Month: July 2024

The Summer Grazing Plan

– Clif Little, OSU Extension Educator Agriculture and Natural Resources, Guernsey County

A summer annual can reduce grazing pressure during a summer slump.

Successful grazers have a plan for all situations. Let us look at an inevitable period and discuss some management options. Farms have different management options based on resources, unique to each grazing operation.

Each summer brings slowed forage growth. Temperature, rainfall, grazing management, and forage species all influence the extent of forage regrowth during the summer. One should strive to maintain proper grazing heights throughout the season, especially during dry periods. Grazing height is of utmost importance in terms of reducing plant stress, maintaining forage species diversity, productivity and maximizing livestock forage consumption. A post grazing residual plant height of 3 inches will reduce the negative affects hot and dry weather can have on cool season perennial grass. Grazing too close during the summer will slow pasture recovery when rain and cooler weather returns. Furthermore, animals grazing endophyte infected tall fescue too close in the heat of the summer, may Continue reading The Summer Grazing Plan →

Drought Leading to Deteriorating Pasture Conditions in Southeast

– Josh Maples, Assistant Professor & Extension Economist, Department of Agricultural Economics, Mississippi State University

The percentage of Southeast pasture that is rated as poor or very poor is just over 30 percent according to the latest reports by USDA-NASS. This is up sharply from a month ago when less than 10 percent of pasture was rated poor or very poor. The 5-year average for the region at this time of year is around 10 percent.

The Southeast region includes AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, and WV. There is variation within the region as the drought map below shows. The percentage of pasture rated poor or very poor is greater than Continue reading Drought Leading to Deteriorating Pasture Conditions in Southeast →

Managing Nitrates and Prussic Acid in Forages

– Dr. Chris D. Teutsch, University of Kentucky Research and Education Center at Princeton

Sorghum species can accumulate both nitrates and prussic acid.

Nitrates can accumulate to toxic levels in commonly grown forages. This most often occurs when heavy nitrogen fertilization is followed by drought. Nitrates are taken up by the plant, but not utilized since plant growth is restricted by the drought. Any factor that slows plant growth in combination with heavy nitrogen fertilization can result in nitrate accumulation. Some plants tend to accumulate nitrates at greater rate; these include, but are not limited to commonly used summer annual grasses, corn, crabgrass, small grains, annual ryegrass, bermudagrass, Johnsongrass, tall fescue, and some annual and perennial weeds commonly found in pastures and hayfields.

In contrast to nitrates, prussic acid or hydrogen cyanide can be formed in commonly used sorghum species such as forage sorghum, sorghum-sudangrass hybrids, sudangrass, and Johnsongrass. Under normal conditions these forages contain little free cyanide. However, when freezing, drought stress, wilting, or mechanical injury damages plant tissue, an enzymatic reaction occurs and free cyanide is produced. Being aware of the factors that Continue reading Managing Nitrates and Prussic Acid in Forages →

Grazing Management Lunch and Learn: Stockpiling Forages

Join us on-line Wednesday, July 24.

Successful stockpiling is a result of planning, timing, and a little luck. Stockpiled grazing is a management strategy that will help producers extend the grazing season. Using stockpiled forages can be a cost-effective way to feed beef cattle and sheep during the fall and winter months. In addition to lowering feed costs, it reduces manure handling costs as well.

You’re invited to join the Ohio Department of Agriculture for their Grazing management Lunch and Learn Series on-line next Wednesday, July 24 beginning at 12:15.  Bob Hendershot, retired NRCS State Grazing Specialist will be featured.

Find more detail and registration information linked here or contact Jarrod Hittle.

The different classes of slaughter cows

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

Boning utility cows in BCS 4-6 may yield the greatest return.

Following last week’s discussion on slaughter cow prices, a question was asked concerning the different classes of slaughter cows. Slaughter cow grades are based on fat cover. A breaking utility cow is in a body condition score (BCS) of 7-9 which means she is fat/obese. A boning utility cow is in a BCS of 4-6. Most producers will want their breeding herd in a 5-6 BCS. Lean/light are in a BCS of 1-3, which means they are extremely thin.

This is a very generalized explanation of slaughter cow grades, and there are more specifics that determine the final price. For instance, if an animal is expected to produce more lean beef than another animal relative to their total weight then it will receive a higher price. Some things to look for include looking at the fat over the ribs, hooks and pins. If the ribs are well covered then it is good to look at the fat cover on the hooks and pins to get an idea of the quality of animal.

In today’s market, there is a strong demand for lean grinding beef, which is what is supporting slaughter cow prices.

An Update on 2024 U.S. Beef Trade

– James Mitchell, Livestock Marketing Specialist, University of Arkansas

USDA ERS published the latest beef trade data the first week of July, showing a decline in beef exports compared to a year ago. Specifically, U.S. beef exports declined 2.9 percent in May compared to a year ago. Beef imports were 10.4 percent higher in May 2024 compared to last year. Total beef exports for January through May are 4.9 percent below 2023 levels, and Jan-May beef imports are 19.5 percent above last year.

The top five destinations for U.S. beef account for 76 percent of total beef of May 2024 beef exports. These countries include Continue reading An Update on 2024 U.S. Beef Trade →

Feedlot Returns

– Glynn T. Tonsor, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Kansas State University

K State posts feedlot returns monthly.

Each month an updated assessment of recent feedlot returns is posted to K-State’s AgManager.info website (https://www.agmanager.info/livestock-meat/cattle-finishing-historical-and-projected-returns).  This series reflects a cash situation, presumes no ongoing hedging of feed or cattle price movement, and is intended to provide a barometer of profitability trends rather than precise estimates for any given feedlot situation.  The latest assessment was made on July 10th and includes projected returns for cattle to be sold through March 2025.

Steers sold in June are estimated to have experienced positive net returns of $51.12/head.  This reverses a six-month trend of losses for the modeled feedlot situation.  Several factors underlie the improved returns in June. Steers sold in June are modeled to have $111/cwt cost of gain which is well below the $122 average for the first five months of 2024.  Similarly, a June fed cattle sales price of $185/cwt being above the $182 average for the first months of 2024 further aided in turning June net returns positive.

Looking forward, July and August project to be Continue reading Feedlot Returns →

Pinkeye in Beef Cattle; a look at the frustration it causes, and prevention and treatment options

During a portion of the third session of the 2022 Virtual Beef School held on Monday, March 21st Dr. Justin Kieffer, Clinical Veterinarian for the Department of Animal Sciences at Ohio State University, offered the explanation embedded below on why pinkeye can be so frustrating to prevent in beef cattle, and the special effort that goes into preventing and/or treating it in the beef herds at OSU. You will find Dr. Kieffer’s presentation from that evening on whole herd health in its entirety here: https://youtu.be/rrxabT5ksiI?si=y_PscWXbbrd96aET

Posted by at Posted in Health

Beef Cattle A.I. Workshop hosted in Muskingum County

Register today, space is limited.

OSU Extension Muskingum County will host an introduction to artificial insemination of beef cattle on July 30 and August 1, 2024 from 6:00 to 8:30 pm at the Extension Office in Zanesville. This two-night workshop is a classroom event starting on night one and concluding with hands-on-practice on night two.

Topics that will be covered during this workshop include: Advanced Reproductive Tract Anatomy and Physiology, Estrous Synchronization, Pasture Considerations, Expected Progeny Differences (EPD’s), and Tools, Equipment, & Techniques. Program cost is $20 per person and RSVP’s are due July 25.  The classroom location is the meeting room at the Rural Services Building, 225 Underwood St, Zanesville, OH.

Please RSVP and register using the Continue reading Beef Cattle A.I. Workshop hosted in Muskingum County →

Is it time to cull the mature female and replace her with a heifer?

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

Keep, or replace her?

I had a discussion last week concerning selling older cows and replacing them with bred heifers. This is an important decision for most cow-calf producers including myself as I have bred heifers for sale and I have some older cows whose useful life in the breeding herd is extremely short. Thus, there are multiple questions to answer.

The first is if and when a mature female should be marketed. The second is if she should be replaced with a younger breeding female now or at some later date.

From the market price perspective, it is extremely important to compare the value of the mature female with the value of replacing her. As an example, boning utility cows in Tennessee had an average price of Continue reading Is it time to cull the mature female and replace her with a heifer? →