Weekly Livestock Comments, May 19, 2017

– Andrew P. Griffith, University of Tennessee

FED CATTLE: Fed cattle traded $4 lower on a live basis compared to last week. Prices on a live basis were mainly $133 to $135 while dressed prices were mainly $210 to $213. The 5-area weighted average prices thru Thursday were $134.27 live, down $3.59 from last week and $212.74 dressed, down $7.79 from a week ago. A year ago prices were $131.14 live and $204.03 dressed. Finished cattle prices experienced two consecutive weeks of large price declines which likely solidifies that the spring price peak occurred two weeks ago. Elevated prices have resulted in strong profit margins for cattle feeders for several weeks and this week’s prices continue to result in solid profits at the cattle feeding level despite Continue reading

Optimum Hay Yields Require Optimum Fertility!

Stan Smith, OSU Extension PA, Fairfield County (this article was published previously in the Ohio Farmer magazine at ohiofarmer.com)

Each ton of forage harvested removes 13 pounds of P2O5 and 50 pounds of K2O

With the weather finally allowing hay harvest to get underway across Ohio, it’s also a good time to consider strategies for replacing the soil nutrients that are removed during harvest. Since hay is the basis for most Ohio winter beef cow rations, it’s common for cattlemen to occasionally pull soil samples from hay fields that don’t seem to be as productive as they once were. Often times they’re surprised to discover the fertility is low, especially in fields that have been in hay for some time.

It’s not uncommon to Continue reading

Forage Maturity: The Most Important Factor Affecting Forage Quality (and Yield?)

Stan Smith, OSU Extension PA, Fairfield County

Considering the weather Ohio experienced the first two weeks of May this year, the last thing a farmer wants to hear is anyone suggesting that hay needs to be made now . . . and in fact, right now! I realize that most folks who have hay to make also have row crops to plant and care for, and perhaps also have cows to breed, pastures to rotate and any number of other spring time chores. Regardless, you’ve heard it before and will hear it again, young leafy forages are high in protein and total digestible nutrients. And, once those plants begin to make seed heads, quality and digestibility decline quickly.

The ages old argument for not making hay now is that if we wait Continue reading

Speed Up Hay Drying Time with Properly Adjusted Conditioning Rolls

– Duane Miller, Penn State University Extension Educator

While some first cutting has taken place in the southern areas of Pennsylvania, there still remains a large amount of forage that has yet to be cut. With first cutting, we try to encourage timely harvest so producers can maximize forage quality, while setting up a good schedule for future cuttings. The problem is that often times, our weather patterns don’t cooperate and we don’t get those sunny, hot days that dry hay well.

To ensure that you’re getting every advantage you can to bale your crop as quickly as possible, there are several items you should Continue reading

Fresh Grocery Produce as a Supplement for Livestock Feed

– V. Fellner, J.M. Rice and M. Boersig, The Professional Animal Scientist 33:151–159

The fact that almost a third of the annual food produced in the United States is not consumed by humans has drawn wide attention in recent years. Typically, 97% of wasted food is disposed in landfills. The use of food waste as animal feed is one partial solution to this problem. Grocery stores in the United States generate significant amounts of food scraps from trimmings and other excess product that has deteriorated beyond saleable quality for human consumption. Food scraps consist of portions of produce that have become unwholesome due to deterioration, discoloration, or general loss of freshness.

Historically, much of this excess organic material has been discarded into landfills. However, the Continue reading

Cow-Calf Profitability Expectations for a Fall Calving Herd

Kenny Burdine and Greg Halich, University of Kentucky Agricultural Economists

While calf prices have rebounded somewhat from the lows they made in fall of 2016, they remain down drastically from where they were two years ago, which continues to create challenges for cow-calf operators. Last fall, we provided an estimate of cow-calf returns to a spring calving cowherd given calf prices and expected costs. In this article, we will attempt to do the same thing, but will do so for a fall calving cowherd. Calf prices reflect this spring’s market and expected costs for a fall calving cowherd at Continue reading

Choice-Select Spread

– Brenda Boetel, Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Wisconsin-River Falls

The Choice-Select spread has widened in the last few weeks. Although it is occurring slightly early, this widening of the spread is a seasonally expected occurrence. This widening of the Choice-Select spread provides incentives for increased production of Choice beef as compared to Select beef. Over a 12 month period of time, the Choice-Select spread is typically narrowest in the January to March time-frame as the demand for Choice graded middle meats is at its lowest and the supply of Choice graded cattle is typically at its highest. In contrast, as we go into summer, the demand Continue reading

Feeder Cattle Price Volatility on the Increase

– Brian R. Williams, Assistant Extension Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Mississippi State University

The cattle markets have been on rampage over the last few weeks, with October Feeder Cattle futures nearly hitting $160 during intraday trading at one point. That is way up from late March when prices were hovering around the $130 mark. But with the run-up in prices, we have also seen volatility increase substantially. There have been several days where trading was limit up or limit down over the last couple of weeks, which can put cattle producers at the edge of their seats. Demand has been Continue reading

Safety is Key for Young Farm Workers

Emily Buxton Adams, OSU Extension Educator, Coshocton County (This article appeared on May 7, 2017 in the Coshocton Tribune)

It won’t be long until hay season will be upon us. For some farms that means more labor than usual is required to get all the jobs done. That labor may include your own children or grandchildren. Today we’ll take a look at what the law allows and also consider what types of jobs kids are capable of handling from a developmental standpoint.

One great reference to guide these considerations are Continue reading

Implanting the Suckling Calf

While castrating and tagging young calves, consider using calfhood implants as a management strategy to maximize returns. Photo courtesy of Mitzi Goodman.

– Erin Laborie, Nebraska Extension Educator

The use of growth implants has shown to be an effective tool in increasing production from the ranch to the feedlot. Implants cause a delay in fat deposition and an increase in lean tissue accretion while ultimately changing frame size. These growth promotants have been reported to increase gains of suckling calves by four to six percent (Griffin and Mader, 1997). This can result in an additional 15 to 30 pounds of weaning weight, which equates to approximately $20 to $40 in returns per head. With the cost of a calfhood implant (Ralgro®, Synovex® C, Component® E-C) being Continue reading