Management

Precondition or Not, That is the Question

– Dr. John Yost, Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Wayne County, Ohio State University Extension (originally published in The Ohio Cattleman)

I have mixed feelings about social media but must admit that I have profiles on several platforms.  My feeds mostly contain posts from various livestock related pages and I enjoy reading some of the opinions and questions.  Recently, there was a post that caught my eye.  Someone had raised the question of it was worth the effort this year to pre-condition their calves.  As an educator my initial reaction was “of course you want to pre-condition your calves”!  However, after a little reflection I was able to understand someone questioning, what might be, their traditional management practices.

Cattle prices are crazy.  Marketing cattle is almost as easy as one of those “drive it, tow it, drag it” used car deals that are advertised from time to time.  The market is hungry for cattle and buyers may be willing to compromise their standards to fill their needs.  It is easier to understand why someone would reconsider the added expense and time to keep calves around an extra 45 days and choose to Continue reading Precondition or Not, That is the Question →

Fall Beef Management in Ohio: Forage Challenges and Herd Prep

– Ted Wiseman, OSU Extension, Perry County (originally published in Ohio Farmer on-line)

Does the quality of your forage suggest supplementation is warranted?

As fall deepens across Ohio, cattle producers are entering an important time of year for the beef herd and forage management. With winter on its way, the decisions made now will shape herd health, feed efficiency, and economic outcomes through the cold months. This year, however, brings added complexity: forage quality is down significantly, especially in first cutting hay, which suffered from delayed harvests and excessive rainfall in many regions.

The Ohio State Beef Team recently evaluated 180 forage samples from across the state and found that overall forage quality was notably poor. Many of the samples, especially first cutting hay, showed significantly reduced protein and energy levels. This decline is largely attributed to delayed harvests caused by wet spring conditions, which led to overly mature forage with diminished nutritional value. As a result, producers must Continue reading Fall Beef Management in Ohio: Forage Challenges and Herd Prep →

Winter Feed Planning Starts with a Probe

– Ted Wiseman, OSU Extension, Perry County (originally published in Farm and Dairy)

Is this the most valuable tool you’ll use this year?

Ohio cattle producers are facing another challenging year as extreme weather continues to impact forage quality. Following a record drought in 2024, the 2025 growing season brought heavy spring rains and scattered summer storms, complicating hay harvest and drying. According to forage analysis conducted by Ohio State University Extension, many hay samples collected from across the state show nutrient levels well below the requirements for beef cattle, particularly during late gestation and lactation.

Spring-calving cows require approximately 49% Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN) three months before calving, increasing to 60% TDN at peak milk production. However, OSU Extension data shows that grass hay ranged from 25.3% to Continue reading Winter Feed Planning Starts with a Probe →

Forage quality . . . what’s better than snowballs?

– Stan Smith, PA, Fairfield County OSU Extension

Much of Ohio’s 2025 first cutting hay was beyond optimum maturity when it was harvested. Lab analysis indicates little first cutting has adequate quality to meet the nutritional needs of beef cows in lactation or even gestation.

As we recently began our 30th year of publishing the Ohio BEEF Cattle letter I took a look at the hot topics that were up for discussion in 1996. Looking back it’s interesting to note we were concerned with how best we could manage feeding poor quality hay resulting from a very wet spring of ‘96, alternatives for feeding cows when faced with a shortage of high-quality feed, and marketing calves from a declining U.S. cow herd. Sound familiar?

While it may feel like déjà vu all over again, today let’s only consider the feed management concerns we’re dealing with and leave calf marketing for another time. If there was any question regarding this year’s hay and forage quality, I hope you agree they were laid to rest a couple weeks ago when the results of 180 forage samples collected by OSU Extension throughout Ohio were released. To recap, only one of all the 180 samples tested will support a 1200 pound lactating beef cow and only a few will Continue reading Forage quality . . . what’s better than snowballs? →

What is Your Corn Fodder Worth?

– Heidi Reed, Extension Educator, Agronomy, Penn State University and Tara Felix, Extension Beef Specialist, Penn State University

Keep it in the field, bale it, or graze it?

There are three main strategies to manage fodder (also called stover or residue) after corn grain harvest: keep it in the field, bale it, or graze it.

Keeping Fodder in the Field
One of the benefits of keeping corn fodder in the field is soil conservation. The NRCS recommends keeping soils covered as much as possible for improved soil health. High levels of soil cover and roughness reduce soil loss according to RUSLE2, a tool used by NRCS to estimate erosion potential. Corn fodder left on the soil surface after grain harvest can easily provide 90 to 95% cover; additionally, the remaining standing cornstalks increase field roughness. Conversely, removing fodder through baling or grazing can reduce Continue reading What is Your Corn Fodder Worth? →

Beef & Sheep Small Farms Field Day, October 4 at the Eastern Agricultural Research Station

Register today!

Make plans now to attend the Beef & Sheep Small Farms Field Day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 4 at the Eastern Agricultural Research Station (16870 Bond Ridge Rd. Caldwell, OH 43724). If you have a small herd of beef cattle, goats, or a flock of sheep and/or are a new or beginning ruminant livestock producer then this program is for you!

Join OSU Extension Educators and State Specialists for an all-day workshop covering topics every ruminant livestock producer needs to know from grazing and nutrition, livestock marketing, facilities and housing. Training sessions will be species-specific that include hands-on training in animal care and handling, basic animal health, livestock evaluation, and much more.

The cost to attend is $30 per person with lunch included. Space limited to Continue reading Beef & Sheep Small Farms Field Day, October 4 at the Eastern Agricultural Research Station →

Betting on herd expansion

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

Herd expansion, is now the time?

As I visit with cattle producers this summer, the conversation that continues to be in the back of everyone’s mind is the topic of herd expansion. Should we plan on keeping additional heifers this fall? There will be some jockeying for position as to who decides to add cow numbers. As it relates to heifer marketing this fall, Kenny Rogers’ song the gambler comes to mind, “You got to know when to hold them, know when to fold them.”

This isn’t a yes or no answer as there are several factors in play, economics, feed availability and quality, and individual herd dynamics.

Economics: Thus far looking at USDA reports there is no sign of herd expansion at this point. High fed cattle prices have incentivized the selling of Continue reading Betting on herd expansion →

Navigating Forage Quality in a Year of Extremes . . . Again!

– Garth Ruff, Beef Cattle and Livestock Marketing Field Specialist, OSU Extension, Ted Wiseman, OSU Extension, Perry County, Stan Smith, PA, Fairfield County OSU Extension

Forage analysis from many Ohio counties make it apparent we should be concerned about forage quality!

“If you can’t change the situation, you adapt.” That’s a familiar mindset for many in agriculture, and it’s especially true in 2025. This growing season has brought another round of extreme weather across Ohio and the Midwest, making forage production unpredictable and challenging.

After what was considered one of the worst droughts in Ohio history in 2024, this year flipped the script with heavy spring rains and scattered summer storms. While the moisture helped pastures grow and may have allowed for multiple hay cuttings, it also made drying difficult. That led to inconsistent forage quality and a higher risk of mold and spoilage.

Recognizing the challenges producers are facing with forage quality, the Ohio State University Extension Beef Team launched a statewide effort to get a clearer picture of what’s really out there. Teaming up with 29 Extension educators across Ohio, 180 forage samples were collected and tested from Continue reading Navigating Forage Quality in a Year of Extremes . . . Again! →

Pregnancy Testing Pays Off

– Dean Kreager, Extension Educator – Agriculture and Natural Resources, Licking County

Ultrasound is one of 3 popular methods of pregnancy checking.

With cull cow prices hitting record highs, this may be the time to pregnancy check and avoid overwintering open cows. For many, the breeding season has wrapped up and weaning time will be here soon. This is a time where a small investment in a pregnancy check can result in saving on winter feed as well as a nice check for those cows that did not get pregnant.

Overwintering open cows is not typically a profitable venture. The largest expense coming out of your pocket is the value of feed needed to get the cattle through the winter. Let’s be on the conservative side and say your hay is worth $60 per round bale and each cow eats 5 bales through the winter, that is $300.  This number could easily go up to $500 with a longer time on hay or a higher quality of hay fed. This does not count for all the other expenses involved with keeping cattle.  With record high feeder calf prices, the loss caused by open cows does not hurt as bad, but it is still a loss.

On the other side of the coin is Continue reading Pregnancy Testing Pays Off →

Smooth Bedstraw

– Jordan Penrose, Ohio State University Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Morgan County (originally published in Ohio Farmer on-line)

Bedstraw was brought to the US to be an ornamental.

Over the past couple of months, I have received several questions about a weed that is appearing in pastures and hayfields. That weed is smooth bedstraw (Galium mollugo); it is also known by many other names, like beggar-lice, chicken weed, cleavers, false baby’s breath, robin-run-ahead, whip-tongue, white bedstraw, white hedge bedstraw, and wild madder. Smooth bedstraw has been around in Ohio for a while, as it is widespread in eastern Ohio and scattered throughout other areas of the state. The native region of smooth bedstraw is Eurasia, and it was brought to the United States to be an ornamental plant.

Smooth bedstraw prefers gravelly or sandy loam soils and can be Continue reading Smooth Bedstraw →