If grain prices remain at comparatively low levels, mixing grains and alfalfa may provide ration programs that will serve as good growing diets for replacement heifers.  Other alternatives also should be considered.  By-products such as wheat middlings, corn gluten feed, and soybean hulls are all by-products of grain milling operations.  They are often competitively priced and offer cattle feeds that provide both energy and protein in a single commodity.   A sample ration of 10 pounds of soybean hull pellets, top-dressed with 1 pound of the Oklahoma Gold high protein supplement will provide about 1 - 1.3 pounds average daily gain to replacement heifers and will require less additional harvested forage to be fed than other grain-protein feed combinations. 

By-product feeds such as wheat mids are notoriously variable.   Consequently, producers that purchase these commodities may wish to routinely sample and test them for nutrient content in order that additional nutrients can be added if necessary.    Great details about the nutrient content of these products and feeding suggestions can be found in Alternative Feeds for Beef Cow and Stockers by Dr. David Lalman.  This publication was written while he was a beef specialist at the University of Missouri.  Dr. Lalman currently is on the Extension Faculty at Oklahoma State University.  Producers should pay particular attention to the mineral supplementation needs of cattle fed these by-products.  The calcium and phosphorus contents of these feeds must be balanced carefully. 

Sources of the by-products may be a mystery to many cattle operators.  Therefore the OSU Feed Commodity Bulletin Board is an Internet website worthy of bookmarking.    This site is updated weekly with names, addresses, and phone numbers of retail sources of by-product feeds.  Also included is the latest known price (and the date when that price was quoted), plus information about minimum amounts that can be purchased.  In addition potential buyers can determine if the feed is loose or pelleted plus whether the feed will be available in bulk or sacked. 

When forage supplies are low in amount and quality, producers need to examine all available feed alternatives closely.