Beef Cattle

Six new articles have been posted in this week’s issue number 1343 of the Ohio BEEF Cattle letter: http://u.osu.edu/beef/

A wet winter followed by significant precipitation across much of Ohio in recent weeks has not only led to delayed planting progress, but also damage to pastures and feeding areas resulting from the repeated pugging created by animals’ hooves. This week Dean Kreager discusses alternatives for repairing those areas.

Articles this week include:

• • Pasture repairs after a muddy winter
  • A Breeding Soundness Exam: Insurance for Your Breeding Season
  • Rise of craft breweries in the southeastern USA increases supplement availability for beef cattle
  • Considerations for Selecting & Installing an Electric Fence Charger
  • National Feeder and Stocker Receipts Higher to Start 2023
  • Higher Beef Prices Begin to Bite, for Some

Six new articles have been posted in this week’s issue number 1344 of the Ohio BEEF Cattle letter: http://u.osu.edu/beef/

Earlier this week USDA’s Ag Statistics Service reported hay stocks on Ohio farms were down 3 percent from this time last year, and all hay stored on United States farms as of May 1, 2023, was down 13 percent from the same time last year. This hay stock level for the US is the second lowest amount since records began in 1950. This week Andrew Holden explores if and how this and other factors might impact the value of the hay you might be buying or selling.

Articles this week include:

• • Are you charging enough for your hay?
  • Forage Maturity Across Ohio
  • “You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know”
  • Regardless of the Market, Don’t Stop Doing the Little Things
  • Effects of extended days on feed on rate of change in performance and carcass characteristics of feedlot steers and heifers and Holstein steers
  • Higher Beef Prices Begin to Bite, for Some

Small Ruminant

• Are You Charging Enough for Your Hay?
  • Andrew Holden, OSU Extension Educator ANR, Ashtabula County With hay inventories at all-time lows, are you charging a competitive rate? What is a fair price Read more…
• Wool: The Natural Fiber
• Feeding Practices in Sheep
  • Dr. David G. Pugh, DVM, MS, MAg, DACT, DACVN, DACVM, Auburn University (Previously published online with the Merck Manual – Veterinary Manual: October, 2022) Feeding Farm Read more…
• Thinking Outside the Box – The Use of Plant Compounds as Natural Anthelmintics
  • Dr. Brady Campbell, Assistant Professor, State Small Ruminant Extension Specialist By now, most producers should be aware that as of June 11th, all over-the-counter antibiotics Read more…
• Fecal Egg Count Demonstration
• Do You Have a Plan for Marketing Your Lambs?
  • Melanie Barkley, Livestock Extension Educator, Penn State Extension (previously published with Penn State Extension: November 7, 2022) All sheep operations need to market products in order Read more…

Beef Cattle

Six new articles have been posted in this week’s issue number 1341 of the Ohio BEEF Cattle letter: http://u.osu.edu/beef/

Proper early season pasture management sets the stage for a summer long productive pasture. That’s a focus this week!

Articles this week include:

• • Act Now to Keep Pastures Growing the Entire Grazing Season
  • “Butterweed” . . . Coming Soon to a Field Near You
  • Internal Parasite Control in Cow-Calf Herds: Impact on Animal Health and Herd Profitability
  • Are Parasite Problems Returning in Cattle Due to Dewormer Resistance?
  • When budgeting consider interest costs
  • April Cattle on Feed – What to Make of March Placements

Five new articles have been posted in this week’s issue number 1342 of the Ohio BEEF Cattle letter: http://u.osu.edu/beef/

Today, when every pound of calf produced has record (or near record) value, how do we capitalize on gained efficiency within the production system? Garth Ruff explores the answer to that question this week.

Articles this week include:

• • Precision Livestock Farming to Improve Efficiency
  • Strategically Using Pregnancy Diagnosis to Identify Nonpregnant Cows
  • Production practices and value of artificial insemination and estrus synchronization programs of United States beef producers
  • Management strategies for eliminating those pretty yellow flowers
  • 2023 Beef Production Forecasts

Small Ruminant

• Wool Cooperative Closing Its Doors After Over a Century of Service
• Matt Reese, Ohio’s Country Journal editor (Previously published in Ohio’s Country Journal: April 20, 2023) In 1918 a small group of wool producers had a vision Read more…
• Lamb Quality Video Series (5 of 5): Retail Meat Yield
• White Muscle Disease in Sheep and Goats
• Michael Metzger, Michigan State University Extension Educator (Previously published on MSU Extension, Sheep & Goat: January 19, 2019) If you are raising sheep and goats in Read more…
• The Rush to the Grass Flush
• Mike Rankin, Hay and Forage Grower Managing Editor (Previously published in Hay & Forage Grower: May 2, 2023) It’s this time of year when grasses show Read more…
• Developing Young Replacement Animals (Beef Heifers, Ewe Lambs, and Doelings)
• Expect to See More Ticks Statewide this Season
• Farm and Dairy (Previously Published online with Farm and Dairy: May 1, 2023) Backyard lovers, campers, outdoors enthusiasts, and pet owners beware. If you thought Read more…

Beef Cattle

Six new articles have been posted in this week’s issue number 1339 of the Ohio BEEF Cattle letter: http://u.osu.edu/beef/

Considering the run we’re seeing in beef cattle values, this week we focus our attention on speculation regarding the economic aspects of the industry into the foreseeable future.

Also, don’t forget to join us this evening for the OSU Extension Beef Team Live!

Articles this week include:

• • Backgrounding Cattle in 2023
  • Stocker Outlook for 2023
  • Wholesale Beef Prices and Cattle Prices
  • Weekly Livestock Comments for April 7, 2023
  • Fed Cattle Supplies
  • Prospective Plantings – 2023 Hay Acreage

Six new articles have been posted in this week’s issue number 1340 of the Ohio BEEF Cattle letter: http://u.osu.edu/beef/

If you own brood cows, regardless of whether you AI extensively or only use natural service by a bull, find time to listen to the three podcasts on controlling the breeding and calving season with Les Anderson in this week’s postings!

Articles this week include:

• • ROI; Is it time for a fresh look?
  • Controlling the Breeding and Calving Season with Dr. Les Anderson
  • Early Season Pasture Management
  • Fed Cattle Prices Continue to Rally
  • Enhanced Soil Carbon Farming as a Climate Solution: Pastures and Hayfields in Ohio
  • USDA Announces Grassland Conservation Reserve Program Enrollment is Open

Small Ruminant

• Small Ruminant Workshop: FAMACHA and Integrated Parasite Management
  • Erika Lyon, OSU Extension Educator ANR, Jefferson and Harrison Counties Small Ruminant Workshop: FAMACHA and Integrated Parasite Management Bargar Farm and The Ohio State University Read more…
• Ohio Youth Livestock Webinars: Small Ruminant Handling/Welfare and Meat Quality
• Some Ideas About Crossbreeding Sheep
  • Gerlad Q. Fitch, Extension Sheep Specialist, Oklahoma State University (Previously published by Oklahoma State University Extension: March, 2017) Why do commercial producers crossbreed sheep-or any animal, Read more…
• Lambing and Kidding Assistance Survey
  • Jacci Smith, OSU Extension Educator ANR/4-H, Delaware County As your lambing and kidding season wraps up, we are hoping that you could help us better Read more…
• Ohio Youth Livestock Webinars: Small Ruminant Health
• First Cutting Can Make or Break a Season
  • Mike Rankin, Hay and Forage Grower Managing Editor (Previously published in Hay & Forage Grower: April 11, 2023) Over the course of the next two months, Read more…

Poultry

• As we move through bird migration and enter 4-H poultry livestock season and new chick season for small farmers,  since we are heading towards peak migratory bird migration in the next month, so it is crucial that we practice our very best biosecurity.
• How to keep your flock safe from HPAI: https://youtu.be/5POApKOF8no
• Tim McDermott, DVM, Extension Educator in Franklin County will be presenting on poultry disease as part of a three-part webinar series on poultry hosted by OSU State 4-H. He will have an update on HPAI during the presentation.  Wednesday, April 26th : Poultry Health https://osu.zoom.us/j/98164067948?pwd=OWdqQ2dhTk95MDdwNzBZOW51Mzhjdz09 (Password: 682120)
• Protecting animal health at home and at the fair, common disease ID, and more! There are other great videos short and long on the OSUEF Poultry playlist on YouTube at this link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSAltDhmcDcZys1OrzBN-lc11Ay5YkqKS

Beef Cattle

Eight new articles have been posted in this week’s issue number 1338 of the Ohio BEEF Cattle letter: http://u.osu.edu/beef/

It’s likely too wet to be in the fields with equipment throughout much of Ohio, but it’s not too soon to be scouting forage fields for issues that might need corrected when the weather is fit!

Articles this week include:
* Spring Hayfield Scouting
* Cressleaf Groundsel Scouting
* “Can I start grazing?”
* “Beef Team Live” returns April 12 . . . Join us!
* Southwest Ohio Spring Cow/Calf Workshop
*  Attend the International Grassland Congress, in Kentucky May 14-19, 2023
* OSU Extension Seeks a Next Assistant Director for Agriculture and Natural Resources
* Prospective Plantings – from a Cattle Perspective

Small Ruminant

Scrapie Program Metal Serial Tags Provided to Markets and Dealers are Orange

The message sent out on 4/4/2023 about the change of color of Scrapie Program metal serial tags was sent out in error.  The Scrapie Program metal serial tags are now back to orange. Silver “bright” metal tags were provided for most orders placed between 1/13/23 and 3/2/23.

• How Much Meat Should a Lamb Yield?
  • Carolyn Ihde, Agriculture Educator for Crawford and Richland Counties, University of Wisconsin-Madison (Previously published online with: Livestock Division of Extension, University of Madison-Wisconsin) Dressing Percentage Read more…Read more about How Much Meat Should a Lamb Yield?
• Ohio Youth Livestock Webinars: Small Ruminant Nutrition
• Considerations for Selecting and Installing an Electric Fence Charger
  • Kable Thurlow,  Beef and Grazing Educator, Michigan State University Thomas Guthrie, Statewide Equine Educator, Michigan State University Timothy Harrigan, Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Read more…Read more about Considerations for Selecting and Installing an Electric Fence Charger

Beef Cattle

Six new articles have been posted in this week’s issue number 1327 of the Ohio BEEF Cattle letter: http://u.osu.edu/beef/

Considering we’ve gone from near drought to mud across much of Ohio in less than two months, this week we focus on pasture and forage management for the balance of winter. Also, please know the recording of last week’s Beef School is now linked/posted on the 2023 Ohio Beef School page.

Articles this week include:

• • Pasture Improvements by Osmosis
  • Consider Feeding Options for Challenging Conditions
  • Frost Seeding Clover: A Recipe for Success
  • Two Cattle Feeding Programs Offered on February 6
  • Ohio Cow-Calf Field Day to be held in Morgan County
  • U.S. Hay Production Declined 9 Percent in 2022

Small Ruminants

• How Much Should You Charge? Pricing Your Meat Cuts
  • Brian F. Moyer, Education Program Associate, Business and Community Vitality, Penn State University Extension (Previously published online: Penn State Extension – December 22, 2022) Pricing meat Read more…Read more about How Much Should You Charge? Pricing Your Meat Cuts
• Dealing with Lamb Hypothermia
• All About Grazing – Pasture Improvements by Osmosis
  • Christine Gelley, OSU Extension Educator ANR, Noble County The New Year evokes a spirit of willingness to change for the better. Resolutions to make healthier, Read more…Read more about All About Grazing – Pasture Improvements by Osmosis