Ohio Beef Newsletter Available

The June 6, issue # 540, of the Ohio BEEF Cattle letter is now posted to the web at: http://fairfield.osu.edu/ag/beef/beefJune6.html

While some parts of Ohio received significant rainfall this past weekend, many didn’t. Regardless, with the “summer slump” quickly approaching, it’s unlikely that the forage production that’s already been lost to a wet winter, late freeze, and dry spring will be reclaimed this year in traditionally managed forage fields. This week, we commit the majority of the BEEF letter to planning to manage yet again with less than anticipated forage production.

Articles this week include:
* It’s Deja Vu . . . all over again!
* Grazing Management in Dry Times
* Is it Time to Consider Early Weaning?
* Summer Annuals for Grazing
* Eastern Cattle Price Trends
Stan
———-
Stan Smith
Program Assistant, Agriculture
OSU Extension, Fairfield County
831 College Ave., Suite D
Lancaster, OH 43130

Beef Producers Must Select Proper Needles For Injections

Beef Producers Must Select Proper Needles For Injections

Size and length are important considerations in the selection of needles to use when

giving injections to beef cattle.

For injections given subcutaneously, a producer should select a needle that is one-half or three-fourth inch long. Using a needle that is longer may result in the muscle being penetrated with the tip.

Needles that are one to one and one half inches in length should be used for giving intramuscular injections. Medication that is to be given intramuscularly needs to be injected deep enough to prevent the medication from seeping out of the muscle. A needle that is less than one inch in length will not place the medication deep enough in the muscle.

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Youth Cattle Working Contest: Intense Competition and Great Learning

Youth Cattle Working Contest: Intense Competition and Great Learning

Drs. Dee Whittier and Mark Wahlberg Virginia Cooperative Extension: Virginia Tech

The Virginia Youth Cattle Working Contest had its 2007 culmination at the championship contest held at the Virginia Beef Expo on April 21, 2007.  Statewide 50 teams had competed at regional contests to qualify to compete at the event.  Twelve teams competed in Harrisonburg with the Grayson county team consisting of Mitchell Grubb, Dustin Grubb and Jordan Hash emerging as the champions.

The second place team was from Orange County and consisted of Dillon Harris, Eric Conelly and Kyle McGinnis.  The third place team was the Pulaski 4-H team consisting of Will Beahm, Kelly Beahm and Ty Burton. Only two points of the possible one hundred divided the first 3 teams.

Other teams competing in the state completion included two teams from Tazewell, two teams from Fort Chiswell, three additional teams from Grayson County, an additional team from Orange County and a Highland FFA team.

The contest has grown in popularity in the ten years since its inception when all competition occurred at the Beef Expo.  Regional qualifying completion has become necessary to accommodate the numerous teams desiring to compete.  Competitors demonstrate their skills in processing young beef cattle for health and productivity and learn the concepts of Beef Quality Assurance.

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University of Minnesota Byproducts for Pastures Program

University of Minnesota Byproducts for Pastures Program

Benefits to participating in the By-products Program:

􀁀 Proven track record with over a decade of beneficial reuse of byproducts

􀁀 University research used for application recommendations

􀁀 Education programs and field days for both industries and producers to share current research data and cropping improvement technologies

􀁀 Unbiased 3rd party involvement

􀁀 Provide educational programming to local decision makers/residents describing the research on the reuse benefits of these products.

􀁀 Assisting producers in developing environmentally sound crop management systems including the use of industrial by-products as soil amendments.

􀁀 Develop packets for individual fields including information about land ownership, soil types, soil analysis, and determine application rates based on crop type and soil analysis. 􀁀 Develop, research and secure funding for new potential uses for by-products.

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Increase Cattle Value by Keeping Records

Increase Cattle Value by Keeping Records

Justin Sexten, Extension Specialist Animal Systems/Beef

Illini Beef Net

As the 2006 spring calving season begins, producers recording calving data may be able to increase cattle value. On December 12th 2005 the Japanese border opened to US beef from cattle 20 months of age and younger giving beef producers additional marketing opportunities for age-verified cattle. Maintaining written calving records will allow cattle to enter various marketing programs requiring age and/or source verification.

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Tips for Starting Cattle

Tips for Starting Cattle

Jeff Pastoor, Beef Consultant, Land O’Lakes Farmland Feeds

Beeflinks.com

How we start cattle in the lot will affect how they perform for the remainder of the feeding period.

The objectives for starting cattle are to get the cattle eating well and to keep the cattle healthy. The driving force for keeping cattle healthy is nutrient intake that supports the immune system and relieves stress. The bottom line is that dry matter intake is the most important driving force for healthy, high performing cattle and the lowest cost of gain.

Here are some tips to follow to reach the goal of getting a great start:

1.      Long stem hay. Feed alone for the first 12 hours. Grass hay is preferred.  Put it in the bunk, after the cattle arrive, to attract them to the bunk. After the first 12 hours, you can deliver some total mixed ration on top of the dry hay. Do not free choice hay in a round bale feeder, some cattle will eat too much hay and not enough starting ration resulting in poor health and performance.

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Stocker Cattle Forum: Factors That Affect Livestock Grazing

Stocker Cattle Forum: Factors That Affect Livestock Grazing

Cattlenetwork.com

Livestock generally prefer to expend the least amount of energy possible. That makes them predictable in their  grazing behavior. They will choose “convenience areas.”

Convenience areas are areas within a pasture or management unit that, because of their proximity to water, level terrain, and/or high quality forage, are preferred by grazing livestock. Given freedom of choice and/or the lack of sufficient enticement, livestock will overuse these convenience areas.

When stocking rates are applied to a management unit, it is assumed that livestock are evenly distributed across the pasture. In practice, this does not occur and convenience areas become overgrazed and less convenient areas are undergrazed. Poor grazing distribution is intensified by placing salt, mineral, and rubs near the water supply.

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Factors Affecting Sale Price of Calves

 Factors Affecting Sale Price of Calves

Dr. Glenn Selk, Extension Cattle Specialist, Oklahoma State University

      At the recent American Society of Animal Science meetings, Dr. Tom Troxel of the University of Arkansas presented information about factors that affect sale price of Arkansas beef calves as they were marketed in fifteen Arkansas livestock auction markets in 2005. He reported on data from over 100,000 head of calves sold in 52,401 lots.

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Natural Incentives

Natural Incentives

Cattlemen with top-quality Angus herds have a new option for feeding their natural calves.

Angus e-List

The Beef Marketing Group (BMG), headquartered at Great Bend, Kan., announced its Customer Ownership Program in May. BMG will pay a $100-per-head premium for all cattle harvested as natural.

“We want to get closer to producers and build relationships,” said Kenny Wiens, BMG director of procurement. “By doing so, we should get higher-quality cattle and more opportunities for profit at every stage of beef production.”

BMG is a marketing cooperative of 14 feedyards in Kansas and Nebraska. Five of those are currently dedicated to the production of natural beef as part of an agreement with Tyson Fresh Meats, the top volume Certified Angus Beef LLC (CAB) licensed packer. To qualify for Certified Angus Beef® (CAB®) brand Natural, cattle must be individually identified and never received antibiotics, hormonal implants, ionophores or animal byproducts.

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Controlling Western Ragweed In Pasture

Controlling Western Ragweed In Pasture 

Cattlenetwork.com

Western ragweed (Ambrosia psilostachya) is a common native weed in northeast Nebraska’s rangeland, prairies and disturbed sites in all soil types. It is a perennial forb from the sunflower family (Asteraceae) that reproduces both by seed and rhizome.

Plant description

Rhizome is a horizontal creeping root system growing in the top 5-10 inches of soil. The plants usually grow in sparse groups (patches or clusters). The stem is very erect, up to 3 feet tall, and has many branches with long hairs that give it a rather coarse feeling. Leaves are alternate on the upper part of the stem, opposite on the bottom, with many divisions and teeth. Like many other plant species, the overall growth and development depends on the amount and timing of rainfall. In Nebraska western ragweed can flower from July to October, with greenish-yellow flowers positioned on the top of the main stem and branches. It produces inch long bur-like fruits with a single seed within each bur.

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SDSU offers farm tours, workshops this month

SDSU offers farm tours, workshops this month

Tri State Neighbor

June 13: Grazing noxious weeds workshop

BROOKINGS, S.D. – A workshop on using cattle to graze noxious weeds is set for June 13 in Vermillion, S.D.

Clay County Extension agronomy educator Matt Bernau said the event gets under way at 9 a.m. at the Clay County 4-H Center, 515 High St.

“Sustainable Weed Control Management: Training Cattle to Graze Noxious Weeds in Southeast South Dakota Pastures” is targeted to farmers and ranchers, consultants and the general public.

The North Central Region of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, or SARE, is funding the workshop.

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Cattle Verification: Role Of PVP & QSA Programs In Exporting Beef

Cattle Verification: Role Of PVP & QSA Programs In Exporting Beef

Cattlenetwork.com

USDA has established Beef Export Verification (EV) Program requirements for selling beef internationally.The specific requirements for each country are outlined, including what products may be exported, processing regulations and stipulations for the cattle producing the beef. In the case of Japan, a specific requirement is that the beef be from cattle of 20 months of age or less. For most other countries (Hong Kong, Mexico and Canada), the age requirement is 30 months or less.These EV age regulations must be met through cattle from a USDA Process Verified Program that requires age verification or from a USDA QSA Program that requires age verification. Simply put, beef is not eligible for export to Japan unless it comes from cattle less than 20 months of age and from cattle certified through a PVP or QSA.

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Recent rainfall isn’t helping everyone

Recent rainfall isn’t helping everyone

Lela French

KOTA-TV

Barb and Bob Dedic are ranchers who have been living in New Underwood for almost 60 years.

Watching other places get badly needed moisture for grazing, the Dedics say they’re happy for other’s good fortune, but still wish for some of their own.

“We don’t have near enough pasture for this year, for this summer. Doesn’t look like we are going to put up hardly any hay. Several of the dams are dry,” says Rancher Barbara Dedic.

The Dedics say their best year for hay, 1999. And though they’re running low, their cattle are still feeding off of the hay from that year.

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Cattle Preconditioning Forum: Is It Time To Consider Early Weaning?

Cattle Preconditioning Forum: Is It Time To Consider Early Weaning?

Cattlenetwork.com

For most beef producers with spring calving cow herds, summer is a time to focus on other things. It seems like the one season of the year when we can reduce the hours per week spent with the beef enterprise. Things appear to be okay and they probably are “okay” but are there potential profits being lost? Consider the following:

Beef cow lactation peaks at about six weeks post calving and continues to decline.

July and August pasture growth and moisture are generally limited.

The number of cows most beef producers keep is a function of how many can be carried in July and August.

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Ferrets vs. cattle

Ferrets vs. cattle

By PETER SLEVIN

The Washington Post

Casper Star Tribune

WALL, S.D. — Here on the sun-parched prairie, the fight over federal grassland is unending, pitting the backers of the crowd-pleasing prairie dog against the supporters of the humble cow. This week, the Bush administration could open the door to poisoning more of the furry rodents in order to help the cattle.

A new environmental assessment will say that more prairie dog colonies can safely be targeted. Although the U.S. Forest Service will not make a decision until after a 45-day public comment period, conservation activists started to complain even before federal staff members in recent days mailed the document to politicians and advocates.

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ProMetic Confirms Increased Sensitivity for BSE Detection in Cattle

ProMetic Confirms Increased Sensitivity for BSE Detection in Cattle

- Company designs and tests filter product to improve accuracy of BSE detection

Marketwire.com

MONTREAL, QUEBEC–(Marketwire – June 7, 2007) – BSafE Innovations Inc. (BSafE), a joint venture company owned by ProMetic Life Sciences Inc. (“ProMetic”) (TSX:PLI) and Top Meadow Farms, announced today that by conducting a comprehensive array of validation tests, it has confirmed that its first filter product can significantly increase the sensitivity of diagnostics currently used to detect the presence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle post mortem.

The BSafE filter, which is designed as an add-on to current diagnostic testing devices, provides an extra level of increased sensitivity to the process of detecting BSE, as it can reduce the risk of “false negatives” with current tests. Part of the validation work performed demonstrates BSafE’s step preceding current commercially available diagnostic tests can convert a negative into a positive.

Pierre Laurin, president and chief executive officer of ProMetic commented, “The safety of the food chain is of the utmost importance and the BSafE filter provides a tool that can greatly enhance the accuracy of BSE detection in cows that have been slaughtered or died. BSE, which is often known as Mad Cow Disease, is highly infectious, so it is very important to have more reliable tests available on the market in order to stop the spread of the disease as early as possible.”

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Farmers turning to local food companies to cut feed costs

Farmers turning to local food companies to cut feed costs

By Ben Sutherly

Dayton Daily News

From Mike-sell’s and Cargill in Dayton to the Dannon yogurt plant in Minster and Peak Foods whipped topping plant in Troy, food manufacturers don’t just supply supermarkets — many help fill local hog and cattle troughs.

The recent ethanol boom’s effect on corn prices, up 80 percent in the past year, has given farmers new incentive to seek alternative sources of feed, said Elizabeth Harsh of the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association. Corn typically accounts for 85 percent of cattle feed in feedlots, she said.

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R-CALF gets day in court

R-CALF gets day in court

Edmondton Sun

WASHINGTON — A U.S. appeals court will hear arguments in July in the latest bid by a persistent American ranchers group to restrict Canadian cattle imports.

The case, pursued for years by the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, or R-CALF, will get yet another airing July 13 in Portland, in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The Montana-based group’s legal fight was successful in delaying the beef trade after Canada’s first mad cow case in May 2003, prolonging a crisis that has cost Canadian ranchers billions. Since then, trade has resumed in younger cows thought to be at a lower risk for contracting the disease.

But R-CALF still wants a total ban, even as the U.S. government works on a new rule to reopen the border to older cattle and beef products.

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Cattle Feeding: Grazing Management In Dry Times

Cattle Feeding: Grazing Management In Dry Times 

Cattlenetwork.com

Graziers with whom I have the privilege to work are concerned. Many are reporting 0.4″ total rain for the month of May and the average temperature 10 degrees hotter than normal.

This translates into grass growth slowing and even stopping, right in the peak production period for our cool season pastures. What is a grazier to do? Relax. Remember, we have been here before – dry periods are expected, but not enjoyed. Be sure to check out the drought information published in 2002 mentioned above if you don’t believe me. Of course, if you just started managing grazing in the last two wet years, consider this a crucial part of your education. Many experienced graziers refer to it as the school of hard knocks.

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