Author: Smith

Assistance for Ohio Farms Impacted by Drought

– Stan Smith, PA, Fairfield County OSU Extension

Drought conditions are not expected to ease soon.

The most recent release from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows more than 77% of Ohio is experiencing drought conditions with “extreme drought” in about a 25% of the state and 18 Ohio counties seeing D4, or “exceptional drought” conditions. Forecasts suggest these conditions are likely to worsen before getting better. In response, Ohio State University Extension, the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), and Ohio Department of Agriculture are extending assistance to agricultural producers through a variety of programs and opportunities. Following is a partial listing of opportunities Cattlemen may explore.

Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP): This program provides compensation to eligible livestock producers who have Continue reading Assistance for Ohio Farms Impacted by Drought →

Can I afford not to pregnancy check?

– Dean Kreager, Licking County Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator (originally published in Ohio Farmer on-line)

Preg check vs winter an open cow?!

Only 20% of cow calf producers in the Eastern United States pregnancy check beef cows, according to National Animal Health Monitoring System (NHAMS) Studies.  Over the years there have been improvements in pregnancy detection options but the adoption of these has been slow for many beef producers.  Maybe this year the question should change from “Is it worth the expense?” to “Can I afford not to pregnancy check?”

The cost of overwintering an open cow this year could be much higher than in recent years.  Much of Ohio and some surrounding states have been experiencing drought conditions this summer.  The hardest hit areas are also home to a high percent of Ohio’s cow/calf production.  The rolling pastures have stopped producing forage and many springs have dried up resulting in cattlemen hauling water and feeding hay much earlier than normal.  These conditions have led to Continue reading Can I afford not to pregnancy check? →

Manure Application to Parched Soil

– Glen Arnold, CCA, Field Specialist, Manure Nutrient Management, OSU Extension

12,000 gallons per acre of dairy manure applied prior to wheat planting.

Most of Ohio is very dry and there is no nearby forecast for substantial rainfall. Livestock producers applying manure to farm fields need to take extra caution to prevent liquid manure following soil cracks to field tile.

Preferential flow is when liquid manure follows soil cracks, worm holes, and crayfish holes to find field tile and escape into ditches and streams. Dry wheat stubble fields are notorious for soil cracks. In these instances, tillage is considered the best management practice before liquid manure is applied. Corn and soybean fields will also have more, and larger soil cracks than typical this fall. If you have tile control structures, they should be closed at the time of manure application.

While livestock producers and commercial manure applicators often inject manure to better capture the nutrients, the extremely dry soils will . . .

Continue reading Manure Application to Parched Soil

When is an Hour of Operator Labor, Not Just an Hour of Operator Labor?

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

How do you value time in the hay field?

As an Extension Economist, I regularly have the opportunity to talk about cow-calf profitability. I usually start with revenues, talking about calf prices and making assumptions about weaning weight and weaning rate. Then I walk through costs like winter feed (hay), pasture maintenance, breeding, vet / medicine, trucking, sale expenses, etc. While there is always room for discussion, most of these expenses can be estimated on a “per cow” basis by making some reasonable assumptions. At some point in the discussion, I bring up the topic of labor. Some cow-calf operations hire a significant amount of labor, but for a lot of these operations the majority of labor is unpaid operator labor.

The classic economist approach to valuing unpaid labor is to value it at its opportunity cost. By that I mean if the farmer could be making Continue reading When is an Hour of Operator Labor, Not Just an Hour of Operator Labor? →

Are We Nearing Expansion? A Look at Cow Slaughter and the Inventory Cycle

– Rob Ziegler, Extension Specialist, College of Agriculture, Life Science and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming

The U.S. beef cow herd inventory has received significant attention recently, due to historically low levels driven by market prices and drought conditions that have incentivized producers to sell. Droughts impacted much of the U.S. in 2011-2014 and again in 2021-2023, coinciding with the contraction phase of the cow cycle. A closer look at cow slaughter during these contraction phases and drought periods could shed light on producers’ current intentions to rebuild and the potential trajectory of market prices.

Beef cow slaughter peaked in 2011 at 3.9 million head, roughly midway through the last contraction phase, which ended in 2014 when expansion began. Slaughter bottomed out in 2015 at 2.2 million head and started increasing again in 2016. Another peak in cow slaughter was observed in Continue reading Are We Nearing Expansion? A Look at Cow Slaughter and the Inventory Cycle →

Grazing Management Strategies and Mud Management

Register today!

ODA’s on-line Grazing Management Lunch and Learn Series returns on September 26 at 12:15 p.m.

With every operation it is important to have a plan! Determine what you want to achieve and have a strategy in place to get you there. In this lunch and learn we’ll look at the grazing management strategies that Kevin Swope of Heritage Lane Farm implements on his Columbiana County Bison farm. From spring grazing to winter management, we’ll take a walk through his operation as he shows us the decisions that were made on his farm and how they can work for you.

Find registration information linked here.

Look for ways to reduce calf stress at weaning

– Dr. John Yost, Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Wayne County, Ohio State University Extension (originally published in Ohio Farmer on-line)

Recognize that each procedure performed on a calf at weaning creates stress and stress decreases production potential.

We are quickly approaching your neighbor’s favorite time of year.  That being one where the air is filled with the melodious serenades of newly weaned calves and their separated mothers.  We know that the bawling will end after a few days, but your weaning process can affect the calves’ performance the rest of their lives.  It doesn’t matter whether the calves are destined to find their way onto a truck headed to a feedyard, or if they will be staying on farm to become a future replacement in your herd, you want to prepare them for the next stage of the production process.

We often think of weaning as an abrupt change.  Cows with calves in the morning, then cows and calves on different parts of the farm in the afternoon.  In order to be efficient with our time, we will combine many of weaning tasks into the same day.  There isn’t a perfect system, but there is a Continue reading Look for ways to reduce calf stress at weaning →

Considering By-products and Alternative Feedstuff beyond hay for ruminants

– Jason Hartschuh, Extension Field Specialist, Dairy Management and Precision Livestock, Ohio State University Extension and Garth Ruff, Field Specialist Beef Cattle and Livestock Marketing, OSU Extension

Managed properly, straw can be a feed alternative.

When it comes to feeding ruminants versus monogastrics, the feed stuff options seem to never end. In many areas of Ohio where cow-calf and small ruminant operations dominate, the most economical feed option is to use livestock to harvest the forage, and then to feed the stockpiled pasture and hay through the winter. However, I am constantly reminded that ruminants do not need to be fed alfalfa or grass hay. What they do need is the correct amount of energy, protein, vitamins, minerals, and enough fiber to maintain rumen health. This allows for many different by-products to be used in ruminant nutrition, making them excellent up cyclers. Testing forage for nutrient content  is critical when designing feed rations to make sure your livestock nutritional needs are being met. Most local feed mills have access to a nutritionist that can help you make sure your feeding program will meet your livestock’s needs for their body condition and stage of life.

Straw or corn stalks as feed instead of bedding
Corn stalks are often used to extend the grazing season or as bedding but they can also be used to meet fiber, energy and protein needs. The nutritional value of baled corn stalks is lower than Continue reading Considering By-products and Alternative Feedstuff beyond hay for ruminants →

Managing Weeds

– Jordan Penrose, Ohio State University Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Morgan County

Knapweed is becoming obvious in many pastures.

With fall approaching, though it doesn’t seem like it, but it seems like weeds are more noticeable here. In southeastern Ohio, we are extremely dry with very little to no grass left in the pastures, and the weeds more noticeable. In Morgan County, the weeds that I have been getting the most questions about are spotted knapweed, hemp dogbane, cocklebur, and johnsongrass. Some other noticeable weeds that I am seeing as well are ironweed, Canada thistle, horsenettle, bedstraw, and others. On the family farm, we are seeing a newer weed, small carpetgrass, that I haven’t seen before until last fall. We just started to see it come up around mid-August in the field where we feed most of our hay during the winter.

Why are we seeing more and more weeds show up? I remember when ironweed used to be the biggest problem weed on the farm, now it seems like a weed that we are willing to live with as compared to some of the other newer weeds, like cocklebur or spotted knapweed. Some of the reasons as to why we are these weeds pop up and notice more and more of them can be caused by Continue reading Managing Weeds →

Johne’s Disease and Detection in Beef Cattle Frequently Asked Questions

– Dr. Michelle Arnold, DVM, MPH UK Ruminant Extension Veterinarian

Figure 1: Recently calved cow with classic signs of Johne’s disease; dull hair coat, profuse watery diarrhea and weight loss. Photo from “Management and Control of Johne’s Disease in Beef Sucker Herds” by Drs.Isabelle Truyers and Amy Jennings. In Practice July/August 2016/Volume 38, page 348.

Johne’s (pronounced Yo-knees) Disease is a slow, debilitating disease of adult cattle characterized by profuse, watery diarrhea and progressive weight loss or “wasting” (Figure 1), despite remaining bright and alert with a good appetite. It is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis, commonly referred to as the “MAP” bacteria. This disease begins when calves (not adult cattle) are infected by eating or drinking manure containing the MAP bacteria. This most often happens around the time of birth, although infection can occur up to 6 months of age but very rarely after. Once MAP enters a calf, the organism takes up residence within the cells lining the ileum (the last portion of the small intestine) where it multiplies, causing the intestinal lining to slowly thicken. Over time, the thickened intestine loses the ability to absorb nutrients, resulting in watery diarrhea. There is no blood or mucus in the feces and no straining to defecate. Affected cattle typically begin to display clinical signs of diarrhea and progressive weight loss at 2-5 years of age or older. There is no treatment available for this condition and the animals that develop chronic diarrhea eventually die due to starvation and dehydration. The MAP organism is “shed” in the feces into the environment before the diarrhea starts and continues until the animal’s death. Map bacteria are very hardy due to a protective cell wall that allows survival for long periods, sometimes years, in the environment where it can infect young calves.

How do calves get infected with MAP bacteria?
Johne’s disease begins with MAP infection, most often when calves Continue reading Johne’s Disease and Detection in Beef Cattle Frequently Asked Questions →

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