Month: August 2024

D3 Drought- What does that mean?

– Christine Gelley, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Noble County OSU Extension

Several SE Ohio counties have reached D3-Extreme Drought designation.

Dry conditions have continued, despite all our best efforts to put in requests for rain. This past week, all of Noble County along with several other SE Ohio counties moved from the classification of D2- Severe Drought to D3- Extreme Drought. What does that mean, exactly, other than that it is really dry?

Well, it means that  a group of experts have evaluated the changing conditions that have resulted from the lack of precipitation to create the United States Drought Monitor Mapping System and determined that parts of Southeast Ohio have sustained drought conditions for so long that the impacts of drought will have an increased impact on the resiliency of the land to bounce back from  drought conditions, to the point that the potential economic damage could be substantial.

The Drought Monitor website explains, “The Continue reading D3 Drought- What does that mean? →

Making Decisions During Drought

– Garth Ruff, Field Specialist Beef Cattle and Livestock Marketing, OSU Extension

Hay has already been fed for weeks in parts of SE Ohio. Photo: Ted Wiseman

Across southern and southeastern Ohio it has been significantly dry since the beginning of June. Pasture conditions are continuing to deteriorate from a lack of rainfall. Ponds are low and only the best springs are continuing to flow in parts of the state.

In areas that are experiencing drought, farmers are faced with making decisions on how to 1) feed their livestock and 2) conserve resources. To accomplish those goals there are a number of options to consider.

Feeding Hay

Livestock producers who are short on grass, may turn to feeding hay to hold livestock over until soil moisture and forage growth reboot. While feeding hay is often the first consideration in a drought, hay inventories coming into 2024 were already lower than average. Couple that with the dry conditions and Continue reading Making Decisions During Drought →

Forage Nitrate Toxicity a major concern as drought worsens

– Jason Hartschuh, Extension Field Specialist, Dairy Management and Precision Livestock, Ohio State University Extension

Drought conditions create concern for nitrate toxicity.

Weather conditions across Ohio have been challenging this growing season with some areas of the state reaching a D3 drought status. Other areas of the state may not currently be under drought status but are drier than normal and at risk of quickly experiencing a flash drought. These adverse growing conditions can cause unforeseen challenges with forages. We have had multiple reports of high nitrate levels this year in early harvested summer annual forages as producers needed feed.

Plants readily take up nitrates from the soil, even under dry or cool conditions.  Once in the plant, nitrate is converted to nitrite, then ammonia, and finally into amino acids and plant protein. Any environmental stress that significantly slows down plant photosynthesis and metabolism can lead to excessive nitrate levels in the plant because the nitrate uptake from the soil will be faster than its metabolism into plant protein. Such stresses include drought, frost, extended cold weather, cloudy conditions, or hail damage. While frost is a concern for increasing nitrates in forage a few months from now, the sorghum family also has prussic acid concerns when plants die quickly because of a frost. Prussic acid and nitrate poisoning are not the same.

The highest level of nitrate accumulation in corn occurs from Continue reading Forage Nitrate Toxicity a major concern as drought worsens →

Using drought stressed soybeans for hay or silage

– Jason Hartschuh, Extension Field Specialist, Dairy Management and Precision Livestock, Ohio State University Extension

Optimum time to harvest soybeans for silage is when pods are filled and lower leaves are just starting to turn.

Long before soybeans were cultivated as oil seed crops, they were first domesticated and used in the United States primarily as a forage. Soybeans harvested as forage are high in protein and lower in fiber than grasses making them an excellent forage if harvested and stored properly. Soybeans harvested as a forage can have dry matter yields as high as 5 tons per acre but are often much lower when the soybeans are planted late as a rescue forage or transitioned to forage due to drought.

Soybean feed value from Hintz et.al. from the late 1980’s showed that when soybeans were harvested at R7, crude protein values across 3 different varieties ranged from 18.1-20.5%. The NDF values for the soybeans ranged from 39.5-42.2. Dry matter yield ranged from 3-3.6 tons per acre. Row spacing and seeding rate had little effect on yield or forage quality. However, harvest timing affected Continue reading Using drought stressed soybeans for hay or silage →

Lessons learned on a trip thru Texas

– Garth Ruff, Beef Cattle Field Specialist, Ohio State University Extension (originally published in The Ohio Cattleman)

It’s hard to believe that it is August already. So far this summer it has been the Haves and the Have Nots with regards to soil moisture and rainfall across Ohio. Here at home in western Morgan County we are certainly in the Have Not category. While there have been some heavy rains across the area in the last week or so, it seems to miss us. This has been the driest we have been since 2012. Several farmers in the area are either hauling water or feeding hay.

While we are dry here and pasture conditions are deteriorating, we are not anywhere near as dry as parts of the west were in 2021-2022, when culling cows was the only option. I happened to be in Texas for the National Association of County Agricultural Agents meeting in mid-July and had the opportunity to visit with some ranchers while one a pre-conference tour.

I have been to Texas once before in college but had not a chance to see much of the state other than the Panhandle. This time, we went from Amarillo to Lubbock through Bowie to Dallas, where the conference site was. If you have never made a trip across the Lone Star State, let me tell you it is Continue reading Lessons learned on a trip thru Texas →

The August 2024 Cattle on Feed Report Showed a Small Increase in Feedlot Inventories With Higher July Placements and Marketings

– James Mitchell, Livestock Marketing Specialist, University of Arkansas

The National Agricultural Statistics Service released the August Cattle on Feed report on Friday. As of August 1, 2024, the total inventory of cattle and calves on feed in feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 or more head reached 11.1 million, a 0.3 percent increase from August 1, 2023. July feedlot placements were 5.8 percent higher than last year. July fed cattle marketings totaled 1.86 million head, 7.7 percent higher than last year. The report showed more cattle leaving and entering feedlots compared to a year ago, but this is not an indicator for larger total cattle supplies in 2024.


July feedlot placements totaled Continue reading The August 2024 Cattle on Feed Report Showed a Small Increase in Feedlot Inventories With Higher July Placements and Marketings →

Don’t Strike Out Next Breeding Season

– Garth Ruff, Field Specialist Beef Cattle and Livestock Marketing, Ohio State University Extension (originally published in Progressive Cattle)

Many livestock economists have demonstrated over the years that there is a premium in the marketplace for uniform lots of calves. For further proof, just watch what happens at the local auction market when it comes to selling feeder cattle and then tune into one of the western video auctions and compare prices.

Offering a more uniform calf crop is one advantage of a FTAI program.

Even if all else is equal the larger, often semi load lots sell for higher prices, Dr. Kenny Burdine at the University of Kentucky has shown that lots of 10 outsell lots of 3-5 head and those lots outsell single calves. Why discuss this now? As cattle remain at historic highs, I am beginning to hear producers question the return on managing reproduction in their cow herds.

Reproduction is the single most economically important trait on any commercial cow calf operation, I think it’s time to revisit why that Continue reading Don’t Strike Out Next Breeding Season →

Going Against the Grain to Work with Mother Nature

– Dr. Katie VanValin, Assistant Extension Professor, University of Kentucky

Fall-calving offers a unique opportunity to work with mother nature.

Approximately 70% of the nation’s cow herd calves between January 1st and June 30th each year, typically calving in February and March, a breeding season ranging from May through July, and weaning calves in the fall. On the other hand, those with fall calving herds will calve in September and October, breed from December to February, and wean in the spring. While fall-calving herds are in the minority and may seem to “go against the grain,” this system offers producers unique opportunities to work with mother nature, especially in the fescue belt.

Environmental conditions are often more favorable for fall calving, starting with calving. While heat can be an issue, especially for calves born early, the cold, wet, and muddy conditions often seen in February and March are a non-issue. Cool-season forages pick up again in the fall as the summer heat begins to subside, providing a forage base for the lactating cows. Tall fescue stockpiles well and can be a good option for helping to maintain the fall calving herd. One downfall to fall calving that Continue reading Going Against the Grain to Work with Mother Nature →

Ohio Beef Day featured farms in Crawford County

Central Ohio recently welcomed beef producers to Crawford County for the summer beef tour. The tour stops included Hord Livestock, Kocher Farms, J&B Stahl Farms, and Center Street Meats (Retail Meat Shop by Lohr Farms). If you missed it, here’s a brief review of the highlights.

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US Hay Production Expected to Increase Again in 2024

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

While row crop estimates get the most attention, USDA’s August Crop Production report also provides an initial estimate of US hay production and includes projections for individual states. Hay production and stocks have major implications for winter feed supply and winter feed costs for cattle operations. Widespread drought in 2022 led to low hay production levels and left very limited hay supplies coming into 2023. This can be seen in the May 1 Hay Stocks figure below. Note that hay stocks in the US on May 1 of last year were at their lowest levels since 2013. A sharp increase can also be seen in 2024 as the larger 2023 crop helped to replenish hay supplies.


Last week’s report suggested increases in production were likely at the national level for both “Alfalfa and Alfalfa Mixes”, as well as “All Other Hay” in 2024. These are the only two categories of hay for which estimates are made by USDA-NASS. In this article, I will focus on the All Other Hay (non-Alfalfa) category as that is typically more reflective of hay that is fed to beef cows over the winter. At the national level, non-Alfalfa hay production was Continue reading US Hay Production Expected to Increase Again in 2024 →