground and it has proved to be a roaring success,”
explained McNiven. “Once the turnip crop is established there
are minimal weeds to contend with.” The McNiven’s experimented
with growing turnips underneath corn ground to provide late fall
pasture. Turnips are a fast growing root vegetable commonly
grown in temperate climates. They retain their nutrients late
into the fall and are good in providing high quality forage for
grazing livestock. The cattle will eat the stems and leaves of
the turnip plants first and then proceed to dig the turnip bulbs
out of the ground. Although some may caution that turnips can
present a choking hazard for cattle, Andy has had no experience
of that thus far and has had great results with this alternative
feed option.
Andy stressed the importance of experimenting with feed
strategies when conditions are ideal so that when faced with a
drought or wet weather he knows what works and how to utilize
his crops and pastures to his advantage. Andy has experimented
with baling and wrapping corn stover for that specific reason.
So where is Andy headed? “Within the next five years I plan to
increase my cow numbers and explore intensive rotational grazing
to get more out of my summer pastures,” stated Andy. “I look to
my neighbours and fellow producers to share innovative and
effective strategies, just as Scott Honey did, to provide new
opportunities and optimism in this industry.”
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