Month: December 2016

What Are Your Plans for 2017?

– John F. Grimes, OSU Extension Beef Coordinator (This article first appeared in the Winter 2017 issue of the Ohio Cattleman)

I find it hard to believe that we will soon turn over the calendar and enter into 2017.  2016 will certainly go down as a year to remember for things that many thought could never happen that actually became reality.  If someone told you at the beginning of 2016 that the Cavaliers would finally bring Cleveland a championship, the Chicago Cubs would win the World Series, and Donald Trump would be elected our next President, you probably would have questioned their sanity!

Unfortunately, many beef cattle producers will Continue reading What Are Your Plans for 2017? →

What is “Cow Sense”?

– Dr. Roy Burris, Beef Extension Professor, University of Kentucky

There was a time when almost everyone had animals – lots of animals! Folks grew up living with and understanding animals. They had to understand them. They rode horses, plowed with draft animals, hunted with dogs, milked a cow or two and generally co-existed with farm animals. People learned how to understand what an animal was thinking. If a horse has his ears laid back instead of pointing forward, he’s trying to tell you something. It’s important to be able to tell when a cow is agitated, too. Folks also chose horses that had “cow sense”. Their dogs had “cow sense”. Cattlemen had “cow sense”. What in the world is “cow sense”?

I would say Continue reading What is “Cow Sense”? →

Weekly Livestock Comments for December 23, 2016

– Dr. Andrew Griffith, Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Tennessee

FED CATTLE: Fed cattle traded $3 to $4 higher on a live basis compared to last week. Prices on a live basis were mainly $115 to $116 while dressed prices were mainly $180. The 5-area weighted average prices thru Thursday were $115.14 live, up $4.91 from last week and $179.79 dressed, up $9.48 from a week ago. A year ago prices were $123.50 live and $199.60 dressed. Christmas came early for cattle feeders as red ink has turned to black ink the past month. Cattle feeders have been in the Continue reading Weekly Livestock Comments for December 23, 2016 →

Starting Calves on Amaferm Improves Performance in Transitioning Feedlot Diets

– Alejandro Relling, Ph.D., Department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University (this article first appeared 12/14/16 in Ohio Farmer on-line, and will appear in the February 2017 issue of The Ohio Farmer magazine)

Weaning is a normal process in beef production, where the newly weaned calf is denied both its dam’s milk and social contact with her and other adults (Stookey et al., 1997).  Newly weaned calves are subjected to a numerous nutritional, behavioral, and immunological stressors immediately prior to and during the weaning, marketing, and transportation process, as well as upon arrival at the feedlot or backgrounding facility.  The result is a period of prolonged Continue reading Starting Calves on Amaferm Improves Performance in Transitioning Feedlot Diets →

Grazing Bites for December 2016

– Victor Shelton, NRCS State Agronomist/Grazing Specialist

Winter is upon us. At least that is what the weatherman keeps saying. We have been blessed with really good fall conditions in most areas. Some areas could have benefited from a little bit more rain in October and early November, but for the most part, soil moisture levels were pretty good across Indiana. I am pleased with the fall forage growth and the amount of stockpiled forage. We have now seen cold enough temperatures, at least for the most part, to assume that we are now dealing with dormant forage.

If possible and practical, it is best to Continue reading Grazing Bites for December 2016 →

Great Lakes Professional Cattle Feeding and Marketing Short-course

The 2017 Great Lakes Professional Cattle Feeding and Marketing Short-course is a joint effort of Ohio State University Extension, Michigan State University, and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture to enhance the cattle industry in the Eastern Corn Belt.

The first session of this two part program will focus on Continue reading Great Lakes Professional Cattle Feeding and Marketing Short-course →

BEEF 509 Program Returns in February

The dates have been set for the 2017 BEEF 509 program. The BEEF 509 program is held to raise the awareness level about the beef that is produced and the reasons why it sometimes misses its mark with consumers’ palates and producers’ pocketbooks. The program will take place on two consecutive Saturdays, February 25 and March 4, 2017.beef509

The part of the program held on February 25 will include Continue reading BEEF 509 Program Returns in February →

Technicals Turn from Bearish to Neutral

– Stephen R Koontz, Agricultural and Resource Economics, Colorado State University

Fed cattle prices are now five-to-six weeks into a rally off the lows set in early October.  The rally is feeder cattle is less steadily strong but is still decidedly off seasonal lows.  Is there fundamental news to support this strength?  So far the main bullish fundamentals news appears to be that that low prices do what they are supposed to do.  We don’t like them on the receiving end they are an indicator of a functioning market.  In that light, we continue to see Continue reading Technicals Turn from Bearish to Neutral →

Feed Cost Outlook: Will this year’s record crop carry cattle producers through 2017?

– Brian R. Williams, Assistant Extension Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Mississippi State University

Above, Dr. Koontz talks about the shift in the fundamentals of the cattle market from bearish to neutral. With production expected to be higher next year, we will likely see prices come down at least slightly, but the change in fundamentals suggest that the bleeding has stopped. Despite the improving cattle market fundamentals, according to LMIC’s latest projections, cow-calf returns for 2016 will be negative for the Continue reading Feed Cost Outlook: Will this year’s record crop carry cattle producers through 2017? →

Using Liquid Beef Manure as Side-dress Nitrogen for Corn

– Glen Arnold, OSU Extension Field Specialist, Manure Nutrient Management Systems, Eric Richer, OSU Extension Ag educator, Fulton County, Sarah Noggle, OSU Extension Ag educator, Paulding County (this article first appeared 11/30/16 in Ohio Farmer on-line, and will appear in the January 2017 issue of The Ohio Farmer magazine)

Ohio State University Extension has conducted liquid manure research on growing crops for more than 15 years in an effort to make better use of the manure nutrients. Applying manure to growing crops can boost yields, reduce nutrient losses, and give livestock producers or commercial manure applicators another window of time to apply manure to farm fields in Ohio.

Chart #1 below shows the Continue reading Using Liquid Beef Manure as Side-dress Nitrogen for Corn →