New Forage Seedings, the Window of Opportunity is Upon Us

Stan Smith, OSU Extension PA, Fairfield County

With the weather allowing so few new forage seedings to be established in Ohio the past couple of springs it would appear this August might offer a window of opportunity. With adequate sub-soil moisture levels presently across much of the state, a couple of timely showers will insure emergence that will allow new seedings the 6 to 8 weeks of growth required before Continue reading

Posted in Forages

2014 Ohio Beef Enterprise Budgets

Barry Ward, Leader, Production Business Management, OSU Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics

Newly updated OSU Extension Beef Enterprise Budgets for 2014 have been posted to the Farm Management Page of the Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics. Updated Enterprise Budgets can be viewed and downloaded from the following website Continue reading

Management Decisions and Marketing Opportunities for Replacement Females

John F. Grimes, OSU Extension Beef Coordinator

Summer is moving along which can mean a variety of things depending on your perspective. For the sports fan, there are plenty activities such as the recent World Cup in soccer, the All Star game in baseball, and training camps for college and professional football. If you are interested in fairs, county fair season is in full swing and the Ohio State Fair is just around the corner.

This time of year is important for the cow-calf producer as well. Depending on the timing and duration of your calving season, most spring calving operations have Continue reading

Heat Stress and Beef Cattle

Stephen Boyles, OSU Extension Beef Specialist

High temperatures raise the concern of heat stress on cattle. Hot weather and high humidity can reduce breeding efficiency, milk production, feed intake, weight gains, and sometime cause death. Management can be used to reduce the problem when hot and humid weather is forecast. Continue reading

Posted in Health

Feed Options If Hay Supplies or Quality Is Low

(Originally printed in the Progressive Cattleman, June, 2014) – Chris Penrose, Extension Educator, ANR, OSU Extension, Morgan County

It is now late July and many of us are starting to get an idea of how much stored feed we will need for the winter and how much we will have. Many of us will be faced with two forage problems this year: not enough hay and the hay made will be of very poor quality.

Even if our livestock gets plenty of hay this winter, the quality may be so low that the hay cannot meet their nutritional needs. There will need to be supplementation. Depending on your situation, there are options. Continue reading