The effect of deworming naturally infected heifers on liveweight gain, reproductive performance and fecal egg counts

S. L. Boyles, L. J. Johnson, W. D. Slanger, B. J. Kreft, and J. D. Kirsch, originally published in the Canadian Journal of Animal Science

Twenty-six of 52 heifers with an average liveweight of 700 pounds were dewormed by intraruminal injection of oxfendazole and placed in drylot on January 31. The other 26 animals served as controls. All heifers were pastured starting on June 14 and the treatment heifers were dewormed in the same manner as at the start of the experiment on July 1 and July 31.

The groups started out with similar total worm eggs per gram of fecal sample, but the dewormed heifers had fewer counts each month thereafter. The drylot average daily gain of the treated heifers was higher (P = 0.01) and less variable (P = 0.12) and by May 29 these animals were heavier by 26 pounds (P = 0.10). The treated animals did not gain as fast on pasture (P = 0.20), but the gain continued to be less variable (P = 0.09). Age at puberty was not different. Number of open heifers in the treated group was 4 vs. 15% for the control group (P = 0.18).

Deworming resulted in faster feedlot gains and more uniform gains during both drylot and pasture.

Posted in Health

Manure Nutrient Management Day

Please register by August 26

Crawford Soil and Water Conservation District and The Ohio State University Extension- Crawford County, will be hosting a Manure Nutrient Management Day at the Scott-Reinhard Seeds Warehouse on August 30th.  The day will start at 9 am with featured speaker Jenifer Yost, a soil scientist with the USDA from Temple, Texas speaking about the benefits of manure and its positive effects on soil health.  Dr. Scott Shearer from The Ohio State University will show everyone the latest advancements in application technology.  Composting, poultry litter, and cover crops will also be discussed in the morning session.

After a lunch sponsored by Burkhart Farm Center, Hord Family Farms, Ag Credit, and Scott-Reinhard Seeds, field demonstrations on both dry and liquid manure will be shown.

Please register for this event by calling the Crawford SWCD office at 419-562-8280 ext 3 by August 26th.

Posted in Events

USDA-FSA’s Livestock Indemnity Program

– Dr. Kenny Burdine, Extension Professor, Livestock Marketing, University of Kentucky

Following the February 2021 winter storm, James wrote about USDA’s Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP). The LIP program is intended help compensate producers for greater than normal levels of livestock deaths from adverse weather, disease outbreaks, and predator attacks. The program can also partially compensate producers for lost value resulting from injury. As I try to process the disastrous impact of the recent flooding in my home state of Kentucky, and other parts of the region, I felt like a reminder about the program might be worthwhile.

LIP payment rates for losses are set by the Secretary of Agriculture and are done so on a per head basis. The rates are updated regularly and are Continue reading

August Cattle on Feed Preview: Drought and Feeder Cattle Supplies

– James Mitchell, Livestock Marketing Specialist, University of Arkansas

This Friday, USDA-NASS will release the August Cattle on Feed report. Of particular interest is the feeder cattle placement data for July. Last month drought conditions spread across the Southern Plains and into the Southeast. Not only have producers had to cull deeper into their cow herds, but they have also had to sell feeder cattle earlier than expected. The August COF report should provide some answers about drought-induced feedlot placements.

The U.S. calf crop peaked in 2018 at 36.3 million head and has declined on average by 1.1% for 2019-2021. In the July Cattle Inventory report, USDA estimated the 2022 calf crop at 34.6 million head or 1.4% lower year over year. USDA also estimated July 1 feeder cattle supplies at 35.7 million head, 3% lower than 2021. Tighter supplies are coming and might already be here.

So far, 2022 feedlot placements are averaging Continue reading

Strong Demand

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

I have had a number of inquires regarding the strength in beef prices: what is the source? My response has been that if beef prices are strong and supplies are reasonably abundant then the only thing that it can be is the strength in demand. It’s the consumer – both domestic and international – and the downstream market. This strong consumer demand in being revealed in retail prices and strengthening the wholesale and farm level prices.

From a market fundamentals perspective, monthly beef production is strong running better than 1% above the year prior. The total volume for 2022 will be slightly smaller than 2021 and comparable to 2019. These are large volumes of beef. Forecasts for the third and fourth quarter reveal Continue reading

Changes to livestock antibiotics coming next year

Tim McDermott DVM, OSU Extension Educator, Franklin County (originally published in Farm and Dairy)

There are some changes coming to the availability of over-the-counter antibiotics that the livestock producer will want to familiarize themselves with soon in order to make sure they are properly prepared before the changes are implemented in 2023.

What is being implemented is the Food and Drug Administration’s guidance for industry (GFI) No. 263 titled “Recommendations for sponsors of medically important antimicrobial drugs approved for use in animals to voluntarily bring under veterinary oversight all products that continue to be available as over-the-counter.”

The reason for this change is to make sure that there is veterinary oversight of medically important drugs to human medicine and to address the growing resistance of antimicrobials in human medicine by multiple bacteria that have Continue reading

Posted in Health

Plan Now for Fall Fertilization of Perennial Forages

Mark Sulc, Greg LaBarge, CPAg/CCA, OSU Extension

This is an excellent time for soil testing, and fertilizing hay fields!

Early fall is one of the best times to topdress maintenance fertilizer on perennial forages. Soils are usually firm in September, and autumn topdressing provides needed nutrients for good winter survival of the forage stand and vigorous regrowth the following spring. Now is a great time to begin preparations and acquiring fertilizer supplies so timely fall applications can be made.

Remember that hay crops will remove about 50 lbs of K2O and 12 lbs of P2O5 per ton of dry hay harvested. Adequate amounts of soil P and K are important for the productivity and persistence of forage stands. But nutrient over-application harms the environment and can harm animals fed those forages. A recent . . .

Continue reading Plan Now for Fall Fertilization of Perennial Forages

“Be sure and close the gate, son” – Managing our pastures during drought

– Kevin Laurent – Extension Specialist, Department of Animal and Food Sciences, University of KY

When I was a kid growing up in south Louisiana, we used to buy our square hay from a retired gentleman who lived several miles down the road. Mr. Ralph, as we called him, had a sizable herd of cows and always seemed to have a barn full of hay for sale. Anytime Daddy sent me there for hay, Mr. Ralph’s parting words in his deep voice was always “be sure and close the gate, son”. Words every farm kid has grown up hearing. “Close the gate”, “shut the gate”, “did you check the gate?” The rule I try and teach our 4-H judging kids during workouts is the old standard, “the last one through, shuts the gate.”

So why is it when grass gets short, whether its during dry spells or drought or in early spring when the grass is just greening up, that we “farm kids” have the tendency to open all the gates? I know it’s human nature to try and let the cows scratch for anything they can find, but that strategy is short term at best. What usually happens is we hammer our forage base into the ground which not only increases recovery time but also opens the canopy for weeds down the road. Another potential problem in drought years is cattle that are allowed to wander and scrounge for forage may get tempted to consume noxious weeds they usually avoid such as perilla mint.

Shutting the cattle into either a sacrifice area or, better yet, the worst Continue reading

Stockpiling for Winter Grazing

– Chris Teutsch, UK Research and Education Center at Princeton

Stockpiling fescue for winter grazing is a good practice regardless if there’s a drought.

Stockpiling tall fescue is one the cheapest and best ways to provide winter grazing for livestock in the Commonwealth. In good years, tall fescue pastures top-dressed with 60-80 lb nitrogen/A in mid August can produce 1-2 ton/A hay equivalent. The question in drought years is does this recommendation work? No pasture will respond to nitrogen until it rains. In addition, pastures that have been overgrazed during a drought have the least potential for fall growth. Applications of nitrogen for stockpiling should target pastures where the “gates were closed” and overgrazing was prevented!

The next question is when and how much nitrogen to apply. Ideally nitrogen for stockpiling should be applied in Continue reading

Fed Cattle Insurance

– Matthew Diersen, Risk & Business Management Specialist, Ness School of Management & Economics, South Dakota State University

Price insurance for fed cattle has been available in various forms and offered in multiple states for twenty years. Livestock Risk Protection (LRP) insurance is currently available for fed and feeder cattle. Historically there was little incentive to use LRP compared to buying put options on live cattle. In contrast, demand for LRP for feeder cattle has been more robust through time as it is more suited for covering calves and lot sizes that do not always match the contract specifications of a feeder cattle futures contract.

An increase in the LRP premium subsidy has resulted in an increased number of fed and feeder cattle covered. Commodity years for LRP run from July through June. Thus, the 2022 year recently ended on June 30, 2022. The premium subsidy on LRP was only 13% until the commodity year 2020, when it increased to 20-35%, depending on the coverage level. The increase seemed to make little difference in Continue reading