Month: June 2020

Pastures already short? Then stocking rate is too high!

– Victor Shelton, NRCS State Agronomist/Grazing Specialist

Stressed grasses produce seed heads earlier.

It’s the first of June. Generally, by the first of June, most cool-season forages have peaked their growth and quite often have reached about two thirds of their production for the year. Clippings taken support that theory. Unfortunately, there just haven’t been enough warm sunny days for this to occur this spring until just recently.

With this being a major pivoting point for the growing season, it is usually a decent gage of stocking rate and grazing efficiency. If you are short of forage at this time of year, then the stocking rate is too high, unless you happen to be in Continue reading Pastures already short? Then stocking rate is too high! →

Grass Cover Crops Can Be Bedding!

– Stan Smith, OSU Extension PA, Fairfield County

The value of cover crops as feed may never be more recognized than it has been over the past few years. However, with wheat straw for bedding bringing prices at auction that are similar to those of first cutting hay, perhaps grass covers such as cereal rye are just as valuable for bedding as they are for feed. That becomes even more so in a wet spring when the timely harvest of grass covers like cereal rye is challenged. Feed quality of cereal rye declines quickly as harvest is delayed. All that said, cereal rye becomes a very acceptable alternative to wheat straw for bedding that was discussed in more detail previously in the article, Grass Cover Crops; Bargain Feed or Bedding?. Below is the recent result of the Continue reading Grass Cover Crops Can Be Bedding! →

Natural Service vs Artificial Insemination

– Clif Little, OSU Extension Educator, Guernsey County

Evaluating the cost of artificial insemination (AI) versus natural service in beef cattle is difficult since there are a great number of variables to consider.  A simple search of the Applied Reproductive Strategies in Beef Cattle online resources reveals the many different kinds of comparisons that have been done, (https://beefrepro.unl.edu/).  Each cattle producer will have a unique set of factors that weigh more heavily in their production system.   Producers will find comparisons of producing pregnancies utilizing various methods of artificial insemination and realizing costs versus value is important.  The obvious economic benefits of AI are: the uniformity of calves, concentration of work, shortened breeding and calving season, fewer bulls, improved genetic merit of the AI sired calves, and potentially more pounds of beef to sell annually.  Some factors relating to AI are not easily measured such as increased safety, fewer bull escapes, capturing the full genetic value of the AI sired calves, and improved working facilities.

The following represents selected costs of items often utilized in AI Continue reading Natural Service vs Artificial Insemination →

BIF Online Symposium Program Announced

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The 52nd Annual Beef Improvement Federation Symposium — Online will be hosted the week of June 8 starting at noon CDT each day. The conference will be hosted on the Zoom webinar platform. Online registration is now open at http://www.beefimprovement.org/.

The Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) board of directors, along with the Florida 2020 BIF Research Symposium and Convention committee, announced on April 2 the decision to transition this year’s conference to an ONLINE format due to COVID-19.

This year registration is FREE for all participants. The symposium is made possible through the generous support of many organizations including 2020 Patron Level sponsors Neogen, C-Lock Inc. and Zoetis. Please visit http://www.beefimprovement.org/symposium/sponsors to learn more about the businesses and organizations that have partnered with BIF to host this premier beef genetics producer education program.

2020 BIF award winners, including Seedstock and Commercial Producers of the Year, Pioneer, Continuing Service and Ambassador award winners will be recognized during the online symposium. For a complete schedule, visit http://www.beefimprovement.org/symposium.

Each year the BIF symposium draws a large Continue reading BIF Online Symposium Program Announced →

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Steady Improvement

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

The week of May 9 is looking like the low point for Federally Inspected Commercial Fed Steer and Heifer slaughter numbers. That week saw 203,400 and 114,800 head. The most recent data, which are two weeks prior, is for May 16 and those numbers are 253,300 and 139,300 head. A steady improvement but below the peak this year, to date, from March 28 of 339,400 and 209,800 head. This is the question for the rest of the year. How close to the high volumes seen in early 2020 do slaughter numbers return? There are very large supplies and substantial inventory of long-fed cattle on feed. There has been a steady improvement in fed cattle and feeder cattle prices through last month and into the current. Continued improvement hinges on any further disruptions and steady elevating on slaughter numbers.

FI Commercial slaughter is a little better than 71% of the prior peak weekly volume and the low point was approximately 60% of that peak. And be careful with the Memorial Day week numbers going forward as there is one less day in that operations week. These slaughter numbers will determine when the cattle and beef markets return to more normal relationships. Packers running reduced kills do not Continue reading Steady Improvement →