Are You a “Committed” Producer?

John F. Grimes, OSU Extension Beef Coordinator

Do you ever ask yourself why you are involved in the beef cattle industry as a producer? Of course, the logical answer is that you raise beef cattle as a primary or supplemental source of income to your overall farming operation or off-the-farm career. Others may add that they simply enjoy raising beef cattle. Whatever the reason, it certainly is much easier to justify being involved in beef production in light of the current prices being received for all classes of beef cattle.

The OSU Extension Beef Team and other Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources professionals offer educational programs and advice to beef producers across the state to hopefully improve the efficiency and overall profitability of their operations. Proven and new management practices are shared with clientele. Some of these practices are adopted and others are not for whatever reason.

As a “seasoned” veteran with OSU Extension, I have often thought to myself or have been asked why various management practices have not been adopted by more producers. I am sure that there are many specific and unique reasons why these practices may not have been adopted by more producers. If you ask a producer why a producer doesn’t use a particular management practice, you would hear reasons such as: “not enough labor/too much time”, “cost”, “lack of facilities”, “too difficult or complicated”, “don’t believe it works”, Continue reading

Hay Making Strategies

Rory Lewandowski, Extension Educator Wayne County

On Monday, May 12, I was out in a pasture field and noticed some orchardgrass seed heads beginning to emerge. The appearance of seed heads is associated with increasing fiber content and decreased forage quality. This means that livestock producers who need high quality forage, dairy producers for example, now have the added pressure of juggling crop planting decisions with forage harvesting decisions when the sun finally shines and the soil dries enough to get machinery on it.

Last week in this newsletter, OSU Extension forage specialist Mark Sulc wrote: “A timely first and second cutting is critical for high quality forage. Fiber accumulates faster in the first two growth cycles in May and June than it does later in the summer.” In the May issue of “Forage News” from the University of Kentucky, the authors provided an example of how quickly forage quality can decline in Continue reading

Posted in Forages

First Cutting of Forages

Mark Sulc, Forage Specialist, OSU Extension

While we’ve all been focused on getting planting done between the rains, our established forage crops have quietly been growing rapidly. I hate to say this, but first cutting of forages is just about upon us. Orchardgrass was just beginning to shoot a head in central Ohio last Friday (see orchardgrass and bluegrass below in head in Perry County on 5/13/14). The alfalfa stands that were not severely injured by winter are looking great and Continue reading

Posted in Forages

The Value in an Estrus Synchronization Program is More Pounds!

Stan Smith, OSU Extension PA, Fairfield County

Again last week I had the opportunity to attend the Ohio FFA Convention. While in many ways for me its deja vu all over again, as I mentioned last year I thoroughly enjoy walking through the Agriscience Fair that’s also now held annually during the convention.

A year ago in this publication I described the research that Utica FFA Chapter member Emily Dickson completed on her “Hay Covering 101” project. This year with breeding season upon us, I want to share what I observed regarding the “Cost and Time Efficiency of Beef Cow Estrus Synchronization and Timed Artificial Insemination,” a research project completed by Continue reading