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COLEGE STATION – With little to no grazing and hay, should livestock producers continue to try to buy feed, move cattle to another state or just sell out?
“It would be much less expensive to just get out and come back later,” said Dr. Larry Redmon, Texas AgriLife Extension Service state forage specialist. “And that’s the message that we’re trying to convey.”
Many livestock producers have already tried to cut feeding costs by extensively culling their herds, but have held onto enough cows to rebuild their herds if the drought passes, he said.
Commercial beef producers will have another opportunity to purchase replacement females or bulls next spring with the first annual Minnesota Beef Showcase Sale and Agribition.
The Minnesota Beef Showcase Sale and Agribition is a joint effort of several Minnesota breed associations and will be held March 29-31, 2012 at the Red Horse Ranch Arena in Fergus Falls, Minnesota.
Most people don’t think of grass as poison, but dry weather and drought can turn a pasture dangerous.
Nitrates and prussic acid built to lethal levels in the stems and leaves of some plants as the hot days of July and August slowed forage growth to a halt. To protect your herd, University of Missouri Extension experts recommend a simple test to ensure cows aren’t chewing their way to disaster.
MT. VERNON, Missouri – Dry weather for the last two months in southwest Missouri has reduced the available forage in most pastures.
As a result, many cattle producers are feeding hay that they would prefer to have saved for cold weather, according to Eldon Cole, a livestock specialist with University of Missouri Extension.
Though it may not sound very glamorous, a new method of extracting ammonium from liquid animal manure could be exciting news for both confined animal operations and environmental groups, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service engineer.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service wants producers’ comments on its latest rules and regulations of livestock traceability. The newly proposed regulations are the most recent version of animal ID policies over a two-year period of public comment and analysis.
Calling the new rules “a flexible approach” that works with states and tribes on ID systems, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in an August 9 statement that the proposed rule meets four tenets: Administration by states and local government, setting traceability for all livestock crossing state lines, endorsing low-cost technology and a transparent implementation of the law.
NOVELTY, Missouri – When it comes to winter feed for beef herds, applying a pound of nitrogen to pastures in August gives a good return.
A pound of nitrogen fertilizer makes about 20 pounds of forage dry matter, Justin Sexten, beef nutritionist, told Greenley Center Field Day visitors, Aug. 9.
When and if the Texas drought breaks, market indicators suggest that middle-aged replacement cows may be a better choice than younger cattle, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service economist.
Feeder cattle markets went for a wild ride during the month of July, but moved into August very close to the price levels of late June. Normally, mid-summer heat and the dog-day-doldrums result in uneventful cattle markets with neither buyers or sellers getting very excited about doing business. But, this was no ordinary year! Yearling buyers became aggressive on both sides of the Independence Day holiday, causing sellers to get antsy, which sent marketing agents scrambling to facilitate business. Salebarns held huge yearling specials and both internet/video and direct country sales were active as a high volume of ownership exchanged hands while prices for feedlot replacements gained $8 to $12. Many markets eclipsed all-time records posted in late-March, including the CME Feeder Cattle Index (based on a 750-pound steer) that posted a high of 139.44 on July 15.
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