Author: Smith

Forage & Pasture Planting Calendar

– Ed Brown, ANR Educator, Athens County (originally published in The Ohio Cattleman)

This calendar offers appropriate planting dates and seeding rates.

Throughout the years, I have received many calls as to when the best time is to plant pasture grasses and forages. Farmers and ranchers also wanted to know the recommended seeding rates for either a pure stand or as a forage mix. I would always refer them to the Ohio Agronomy Guide and give them the bit of information they needed. I knew that there had to a more efficient way to get out this information.

At first, I developed a spreadsheet with all the forages and which months they should be planted. This worked to answer questions quickly but wasn’t really a resource that producers could quickly access. This led to the development of the Forage & Pasture Planting Calendar.

I’ve taken the information from the Agronomy guide and put it into an easy to reference calendar that could be hung on the wall or on the side the fridge. The top of the calendar includes information and tips from the Ohio Agronomy Guide. The remainder of the calendar is organized by month with appropriate planting times and seeding rates.

The link to the calendar is https://athens.osu.edu/sites/athens/files/imce/Ag_Docs/Final%20Calendar_1.pdf

If you would like to print the calendar, it’s best done on 11 x 17 tabloid paper.

Biosecurity on Dairy Farms : Strategies against the influenza virus

Anyone interested in HPAI is welcome.

There will be a webinar hosted by the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine on “Biosecurity on Dairy Farms: Strategies against the influenza virus”, Thursday, April 25, 2024, 12:30 – 2:00 pm EST. (see attached document). Register for free at: https://osu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_TXXzghDHRNG_TqX1nw0TOQ#/registration

EDITOR’s NOTE: Also see this second fact sheet authored by OSU CFAES faculty concerning HPAI: Everyday Biosecurity Recommendations for Dairy and Beef Cattle Farm Personnel 

Industry concerns with liver abscesses in finishing cattle

– Jerad Jaborek, Michigan State University Extension

On the right, multiple large abscesses.

Liver abscesses increase costs with reduced efficiency of production and increased liver condemnation.

The United States beef industry has a renewed interest in trying to understand what causes the development of liver abscesses in cattle and their subsequent effect on the growth performance of cattle raised for beef. In a recent issue of the Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice journal, liver abscesses in cattle were reviewed. Liver abscesses are not a new problem for the beef industry and have been associated with feeding cattle primarily grain-based diets dating back to the 1930’s. Liver abscess prevalence rate varies considerably by region, presumably due to different feedstuffs fed, different feed management, and different cattle types (e.g., beef steers and heifers, beef x dairy steers and heifers, dairy steers, cull beef cows, cull dairy cows). Cattle livers containing abscesses are condemned at slaughter and represent an economic loss to the U.S. beef industry of approximately $61.2 million a year (25.5 million fed cattle, 30% liver abscess rate, $8 per liver), not including reduced carcass weight from the additional trimming required, reduced marbling deposition, and reduced feedlot performance. For many cattle producers, the effect of . . .

Continue reading: Industry concerns with liver abscesses in finishing cattle

For more information, also see: Liver Abscesses in Beef-on-Dairy Cattle are Costing Packers Big Money

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A Bullish April Cattle on Feed Report

– Dr. Kenny Burdine, Extension Professor, Livestock Marketing, University of Kentucky

Cattle on feed reports have not been especially kind to the cattle complex in recent months. Despite fewer cows and a smaller calf crop, on-feed inventories have been running above year-ago levels. Over the last several months, feeder cattle placements have been higher than most analysts would have expected. Weather and high prices likely encouraged some early placements in some regions going back to fall. At the same time, marketings have seemed to be relatively slow. I suspect this has been partly due to expensive feeder cattle and cheaper feed. This combination tends to encourage adding more weight to current feedlot inventory and rising harvest weights seem to be supporting this hypothesis.


This brings us to the April Cattle on Feed report, which came at the end of a week when cattle markets had gained back a portion of what had been lost since late March. The number that stood out the most was the estimate of March placements, which came in 246,000 head lower than March of 2023. I don’t want to read too much into a single report, but this 12% decrease is significant and Continue reading →

Beefenomics: Beef Trade Update

– William Secor, Ph.D. University of Georgia Department of Agricultural & Applied Economics

Imports are mostly lean beef trimmings.

Total U.S. beef production is projected to be around 6.5% smaller compared to 2022 and 2% smaller compared to 2023. Smaller supplies have pronounced implications for U.S. beef trade. With lower production, exports are expected to decline, and imports are expected to increase.

April projections from USDA suggest that exports could be down around 8% compared to 2023 at a little over 2.8 billion pounds. In contrast to lower export volumes, export values are higher than year-ago values according to the USDA thanks to higher prices. Export values in January and February (adjusted for the extra day) were up, approximately 9 and 6 percent year-over-year, respectively. This suggests that . . .

Continue reading: Beefenomics: Beef Trade Update

Managing Risk in a Risky Business

– Garth Ruff, Field Specialist Beef Cattle and Livestock Marketing, OSU Extension

Manage the risk of grazing stockers!

The grass is getting greener by the day and livestock are being turned out to pasture as we speak. For many years cattle producers have purchased and turned out stocker cattle on grass this time of year. The goal: put on cheap gain, utilizing grazed forages. While the pounds added to cattle in a stocker operation might be cheap, one thing is for certain that in 2024 calves being purchased to be stockers on grass are anything but.

Looking at livestock auction reports in eastern Ohio 300-500 pound steers last week cost anywhere from $3.00-$3.52 per pound for quality steer calves. Heifer calves cost $2.50 – $3.00 per pound. That is a range in cost from $750 to north of $1,700 per head invested in a calf that will be grazing through the summer. With that kind of up-front costs in buying cattle this spring, summer grazing is risky as it has ever been and there are Continue reading →

Enhancing Sacrifice Grazing Lots: Solutions for Winter Mud Challenges

– Ted Wiseman, OSU Extension, Perry County (originally published in Farm & Dairy)

Restoring a sacrifice lot offers a unique challenge.

During winter, sacrifice grazing lots serve as vital spaces for livestock, protecting primary pastures from overgrazing and erosion. However, these areas often struggle with mud accumulation due to heavy rainfall and trampling. Tackling these issues is important for both animal welfare and environmental concerns. Every operation has its own unique challenges, but there are some common strategies for renovating sacrifice grazing lots to effectively mitigate winter mud problems.

Before conducting any renovation strategies, it’s essential to understand the root causes of mud problems. Some factors are within our control, while others such as weather are not. Studies emphasize the importance of evaluating soil composition, drainage patterns, and livestock behavior to develop targeted solutions. Taking the time to look Continue reading →

Myth-Busting BVD Virus Eradication: Is it Possible?

– Dr. Michelle Arnold, Ruminant Extension Veterinarian

In Germany they proved BVD virus exposure can be quickly and substantially reduced.

“BVD” or “Bovine Viral Diarrhea” virus contributes to a wide range of reproductive, respiratory, and digestive system diseases in cattle. Although symptoms of the initial virus infection are typically mild such as fever and possibly off-feed for a day, there is much more going on than meets the eye. In calves, the BVD virus is immunosuppressive, predisposing infected calves to secondary bacterial infections particularly in the lungs, leading to significant sickness and death loss from bronchopneumonia in the stocker/backgrounder sector. In naïve, susceptible (non-vaccinated or poorly vaccinated) adult cows and heifers, infection with the BVD virus often goes completely unnoticed but ultimately results in reproductive failure, including infertility, early embryonic deaths, abortions, stillbirths, malformed calves, and weak newborns depending on Continue reading →

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Hay Verification Program Summarizes Cost of Production

– James Mitchell, Livestock Marketing Specialist, University of Arkansas

The Arkansas Hay Verification Program is a collaborative effort between Arkansas forage producers, county Extension agents, and state Extension Specialists. The goal of the AHVP is to implement Extension recommendations for increased hay production in accordance with goals established by both the producer and the county Extension agent. The aim is to assist hay producers in Arkansas by improving the production and quality of their hay and forage resources.


Twelve hay fields participated in the 2023 AHVP. Fields participate on a two-year rotating basis. Among the fields participating in 2023, four participated in the 2022 AHVP. Participating farms are from Cleveland, Conway, Dallas, Drew, Faulkner, Marion, Miller, Union, Van Buren, and White counties. Two fields from Cleveland and Dallas counties participated. All twelve fields were warm season forages, which is the current requirement for AHVP.

The table provided above summarizes hay budgets for the Continue reading →

Cutout, Weights, and Production

– David P. Anderson, Professor and Extension Economist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

While the weekly average Choice cutout has been above a year ago most of this year, some have noted some weaknesses especially compared to higher cattle and calf prices. Last week’s negotiated weekly average Choice Cutout averaged $300 per cwt compared to $297 last year.

Several factors are at work in cutout value. In some ways the market is in the winter-to-spring transition period, moving from winter-time roasts and other end cuts to steaks for grilling season. Primal cut values for chucks and rounds have been declining while the primal loin has been increasing. The rib and wholesale ribeye values have not increased seasonally heading into grilling season. Lean beef for ground beef has soared in value while 50 percent lean has remained depressed.

Steer dressed weights are over 30 pounds heavier than last year, and they have been increasing since February. Normally Continue reading →