Where do we go from here?

Garth Ruff, Beef Cattle Field Specialist, OSU Extension

Dry weather limited hay production across much of Ohio.

2024 has been quite the year. We started the year with record high cattle prices, and what appeared to be the most profitable calf crop in several years. Move into planting season and first cutting hay harvest that went fairly well across most of the state and then it began to get dry. Really dry.

The drought of 2024 will be remembered for a long while as one of the greatest challenges to livestock production in Ohio. Whether it was hay being fed in August or water being hauled daily, the drought has certainly provided some challenges to those in affected areas but also provide some opportunities to make decisions on herd management, forages, and on farm water systems going forward.

I am not one to make New Year’s resolutions, but after hauling water at home for the past four months, I am going to Continue reading Where do we go from here?

The benefits of frost seeding legumes

– Victor Shelton, Retired NRCS Agronomist/Grazing Specialist

Adding legumes by frost-seeding has a lot of benefits.

As I write this in late December, winter has definitely arrived.  Snow flurries are falling outside my window, and while warmer than usual temperatures lingered longer than expected, true winter weather has finally settled in.

Recently, I’ve had several conversations about increasing legumes in pastures through frost seeding.  This method offers numerous benefits for pasture health, soil fertility and forage quality. One key advantage is that legumes, like red and white clover, fix nitrogen in the soil, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers and promoting a more balanced plant community. This results in more resilient and sustainable pastures.

Frost seeding also increases the Continue reading The benefits of frost seeding legumes

Posted in Pasture

Variable Rate Frost Seeding Evaluated at UK Research and Education Center

– Dr. Chris D. Teutsch, Caroline Roper, and Brittany Hendrix, University of Kentucky Research and Education Center at Princeton

Figure 1. Pastures often contain rough and undulating terrain that makes maintaining a constant speed difficult.

Clover and other pasture legumes are important parts of sustainable grassland ecosystems. Legumes form a symbiotic relationship with Rhizobium bacteria. The Rhizobium bacteria fix nitrogen from the air into a plant available form and share it with the legume. In return the legume plant provides the bacteria with a place to live (nodules on the root system) and an energy source (sugar from photosynthesis). Nitrogen fixation is the second most important biochemical process on earth following photosynthesis. In addition to nitrogen fixation, legumes improve pasture quality and animal performance, and new research from our USDA Ag Research Unit in Lexington shows that a compound found in red clover may help to alleviate tall fescue toxicosis.

Frost seeding is the process of broadcasting clover or other legume seed onto existing pastures or hayfields in late winter and allowing freezing and thawing cycles to incorporate the seed into the soil (Teutsch et al., 2021). This method is most commonly used with Continue reading Variable Rate Frost Seeding Evaluated at UK Research and Education Center

2024 Beef Cattle Market Review

– Josh Maples, Assistant Professor & Extension Economist, Department of Agricultural Economics, Mississippi State University and James Mitchell, Livestock Marketing Specialist, University of Arkansas

In 2024, cattle markets remained strong, driven by declining cattle numbers—a trend consistent with expectations outlined at the start of the year. The ongoing cattle cycle began in 2014 and saw beef cow inventories peak in 2019 at 31.69 million head. Since then, inventories have declined at an annual rate of 2.3%.

Cattle and calf prices continue their upward trajectory, ending the year on a high note. In the Southern Plains, prices for 500-600 pound steers have Continue reading 2024 Beef Cattle Market Review

Maintaining Forage Stability Amid Instability

Marina Miquilini, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Greene County, OSU Extension

Could warm season (C4) grasses solve a summer slump in forage growth?

When it comes to forage crops, we aim for stable production. But maybe it’s time to start thinking a step ahead. Stability means keeping things running smoothly with only minor hiccups during typical challenges. Today, however, we’re confronted with much larger challenges, such as extreme weather events, making adapting to these new realities essential.

That’s where resistance and resilience come into play. Basically, the overall stability of forage production depends on two key factors: how much a disturbance affects it (resistance) and how quickly it bounces back (resilience).

With that in mind, we’ll focus on understanding ways to boost resistance and resilience in forage crops, so we can Continue reading Maintaining Forage Stability Amid Instability

Looking at the costs of mud in terms of cow and calf performance

After the drought we experienced throughout much of Ohio during the summer and early fall of 2024 who might have thought mud would be a concern as we move into a new year? However, mud like we’re experiencing now and also as has been experienced in most recent winters, can have significant impact on performance in a cow/calf operation. During 2022 Ohio Beef School webinar series, then OSU Animal Sciences’ PhD candidate Kirsten Nickles’ shared her research into the impact of mud on the cow herd. In this 8 minute excerpt from that session, Nickles summarizes the long term costs of mud in terms of cow and calf performance if adequate supplemental nutrition is not provided to compensate for the added cow energy requirements created by a muddy environment.

When should we be concerned about Vitamin A supplementation?

– Lawton Stewart, Ph.D., Department of Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia

Are your cattle getting enough Vitamin A this winter?

Vitamins are a unique dietary component for beef cattle and are categorized into two groups: water-soluble and fat-soluble. Bacteria in the rumen synthesize water-soluble vitamins (e.g. B12, thiamin, niacin). Therefore, supplementation is generally not needed as long as the rumen if functioning properly. This leaves the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K). Of these, Vitamin A is considered the most important when feeding cattle.

What is Vitamin A and why is it important?
Vitamin A, also known as retinol, is a compound that is essential for growth, reproduction, maintenance of body tissue, and bone development. Technically, Vitamin A is not . . .

Continue reading When should we be concerned about Vitamin A supplementation?

December Cattle on Feed Report & Cautionary Note on “Demand Destruction”

– Glynn T. Tonsor, Ph.D., Professor Department of Agricultural Economics, Kansas State University

On Friday, December 20th USDA NASS released the latest Cattle on Feed report (https://usda.library.cornell.edu/concern/publications/m326m174z?locale=en). December 1st inventory was estimated at 11.98 million, on par with 2023. Placements in November were estimated at 1.80 million, down 4% from 2023 while marketings were estimated at 1.73 million, down 1% from 2023. Overall, this report was in line with pre-report expectations and likely will not be a market-mover with interest transitioning to 2025 reports including the January Cattle Inventory report.

I expect the January Cattle Inventory report to show some additional liquidation has occurred leading to a smaller calf crop in 2025. It seems most likely that the summer of 2026 is the soonest substantial national heifer retention may begin. While there is recently elevated uncertainty around international trade that should not be overlooked, most anticipate domestic beef availability to Continue reading December Cattle on Feed Report & Cautionary Note on “Demand Destruction”

Dealing with Cold Calves

Dr. John Yost, Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Wayne County, Ohio State University Extension

I can’t say for sure, but I imagine that any cow-calf producer would trade frozen ground for mud.  The downside of frozen ground and newborn calves is the chance for hypothermia.  Cows aren’t stupid.  When the weather turns cold the herd will congregate where it is dry and sheltered.  Those cows that come into labor and look to isolate themselves are often left to go to the worst spot of the field to drop their calf. The sight of a new calf stretched out in a wet hole, will knot up your stomach and you know it is going to be a long night trying to get it warmed back up.

Newborn calves don’t benefit from heat generated by the rumen fermentation that helps their mother weather cold temperatures.  When air temperature drops below 55 degrees Fahrenheit, a calf is reliant on metabolic heat from the small fat reserves that are deposited prior to birth.  When a calf is born into an extreme cold environment, their normal 18-hour energy reserve can be quickly exhausted through shivering, leading to hypothermia.

A calf’s normal body temperature at birth should be Continue reading Dealing with Cold Calves

Ionophore Toxicosis in Beef Cattle – Frequently Asked Questions

– Dr. Michelle Arnold – DVM, MPH UK Ruminant Extension Veterinarian

Heart and lungs from a cow with heart failure due to ionophore toxicosis. The lungs have a wet appearance compatible with pulmonary edema. Photo courtesy of Dr. Jennifer Janes, UKVDL.

Ionophores – what are they and why are they used?
Ionophores are feed additives utilized in the beef industry since 1975 as growth promoting agents and for control of coccidiosis. The approved ionophores for use in cattle in the US include monensin (Rumensin® – Elanco Animal Health; Monovet®90 – Huvepharma), lasalocid (Bovatec® – Zoetis) and laidlomycin propionate (Cattlyst® – Zoetis). Although all ionophores act similarly, this article will focus primarily on monensin as far more information is available due to its longstanding and widespread use in the beef industry.

Technically, monensin is a “monovalent carboxylic polyether ionophore antibiotic” produced by the fungus Streptomyces cinnamonensis. Ionophores are so named because they carry (the Latin root “phor” means carry) “ions” across normally impervious biological membranes, leading to disruption of normal cellular functions and cell death. When properly fed, ionophores beneficially alter the normal rumen microflora (bacteria, protozoa and fungi), resulting in increased efficiency of energy metabolism and improved nitrogen metabolism. In addition, monensin changes the ratio of volatile fatty acids in the rumen, increasing propionic acid production and reducing butyric and acetic acids, a change that ultimately provides more energy through increased production of glucose. Monensin is specifically labeled in beef cattle for 1) improved feed efficiency in mature beef cattle and cattle fed in confinement for slaughter; 2) increased rate of weight gain in stockers, feeders and replacement heifers; and 3) the prevention and control of coccidiosis in all classes of cattle (except veal calves) caused by Eimeria bovis and Eimeria zuernii. In addition to its label claims, feeding monensin to cattle is known to Continue reading Ionophore Toxicosis in Beef Cattle – Frequently Asked Questions