Forage meeting focuses on watching your Ps and Ks

Forage meeting focuses on watching your Ps and Ks

 Purdue AG Answers

 A Purdue expert shares how managing potassium and phosphorous levels significantly increase forage yield and longevity, two goals for many producers.

 Jeff Volenec, a Purdue University professor of agronomy, will discuss keeping an alfalfa stand for eight years with proper phosphorous and potassium management during the keynote address of the Indiana Forage Council’s annual meeting.

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Observe bulls closely as breeding season begins.

Observe bulls closely as breeding season begins.

 Dr. Glen Selk, Oklahoma State University

 A good manager keeps an eye on his bulls during the breeding season to make sure that they are getting the cows bred.  Occasionally a bull that has passed a breeding soundness exam may have difficulty serving cows in heat, especially after heavy service.  Inability to complete normal service and low fertility are more detrimental than failure to detect cows in heat to calf crop percent.  Such problems can best be detected by observing bulls while they work.

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Parasites can rob gain, grade, profits from producers

Parasites can rob gain, grade, profits from producers

 Tri State Neighbor

 Parasites may be little, but they can cause big problems for beef producers.

 Gary Sides, nutritionist for Pfizer Animal Health, said the pests cut profits in many cattle operations.

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Swift’s Imprint: Nothing to laugh about

Swift’s Imprint: Nothing to laugh about

Maria St. Louis-Sanchez

The Tribune (CO)

To hear excerpts from an audio interview with WR “Bill” Farr, click on the Web Extras link to the right.

For years, Swift & Co. has been known as that big plant out east that many people on Greeley’s west side try not to acknowledge — except on windy days.

Even then, it’s only with a wrinkle of their noses.

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Thermography offers diagnostic applications for veterinarians

Thermography offers diagnostic applications for veterinarians

 By Robbie Ward
For the Daily News (MS)

Until recently, Scott Willard of Mississippi State University considered himself a bovine reproductive physiologist, not an entrepreneur selling artwork generated from thermal imaging or a provider of services and devices to fellow scientists.

An animal and dairy sciences department researcher at the university, he now is adding businessman to the professional hats he wears.

Willard recently established RAMS — an acronym for Remote Animal Monitoring Solutions — a company offering a variety of services and products to the livestock industry, as well as other research scientists and large animal managers.

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LimMark tags pair genetics with information

LimMark tags pair genetics with information

 Tri State Neighbor

 To build brand equity by getting Limousin-influenced animals recognized when they perform well in commercial settings, the North American Limousin Foundation (NALF) has teamed with Allflex USA to provide a simple, flexible marketing program for feeder calves and replacement females.

 The LimMark tagging program aids Limousin customers in identifying their cattle and positioning themselves for greater returns by coupling reputable genetics with documented information. That will be even more effective when NALF announces the program’s new data-management services later this spring.

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$4.00 corn should be easier to sell, farmer says

$4.00 corn should be easier to sell, farmer says

 By Mike McGinnis
Agriculture Online Markets Editor

OSCEOLA, Iowa–Ed Kordick, commodity services manager, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, said it’s an exciting time to teach producers about marketing. But, the price levels make it difficult for the producers to make qualified decisions.

As part of the “Winning the Game” marketing program, Kordick recently gave producers ideas on pre-harvest marketing strategies.

“Since we’re at these high price levels, no one has a price reference,” Kordick said. “What we need to focus on is the revenue that is on the table.”

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Minute Maid Park to throw open its doors to Angus sale Thursday

Minute Maid Park to throw open its doors to Angus sale Thursday

 By JOSE DE JESUS ORTIZ
Houston Chronicle

Carlos Lee may push Brahman cattle, but Minute Maid Park will be Angus central Thursday when 70 lots of registered Angus cattle are put to auction by 31 of the top Angus breeders from California and North Carolina.

“Carlos Lee and I can argue whether his Brahman cattle are better than our beautiful black Angus,” said former Astros president of business operations Bob McClaren, who will co-host the first Grand Slam Genetics Angus Sale. “It is through advanced genetics like these cattle have that we get our great Certified Angus Beef.”

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Bovine TB confined to one bull in Colorado

Bovine TB confined to one bull in Colorado

 KOAA-TV (CO)

 Bovine tuberculosis, which can spread to people, has apparently not infected any cattle in Colorado beyond a single bull.  That bull from Lakewood was sold to a processing plant in Texas. When it was slaughtered, lesions were found on its lungs.

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Some marketing tools can take some risk out of operations

Some marketing tools can take some risk out of operations

 By Dale Hildebrant
Tri State Neighbor

One thing that has proven unpredictable in the past few months is the corn market.

Since the middle of September 2006, corn has shot up from around $2.50 per bushel to over $4 as of the middle part of February. And just during the first two weeks of January, corn fell from around $4 to $3.50 in a matter of a few days and then rallied to around $4.20 a bushel before settling back to the $4 figure.

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Forage Focus: Are Your Cows Mud Wrestlers?

Forage Focus: Are Your Cows Mud Wrestlers?

 Cattlenetwork.com

 Winter time often seems to create unique challenges with livestock and mud being one of the worst to deal with!

 Above normal rainfall in many areas last fall got us started early dealing with the frustration of mud this winter. Many counties had a very wet…well, entire year. This unfortunately often sets us up for a lot of mud and makes us happy when the ground finally freezes up; free cement!

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The buzzzz about………Bob Brandt

The buzzzz about………Bob Brandt

 Cathy Peterson
THE-BEE  (WI)

A former Marathon County dairy farmer, Bob Brandt began his new job as grazing specialist for Pri-Ru-Ta Resource Conservation and Development Council last November. Since then, he has met and worked with a number of Price County farmers, as well as others in Rusk, Taylor, Clark and Sawyer counties.

Brandt, who has four adult children, said his youngest son is renting the family farm. He noted that during his three decades of farming, he did rotational grazing for 12 years.

“I think my experiences, which I will be able to share with other farmers, was one of the reasons I was hired,” he said. “About 23 percent of all dairy farmers in the state are doing rotational grazing and the percentage is even higher for new farmers and those who are raising beef cattle.”

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Cattle Preconditioning Forum: Using Pasteurella Vaccine — Like An Insurance Plan

Cattle Preconditioning Forum: Using Pasteurella Vaccine — Like An Insurance Plan

Cattlenetwork.com

The largest cause of feedyard mortalities in North America is Pneumonic Pasteurellosis.(4) The disease causative organisms are Mannheimia (which used to be called Pasteurella) haemolytica and Pasteurella multocida.

They are part of a complex group of bacteria and viruses that together cause shipping fever.(4) “The stress of shipping is the third and final causative factor that completes the chain,” says Dr. Joe Dedrickson, director of the Merial Large Animal Veterinary Professional Services.

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Cow Calf: Understanding Neonatal Calf Diarrhea

Cow Calf: Understanding Neonatal Calf Diarrhea

 Cattlenetwork.com

 Neonatal calf diarrhea or CALF SCOURS generally is caused by one or more of the following disease organisms: Rota virus, Corona virus, Cryptosporidium parvum, E. coli (K99 enterotoxigenic form), or Salmonella. Understanding the impact that these disease entities have on baby calves can help cow calf managers reduce the adverse effects of calf scours. Adequate colostrum intake by the calf is important for disease protection. A vigorous baby calf nursing a properly immunized, properly fed dam, will be a first line of protection against calf scours.

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Beef Cattle Association to have membership drive

Beef Cattle Association to have membership drive

 Reporter-Times (IN)

 The Morgan County Beef Cattle Association will have a membership enrollment at 6:30 p.m. March 22 at Poe’s Cafeteria in Mooresville. A meal will be served prior to the meeting.

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