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* indicates
data compiled from Stats.Can. 1996
Check this out!
BC Federation of Agriculture
Fast
Fact:
Shavings
provide an excellent organic and biodegradable
fertilizer and nutrient medium when mixed with
livestock manure.
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Agriculture and Forestry - The Win Win Solution
Agriculture in the Nechako Valley works
closely with the forest industry. Trees from farms are a
valuable timber resource for local mills. The timber from
the clearing of fields and woodlot development,
substantially contribute to the wood fibre supply and in
turn the wood waste chips and shavings contribute back to
the farm community.
History: Shavings have been
available for use as bedding for cattle since the early
1900's when cattle and small mills were side by side in
the developing frontier. By the early 1950's the use of
shavings for bedding began to be common practice for
feedlots, the dairy industry and cow-calf operations.
Shavings have been proven as an effective means of
improving herd health, increasing productivity, and
allowing for earlier calving, which in turn provided
heavier weaning weights and higher returns. Livestock
producers, dairy operators and local mill management
worked together in mutual support to make sure that
shavings were available to local area farms and ranches.
The shavings that were otherwise a waste product and most
often burned in the beehive burners or put into landfills
were utilized for animal bedding and a fertilizer medium
for cropland development. The local mills, then Bond
Brothers, L&M, West Fraser and Plateau assisted
farmers to acquire shavings, thus helping to reduce the
wood waste and by so doing, increase local farm
productivity and mill efficiency.
Shavings Facts (information
compiled from local farm surveys, interviews with members
of the shavings committee and from Statistics Canada
Agriculture Census 1996)
- Over 2000 loads of
shavings were hauled in 1998.
- Shavings promote
healthier livestock and increase calf survival
rates.
- Shavings increase
feed efficiency and rate of gain.
- Shavings provide
warm, dry, clean, and insulated bedding for
livestock and dairy operations throughout the
year.
- Shavings provide
excellent moisture absorption, are cost effective
and efficient.
- Shavings retain
moisture and substantially increase crop yields.
- 8,000 to 10,000 head
of cattle are retained in the local area instead
of being shipped out, largely due to availability
of top quality forage and plentiful shavings for
bedding.
- The hauling and
handling of shavings generates the equivalent of
5 full time jobs in the agriculture sector each
year and a spin-off of at least an additional 15
full time job equivalents in the local economy
just in relation to the use of shavings.
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