Canadian hay marketers are continuing to see a surge in demand for their products. Unfortunately, there have been some less-than-successful outcomes. The increase in demand combined with a shortage of forage products due to drought conditions appears to be bringing out some unethical operators. The Canadian Forage and Grassland Association have been advised of several situations whereby large deposits had been paid but the hay was not delivered, and a couple of situations where the delivered hay was not of the quality that was agreed upon.

As livestock producers begin to examine this year’s harvest and prepare to feed the less than up-to-par crop to their animals, many questions are starting to come up in the field. Is this mold? Should I be worried about aflatoxins, DON or other toxins? What steps should I take to protect my herd?

Alltech has re-opened its tollfree mycotoxin hotline to answer questions like these. Besides answering questions from the field, the hotline also provides a centralized point of access to references and industry experts on the topic.

Growers conducting soil tests this fall may be surprised at unexpectedly low potassium (K) levels. It’s likely, however, that fields tested in drought-stricken areas have plenty of nutrients waiting to move back into the soil, according to DuPont Pioneer agronomy experts.

“The K is actually quite safe in the plant residues, so growers shouldn’t be alarmed if soil test levels of this nutrient are lower than expected. Just be aware that more nutrients will be released into the soil with precipitation,” says Andy Heggenstaller, DuPont Pioneer agronomy research manager.

For the fourth consecutive year, Pfizer Animal Health and the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) invite second- and third-year students of veterinary medicine to apply for the Pfizer Animal Health Scholarship. A minimum of 330 scholarships of $2,000 each will be awarded to students in colleges of veterinary medicine in the U.S. and the Caribbean. Scholarships will be awarded to students in all areas of study, including food animal medicine, equine and small animal medicine, research, academia, and government services, among others.

Kansas cattle farmers are being forced to sell off some or all of their herds because the prolonged drought has burned up pastures and driven grain prices sharply higher. The USDA reported that the number of cattle headed to Kansas feedlots in September was the lowest on record for that month, down 25 percent from September 2011. The number of cattle sold by feedlots to packers in the state fell 17 percent from a year ago and tied for the worst month ever. The Wichita Eagle reported that the industry had expected a steep drop for months.

With national beef cattle inventory at lows not seen since the 1950s, the time could be right for producers of Brahman-influenced cattle to adopt a fixed-time artificial insemination method which could add thousands of dollars in net value to a calf crop, according to researchers.

California Dairies, Inc. (CDI), along with the entire California dairy industry, mourns the passing of CDI member-owner and past chairman of the board, George Antonio Borba, on Oct. 23, 2012. Borba was an extraordinary and respected leader whose contributions to CDI and the dairy industry are immense. One of his greatest achievements was initiating three of the largest cooperatives in the nation to merge and form California Dairies, Inc., where he served as chairman of the board from its inception in 1999 until 2009.

Christian Rippe, DVM Milton, Wisconsin Dairy Specialist Vi-COR