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Wet spring beneficial for IL forages

A western Illinois cattle producer says the rainy spring has been beneficial for their forage crop.

Trevor Maiers, of MAC Cattle Company in Adams County, tells Brownfield…

“Really, it’s been a great spring in terms forage as compared to last year.”  He says, “We chop and bale triticale as a cover crop to feed our animals with and it’s the best tonnage we’ve ever had.”

He says adding triticale to their feeding program has been a success.

“We’ve really found a great, versatile crop.”  He says, “It’s a great addition to our nutrition program in terms of just the protein available, the feed ability of the feed stuff.  It’s a little more versatile in the field than some other cover crops that we can harvest. So it’s worked well for our part of the state and for our operation.”

Maiers says the rains have made putting up hay a challenge, but he says it’s welcome after dealing with drought conditions last year.

Maiers spoke with Brownfield at the Illinois Beef Association’s annual meeting where MAC Cattle Company was named the 2024 Commercial Producer of the Year.