Month: September 2016

Eastern Agricultural Research Station; 50 Years of Service to Ohio Agriculture

– Stan Smith, Fairfield County PA, OSU Extension

The Eastern Agricultural Research Station (EARS), known originally as the Eastern Ohio Resource & Development Center or EORDC, was established in 1965 through the purchase of a 728-acre block of hilly land near Belle Valley in Noble County. This land, along with 40 acres acquired later on, was and is known as Unit I. The Station’s size was significantly increased in 1966, when the Union Carbide Corporation and the Baker-Noon Coal Company donated an additional 1,325 acres that had been extensively strip-mined for coal. This area is known as Unit II and was the subject of land reclamation experiments through the 1990s.

While much of the work over the years at EARS focused on forage research, ruminant nutrition and reproduction, it’s significant that Continue reading Eastern Agricultural Research Station; 50 Years of Service to Ohio Agriculture →

Posted by at Posted in Events

Still Time to Grow and Use More Feed

– Chris Penrose, AgNR Educator, OSU Extension, Morgan County (This article first appeared in the Late Fall 2016 issue of the Ohio Cattleman magazine)

Do you have enough feed for this winter? Is it of good quality? If not, there is still time to generate more quality feed for this winter for our cattle. What can we do?

PenStockNov

Stockpiled field in November

First and foremost, resist the Continue reading Still Time to Grow and Use More Feed →

Scout for, Control Cressleaf Groundsel This Fall

– Mark Loux, OSU Extension Weed Specialist

Cressleaf groundsel, which is poisonous to livestock, has caught some hay and livestock producers by surprise when they discover it in late spring in hay or pasture.  Some hay producers have had to discard hay from first cuttings due to an abundance of this yellow-flowered weed.  Cressleaf groundsel is a winter annual weed that is easily controlled in the fall, when in the Continue reading Scout for, Control Cressleaf Groundsel This Fall →

Consignments Due for OCA Replacement Female Sale

– John F. Grimes, OSU Extension Beef Coordinator

This is a reminder for the upcoming Ohio Cattlemen’s Association fourth annual Replacement Female Sale on Friday evening, November 25.  The sale will be held at the Muskingum Livestock facility in Zanesville and will start at 6:00 p.m.  Consignments for the sale are due to the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association by October 1, 2016.

Consignments for this sale may include Continue reading Consignments Due for OCA Replacement Female Sale →

Posted by at Posted in Events

Continued Weaker Cattle and Beef Prices

– Stephen R. Koontz, Professor, Agricultural Economics, Colorado State University

There are a couple of things that have happened in cattle and beef markets across the last two weeks that need to have attention called to.  First, the boxed beef cutout value moved well below $2 per pound last week.  It has been sometime since this price level has occurred.  Occasionally this fall the beef products that make up the composite have traded at Continue reading Continued Weaker Cattle and Beef Prices →

Current Hay Conditions in Ohio

– Maurice L. Eastridge, Department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University

The weather conditions have been variable in Ohio this summer. Some areas have been extremely dry and other areas have been very wet during the past two to three months.  Thus, hay yield and quality are quite variable across Ohio. For those areas that have been very dry, yields have been adversely affected, even though the quality of the hay harvested may be rather good. For the areas that have been wet, it has been very difficult to get the second and three cutting harvested. Thus, even though yields may be respectable, quality has been Continue reading Current Hay Conditions in Ohio →

Posted by at Posted in Forages

Is the No-Cutting Fall Rest Period for Alfalfa Really Necessary?

–  Mark Sulc, OSU Extension Forage Specialist and Rory Lewandowski, OSU Extension Educator, Wayne County

The long-standing recommendation has been to take the last harvest of alfalfa by early September in northern Ohio and mid-September in southern Ohio. Every year I observe that many people do not follow this recommendation, probably for various reasons.  Most people taking only three cuttings are finished with the final harvest by early to mid-September.  But the fourth cutting is another story. As of the end of last week, only about half of the fourth cutting of alfalfa in Ohio was complete, which reflects Continue reading Is the No-Cutting Fall Rest Period for Alfalfa Really Necessary? →

Posted by at Posted in Forages

Fall Manure Application Tips

– Glen Arnold, OSU Extension Manure Management Field Specialist and Kevin Elder, Chief of the Division of Livestock Environmental Permitting, ODA

Silage harvest is moving along rapidly in Ohio, with corn and soybean harvest expected to be earlier this year than normal. Livestock producers and commercial manure applicators will be applying both liquid and solid manure as Continue reading Fall Manure Application Tips →

BQA Certification is Free, Compliments of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is pleased to announce that Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. is partnering with the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program, and will be sponsoring the cost of BQA certification for American cattlemen and cattlewomen this fall.

The cost of BQA certification is normally $20-$50; however, certification till November 13 is free.  Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. will defray the cost of the certification. Visit the BQA website to get started.  If you have questions you can contact Steve Boyles, OSU Beef Extension Specialist or The Ohio Cattlemen’s Association.

Weekly Livestock Comments for September 16, 2016

– Dr. Andrew P. Griffith, University of Tennessee

FED CATTLE: Fed cattle traded $5 higher on a live basis compared to last week. Live prices were mainly $110 while prices on a dressed basis were mostly $170. The 5-area weighted average prices thru Thursday were $106.98 live, up $1.94 from last week and $168.05 dressed, up $1.77 from a week ago. A year ago prices were $135.07 live and $213.25 dressed. Live cattle prices appear to have turned the corner again, but Continue reading Weekly Livestock Comments for September 16, 2016 →