Cattle Update: Fall Nutritional Considerations

Cattle Update: Fall Nutritional Considerations

Cattlenetwork.com

The fall season provides an opportunity for the spring calving cow/calf producer to economically restore body condition to thin cows. During this period most spring calving cows will be the mid-gestation stage of reproduction. As always the producer needs to be aware of the nutritional requirements of the cow at various production stages and have an understanding of forage quality in order to match up nutritional needs with forage options.

Nutrient requirements for cows in mid-gestation are the lowest of any production stage. This means that low quality feedstuffs can be utilized to meet nutrient requirements of cows that do not need to improve body condition and better quality feedstuffs can economically put gain on cows that need to improve body condition before late gestation. Using crude protein (CP) and total digestible nutrients (TDN) as indicators, the mid-gestation cow requires a diet containing 7.0 % CP and 48.8%TDN according to Beef NRC (National Research Council) recommendations. Remember that pregnant heifers still have a growth requirement that must be met in addition to body maintenance requirements, so their ration needs to provide higher levels of CP and TDN; somewhere in the 54 to 55 % range for TDN and around 8 to 8.5% CP at this mid-gestation stage.

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New vaccines help producers prevent, not just treat, disease

New vaccines help producers prevent, not just treat, disease

By Andrea Johnson, For Lee Agri-Media

Tri State Neighbor

As consumers call for wholesome beef and dairy products from healthy animals, animal health companies are using the latest in technology to develop new vaccines.

Novartis Animal Health recently introduced two new products the pharmaceutical company believes can help keep beef and dairy animals healthy.

The products are Vira Shield 6+VL5 HB and Vira Shield 6+L5 HB.

“These are the first and only inactivated viral vaccines in combination with Lepto hardjo-bovis,” said Doug Scholz, D.V.M. and Novartis Animal Health director of professional services.

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Japan halts beef imports from U.S. plant; suspect shipment found

By Kozo Mizoguchi

Fort Wayne.com

Japan said Wednesday it has halted beef imports from one U.S. meatpacking plant after finding a shipment with improper documentation, a development that may test the public’s concern about the safety of U.S. beef imports.

The Agriculture and Health ministries decided to halt shipments from Swift & Co.’s plant in Greeley, Colo., after a shipment from the facility arrived in Osaka without proper documentation for some of the internal organs it contained, Agriculture Ministry official Yasushi Yamaguchi said.

The Japanese government has asked the U.S. government to investigate the mishap and outline measures to prevent a recurrence, Yamaguchi said.

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Global resurgence in zoonotic viral diseases

Global resurgence in zoonotic viral diseases

News-Medical.net

Doctors and veterinarians need to work together to tackle the increasing global threat of zoonotic viral diseases spread by non-human vertebrate hosts – including dogs, cattle, chickens and mosquitoes – according to a review in the November issue of Journal of Internal Medicine.

An estimated 50 million people acquired zoonotic diseases between 2000 and 2005 and up to 78,000 have died, reports Dr Jonathan Heeney, Chair of the Department of Virology at the Biomedical Primate Research Centre in the Netherlands.

And the diseases responsible for the majority of zoonotic illnesses, and a third of the deaths in the study period, appear to be increasing. This is particularly worrying because there are no effective vaccines for some of the most common zoonotic viruses.

“For instance there has been a global resurgence in the Dengue virus – which is transmitted between monkeys in the jungle by the mosquitoes that feed on them. The cycle can move into nearby urban areas where it can then be transmitted from person to person by mosquitoes” says Dr Heeney.

“This has been attributed to regional population growth around large cities, increased transportation and failing public control measures.”

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Ohio Beef Newsletter available

The November 8, issue # 511, of the Ohio BEEF Cattle letter is now posted to the web at : http://fairfield.osu.edu/ag/beef/beefNovr8.html

In just the past couple of months, corn prices have rallied to near historical highs. It’s obvious what this does to the profitability of cattle that might have already been on feed before the rally. But, how will higher corn and bean meal prices impact feeder and fed cattle profitability from this point on into next year? This week, OSU economist Brian Roe offers his incite.

Articles include:
* Feeder Cattle Prices and Higher Feed Prices
* June ’07 Cattle Prices
* Fall Nutritional Considerations
* Forage Focus: Hay Is in the Barn . . .
* An update on the Ohio Heifer Development Program

Stan
———-
Stan Smith
Program Assistant, Agriculture
OSU Extension, Fairfield County
831 College Ave., Suite D
Lancaster, OH 43130

e-mail: smith.263@cfaes.osu.edu
voice: 740.653.5419 ext. 24
fax: 740.687.7010
Visit:
Fairfield Co. OSU Extension – http://fairfield.osu.edu
OSU Beef Team – http://beef.osu.edu

Corn Concerns May Be Overdone

Corn Concerns May Be Overdone

By Jim Cote

Successful Farming

CHICAGO (Dow Jones)–The conventional wisdom says higher corn prices will

push cattle out of feedlots and onto the market, but some traders and analysts

believe those projections are exaggerated.

“The market has paid a great deal of attention to higher corn prices, and I

think feedlots will try to move cattle in a timely manner, but I don’t think

anyone will panic,” said Dan Vaught, an economist with AG Edwards & Sons. “And,

after cattle futures prices have been driven down, the market looks as though

it is setting up for a bull run.”

Cattle have been moving to slaughter at a steady pace, but Vaught said he

believes cattle slaughter levels have been driven by demand for beef, rather

than any desire to dump cattle.

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Beef Council passes $3.5 million budget including holiday ad campaign

Beef Council passes $3.5 million budget including holiday ad campaign

Tri State Neighbor

BROOKINGS, S.D. – The South Dakota Beef Producers Industry Council (SDBIC) passed a $3.5 million budget at the organization’s annual meeting.

Income from the $1-per-head beef checkoff in South Dakota is designated for a variety of promotion, research and education programs in addition to administration of the checkoff program in South Dakota. Programs are focused on improving the marketing climate for beef. The meeting was held on the South Dakota State University campus as part of SDSU’s 40th Annual Beef Bowl activities.

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Forage Focus: Hay Is in the Barn

Forage Focus: Hay Is in the Barn

Cattlenetwork.com

Now that November is here our thoughts turn to the Holidays. Ol’ man winter is not far away and feeding hay probably isn’t too far away either. So now is a good time to take inventory of what your stored feed needs are going to be and then determine “do I have enough hay to carry me through until new grass in late March or early April”?

Take inventory of your bale numbers, then weigh a few bales, do the math and see exactly how many tons of hay you have in inventory. Next, have a nutrient analysis test done on your hay. Your county agent can help you with this. After the analyses are returned, work with your agent to balance a ration that will give the desired results (maintenance, pounds of gain, pounds of milk, etc.) you want for your livestock over the winter.

Once the calculations are made you should know if you are going to have just enough hay, not enough (and might have to buy some hay) or excess that could be marketed commercially. Whatever the outcome you’ll have good numbers and can plan accordingly.

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Winter Grazing Wisdom

Winter Grazing Wisdom

by Kindra Gordon

Angus Journal

Savvy beef producers know that stretching the grazing season into the winter months can shave dollars off feed expenses. But for winter grazing or windrow grazing to work, planning and management are key.

Here, we get advice from specialists in West Virginia, Wisconsin and Montana on what works — and what doesn’t work — when it comes to getting cows to forage through the winter months.

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Chianina Breeder, Leader J.T. Pass dies

Chianina Breeder, Leader J.T. Pass dies

American Chianina Journal

J.T. Pass, 60, died Monday, Sept. 18, 2006. He was born March 21, 1946, in Monahans, Texas, the son of John and Evelyn Massey Pass. J.T. developed real estate in Dallas and throughout Texas until 1986 with John Pass Investments. Beginning in 1988, J.T. developed 80 restaurants in four states, the largest franchise of Whataburger restaurants in the country, and was named Franchisee of the Year multiple years.

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Beef Checkoff program helps demand for 20 years

Beef Checkoff program helps demand for 20 years

High Plains Journal

By Jennifer Bremer

“The $1 per head assessment has remained the same over 20 years, but I am convinced that $1 is being invested more wisely today,” Monte Reese, chief operating officer for the Cattlemen’s Beef Board.

The need for a program to help increase the demand for beef is why the national Beef Checkoff Program started 20 years ago.

The checkoff’s mission is to increase demand for beef has been a success over the past 20 years, according to Monte Reese, chief operating officer for the Cattlemen’s Beef Board.

The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 farm bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. The checkoff assessment became mandatory when the program was approved by 79 percent of producers in a 1988 national referendum vote.

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