Management

Balancing the Animals and Available Forage

Graze stockpile whenever possible.

– Victor Shelton, Retired NRCS Agronomist/Grazing Specialist

I’m grateful to have enough hay for the livestock, especially since snow and ice can make grazing stockpiled forages difficult – if any remains available. Although 2024 brought more rainfall than usual, a dry late summer and fall reduced the amount of stockpiled forage, making it harder to meet the needs of the livestock as long as normal.

At the core of managing livestock during the winter months is the balance between the animals and the forage available to feed them.  Ideally, I’d prefer the livestock to graze stockpiled forages or annuals as long as possible outside of the perennial forage growing season. However, that’s not always practical, possible, or advisable. This balance constantly shifts, influenced by Continue reading Balancing the Animals and Available Forage →

March Grazing School to be offered in Scio

– Erika Lyon, Agriculture & Natural Resources Educator, Ohio State University Extension

Learn all about management intensive grazing through the Harrison County Grazing School! Grazing School classes will be offered in at the Scio Branch Library in Scio, OH as a three-part series this year. Anyone interested in pasture management and forages is welcome to join the course, and those new to livestock and hay production are encouraged to participate. Topics covered include management intensive grazing, goal setting, improving soil fertility and forage growth, meeting animal needs, water quality, paddock design, grazing economics, and year-round grazing. This year’s Grazing School is being offered through a partnership between Harrison and Jefferson Soil & Water Conservation Districts, USDA – Natural Resources Conservation Service, Ohio State University Extension and the Eastern Ohio Grazing Council.

Sessions in 2025 will be held on Thursdays in March from 6-9PM:

March 6th: Getting Started Grazing, Soil Science 101: Soil Productivity and Conservation

March 13th: Forage Selection and Growth, Fence and Water Systems, Meeting Animal Requirements in Pasture

March 20th: Pasture Weed Control, Economics of Grazing, Creating and Implementing Grazing Management Plans

Cost for all three sessions is $5 per person, which includes a meal each class. Pre-registration required – register by Friday, February 28th, 2025. Register by calling 740-942-8823.

CFAES provides research and related educational programs to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis. For more information, visit cfaesdiversity.osu.edu. For event accommodation requests, call 740-264-2212 at least 2 weeks in advance of the program

Cow/Calf Workshop set for February 7 in Millersburg

Reserve your spot today!

Ohio State University Extension will offer a Cow/ Calf workshop in Millersburg, Ohio, at Paint Valley Farms on Friday, February 7, from 10:00 AM to 2:30 PM. The cost is $15 per person, and to RSVP, please call the Holmes County Extension Office at 330-674-3015.

Reproduction and genetics are important factors for a cow-calf operation. The Long-term investment in genetics plays a critical role in developing and managing a herd to ensure longevity. Join OSU Extension in Holmes County to discuss and demonstrate the practices that you might apply on your farm to improve your operation by optimizing reproduction and cow-calf profitability.

Topics covered will include breeding season management, post-drought Continue reading Cow/Calf Workshop set for February 7 in Millersburg →

Ohio Virtual Beef School begins January 29: An evening with Kenny Burdine

Plan to join us for one or all of these sessions!

The OSU Extension Beef Team is pleased to be offering a Virtual Beef School featuring one webinar per month beginning January 29 and concluding in April.

For the first session join us – either in person in the Fairfield County Ag Center in Lancaster, or via ZOOM – on January 29 as we spend an evening exploring the economics of the beef cattle and livestock sector with University of Kentucky Extension economist Kenny Burdine.

Going into 2025 beef cattle prices are at record highs! Can it continue? How long will the consumer continue to support these price levels? Is it too late to Continue reading Ohio Virtual Beef School begins January 29: An evening with Kenny Burdine →

Join us for a Manure Management Workshop

Plan to join us.

Join Seneca County Extension to learn more about tips and tricks of manure management for both the livestock producer and the agronomic farmer. Information on water quality and the H2Ohio program will be presented as well. Certified Crop Advisor and Certified Livestock Manager credits are available for those who attend the entire workshop.

The topics to be discussed are Using Manure with Growing Crops, Pollution Abatement Laws/Regulations and H2Ohio Manure Practice, and Watershed Phosphorus Trends. Refreshments will be provided. This workshop is free to attend but please register at go.osu.edu/scmanure or call 419-447-9722

Where do we go from here?

– Garth Ruff, Beef Cattle Field Specialist, OSU Extension

Dry weather limited hay production across much of Ohio.

2024 has been quite the year. We started the year with record high cattle prices, and what appeared to be the most profitable calf crop in several years. Move into planting season and first cutting hay harvest that went fairly well across most of the state and then it began to get dry. Really dry.

The drought of 2024 will be remembered for a long while as one of the greatest challenges to livestock production in Ohio. Whether it was hay being fed in August or water being hauled daily, the drought has certainly provided some challenges to those in affected areas but also provide some opportunities to make decisions on herd management, forages, and on farm water systems going forward.

I am not one to make New Year’s resolutions, but after hauling water at home for the past four months, I am going to Continue reading Where do we go from here? →

Looking at the costs of mud in terms of cow and calf performance

After the drought we experienced throughout much of Ohio during the summer and early fall of 2024 who might have thought mud would be a concern as we move into a new year? However, mud like we’re experiencing now and also as has been experienced in most recent winters, can have significant impact on performance in a cow/calf operation. During 2022 Ohio Beef School webinar series, then OSU Animal Sciences’ PhD candidate Kirsten Nickles’ shared her research into the impact of mud on the cow herd. In this 8 minute excerpt from that session, Nickles summarizes the long term costs of mud in terms of cow and calf performance if adequate supplemental nutrition is not provided to compensate for the added cow energy requirements created by a muddy environment.

Dealing with Cold Calves

– Dr. John Yost, Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Wayne County, Ohio State University Extension

I can’t say for sure, but I imagine that any cow-calf producer would trade frozen ground for mud.  The downside of frozen ground and newborn calves is the chance for hypothermia.  Cows aren’t stupid.  When the weather turns cold the herd will congregate where it is dry and sheltered.  Those cows that come into labor and look to isolate themselves are often left to go to the worst spot of the field to drop their calf. The sight of a new calf stretched out in a wet hole, will knot up your stomach and you know it is going to be a long night trying to get it warmed back up.

Newborn calves don’t benefit from heat generated by the rumen fermentation that helps their mother weather cold temperatures.  When air temperature drops below 55 degrees Fahrenheit, a calf is reliant on metabolic heat from the small fat reserves that are deposited prior to birth.  When a calf is born into an extreme cold environment, their normal 18-hour energy reserve can be quickly exhausted through shivering, leading to hypothermia.

A calf’s normal body temperature at birth should be Continue reading Dealing with Cold Calves →

Livestock Water Development

– Mark Landefeld, Extension Educator (retired), Agricultural and Natural Resources, Monroe County and Jeff Bettinger, Lead District Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service

The tank should hold a minimum of 25% of the daily herd requirement and allow 5 to 10% of the animals to drink at one time.

Many factors need to be considered when developing watering sources for livestock. Adequate amounts of water are needed to maintain high levels of production. Limiting water intake reduces animal performance quicker and more drastically than any other nutrient deficiency (Boyles). Improving springs or seeps by excavating, cleaning, capping or providing a collection and storage area improves the distribution of water and preserves water quality.

The Water Trough or Tank
The trough or tank should have adequate capacity to meet the requirements of all livestock. This should include the stor age volume necessary for carry-over between periods of replenishment. The trough or tank, when installed, should be . . .

Continue reading the OSU Extension Fact Sheet Livestock Water Development

Are Growth Promoting Technologies Becoming a Lost Art for the Cow-calf Sector?

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

Implanted suckling calves often have weaning weights 10-20+ lbs higher. Photo: Mitzi Goodman.

Growth promoting technologies, when used correctly, are valuable tools that improve efficiency and increase weight gain in growing cattle. In the cow-calf sector, these include ionophores and implants. Although “technology” often implies new, these tools have been in the beef industry for decades. Yet, adoption seems to be stagnant or even declining – why?

Ionophores
Ionophores are antimicrobial feed additives, including monensin (RumensinⓇ), lasolicid (BovatecⓇ), and laidomycin propionate (CATTLYSTⓇ). While ionophores are antibiotic-like, they are not considered medically important for humans, so they do not require a veterinary feed directive (VFD) meaning ionophores do not fall under the veterinary feed directive (VFD) and can be purchased without a prescription. However, as they Continue reading Are Growth Promoting Technologies Becoming a Lost Art for the Cow-calf Sector? →