To Feed or Not to Feed, Soybeans that Is

Nov 14, 2025

By Dr.Jeff Lehmkuhler

The current low grain commodity prices have sparked several questions regarding feeding soybeans to beef cattle. There are several factors to consider when deciding whether to feed or sell beans to the elevator. The following will touch on a few of these items to consider when making that decision.

Let’s first review the nutrient content of soybeans on a dry matter basis. In general, soybeans are used as a protein supplement as they contain approximately 40% crude protein. Soybeans also contain a significant amount of oil, near 20%, which makes them an energy supplement as well. Soybeans contain an inverted calcium to phosphorus ration which may require the diet to be supplemented with calcium. Looking at the calcium to phosphorus ratio is particularly important when feeding grain-based feedstuffs such as corn silage, wheatlage, or grain-heavy rations such as finishing diets.

Source : osu.edu

Video: Alberta Honey: A Day at Molenkamp Honey Farms

When was the last time you read the label on your honey?

We spent a day at Molenkamp Honey Farms with Michael Molenkamp, who has been keeping bees for 17 seasons and runs three to four thousand hives. In mid-September, he was finishing treatments and getting his bees ready for winter, and he walked us through how Alberta honey gets made.

Alberta has just 150 commercial beekeepers running 300,000 colonies, and together they produce 40% of Canada’s honey. Long summer days and golden canola fields give Alberta honey a light flavour that’s hard to match anywhere else.

Molenkamp calls Alberta beekeepers some of the most resilient farmers he knows. There’s plenty of Alberta honey to go around, but a lot on our shelves isn’t from here, so his ask is simple. Give the label a second look and choose honey made by Alberta beekeepers, or buy straight from a beekeeper near you.