A Publication of:
OSU Extension - Fairfield County
831 College Ave., Suite D, Lancaster, OH 43130
and the
BEEF Cattle questions may be directed to the OSU Extension BEEF Team through Stephen Boyles or Stan Smith, Editor
You may subscribe to this weekly BEEF Cattle letter by sending a blank e-mail to beef-cattle-on@ag.osu.edu
Previous issues of the BEEF Cattle letter
Issue # 515
December 6, 2006
BEEF 509 is Set For January
Registrations are now being accepted for the popular Beef 509 program. Beginning last year, the format of the program was changed from a 3-day program during the week to two full Saturdays. BEEF 509 is designed to help beef producers better understand the process involved in taking a beef animal and turning it into a beef food product on a consumer's plate.
In 2007, BEEF 509 will be held on Saturday, January 13 and Saturday, January 27 at the Ohio State University Animal Sciences Building in Columbus. Each day's program begins at 9:00 a.m. and concludes in the early evening. The program is a mix of lectures, presentations, demonstrations and group hands-on work. Participants must make a commitment to attend both days because they are assigned to teams that work together during both days of the program. Topics that are covered during the two-day program include: live cattle evaluation, beef harvesting procedures and innovations, carcass aging, grid pricing, taste panel and shear force evaluation, the National beef quality audit, food safety issues, genetics, environment factors relating to carcass merit, beef carcass grading, beef carcass fabrication, live values, carcass values, box beef values, and discussion on other currently pertinent beef cattle issues.
Due to the hands-on nature of the program, registration is limited to 32 participants on first-come, first-served basis. The registration fee for each BEEF 509 participant is $150. The program is the result of a partnership with the Ohio Beef Council, The Ohio State University Extension and The Ohio State University Department of Animal Sciences. Registration deadline is December 15, and a registration form in PDF may be found on-line under this link or by contacting Trent Fredenburg of the Ohio Beef Council at 614-873-6736.
2007 Ohio Beef Feedlot Management School to be Held in Meigs County
If you operate a feedlot or want to learn how to raise feeder cattle for specific fed cattle markets, plan on enrolling in the 2007 OSU Extension Beef Feedlot Management School. This school provides cattle producers with an excellent educational opportunity to increase their knowledge about all aspects of feedlot management.
Dr. Francis Fluharty, Department of Animal Sciences, The Ohio State University will be the instructor for the 8 week course. Classes will be held on 8 consecutive Thursdays starting on February 8th and running through March 29, 2007. The classes will be 3 hours per night (7 p.m.-10 p.m.) for a total 24 hours of instruction.
The following is a list of some of the major topics that will be taught in the school: Overview of Factors Affecting Profitability in Feedlots; Industry Challenges; Anatomy and Function of the Ruminant Digestive System; USDA Quality and Yield Grades and Beef Carcass Characteristics; Feeder Calf Grades, Weaning Management Strategies, and Factors Affecting Price; Feedlot Receiving Period Strategies for Keeping Newly Arrived Calves Healthy; Growing and Finishing Systems for Calves versus Yearlings; Grain Processing Methods; Utilizing Distiller's Grains and Other By-Product Feeds; Feed Bunk Management and Feed Intake Control Strategies to Optimize Feed Efficiency and Minimize Metabolic Disorders; Factors Affecting Price Received for Finished Cattle; Understanding Grid Pricing, and Feeding for Grids ; Economic Analyses and Breakeven Calculations; Using Prediction Equations for Gain and Intake to Assist in Marketing Decisions.
The school will be held at the Mulberry community Center, 260 Mulberry Avenue, Pomeroy, Ohio. The cost of registration for the school is $50.00 for all eight sessions. Registration is due by January 31, 2007. The cost will include a resource notebook and refreshments.
To enroll in the school contact Hal Kneen at the Meigs County Extension Office (740.992.6696) or kneen.1@osu.edu. Don't miss out on this on this opportunity to improve your feedlot management and feeder calf management skills.
Livestock Mortality Composting Workshop Scheduled
The livestock industry is faced with discovering innovative and economical ways to dispose of mortality loses. This need has been brought on by the disappearance of rendering plants, concerns over potential ground water pollution from burial, and the economic and environmental issues of incineration. Composting of dead animals is an option that is available to all Ohio livestock producers. Composting is a natural process in which the swine carcass is bio-degraded by bacteria to avoid pollution of air and water.
The process of composting dead animals allows bacteria and fungi to decompose the animal carcasses in an aerobic environment. By providing oxygen to this environment, the microbes are able to decompose the animal without the production of objectionable odors and gasses. When done properly, composting destroys disease causing bacteria or viruses and reduces problems associated with flies, vermin, and scavenging animals at the composting site.
A livestock mortality composting certification workshop will be offered for local livestock producers, this includes dairy, swine, sheep, horses, poultry, and exotic operations. This meeting is scheduled for December 11, 2006 starting at 1:00 p.m. The program will be held at the Darke County OSU Extension Office located at 603 Wagner Ave. Greenville, OH (next to Edison Community College)
Cost of the manual is $10.00. You can register for the meeting by contacting the Darke County Extension office at 937.548.5215 or email dark@ag.osu.edu prior to December 11, 2006.
EDITOR's NOTE: Several beef cattle related meetings on currently relevant production and industry issues have been scheduled throughout Ohio for this winter. Since more meetings are being added frequently, please refer often to the OSU Extension Beef Team web calendar of events, and also the meeting calendar found on the Ohio Cattlemen's Association web site for the most current meeting listings.
Forage Focus: Water System Savvy - Victor Shelton, NRCS Grazing Specialist
You don't realize how important water really is sometimes until you don't have any. I tested this theory out first hand recently when an old "Tee" on the pipeline from my main well, that also feeds my house, decided to leak. We were without water to the house for about 12 or so hours; my wife thought it seemed more like several days.
This particular line had been in for about 12 years and looking at the hairline crack in the "Tee", it is hard to say how long it had been leaking. Besides the pump kicking on occasionally for no reason, I did not have any idea that there might be a leak until water appeared at the soil surface. So, I dug down through 3 feet of gray mucky mud, not what I consider a fun job, to find this cracked "Tee".
OK, where am I going with this story, I guess the first thing I'm going to stress is the pressure testing of all new water systems before you cover them up. I can hear a couple people now saying, "You must not have checked yours" and you are right, I did not check that particular line; nor did I install it either though.
While I had the whole thing opened up, I decided it was a good time to add a couple more water lines and hydrants. I got everything trenched, lines glued up and in and hydrants installed and yes then I pressure tested the system before I covered it up. It is not a bad idea to take a few pictures either for future reference.
We too often take for granted the availability of water for our own use and for our livestock and we should be thankful for the water we do have in this part of the country. If you ask most producers how much water their cows drink you will likely hear quite a range of amounts. Most people will guess about 10-15 gallons a day; some will tell you they have no idea. A few years ago, we placed water meters on several farms all across Indiana for most of three seasons. These meters were checked and readings recorded daily including number of cows, average weight, whether they were dry or lactating, if lactating how close were they from peak milk production, humidity, temperature, forage and walking distance to water. The results were remarkable!
If you happened to have a 1200 pound cow near peak lactation during the hottest time of the year, she was consistently taking in almost 40 gallons of water per day! If we had been planning on only needing 10 to 15 gallons per day then we were probably short changing the cows on water which would impact milk production and in the long run, calf weaning weights. From this study, we've upped our standard water requirements to 30 gallons per day per 1000 pound live weight. This could possibly be a little overkill in some cases, but is still slightly conservative based on what the study actually indicted. Example, a 1200 pound cow should have at least 36 gallons of water available and deliverable per day.
Believe it or not, there is really quite a bit of science and math behind designing a good watering system. One of the key items besides having a dependable water source is sizing your pipe correctly. Too often, a smaller sized pipe is utilized than what is required to deliver the needed water amount. The problem with smaller lines is friction. The smaller the line, the more friction there is which slows down flow rate and thus the amount of water that can be delivered in a certain amount of time. Think of too small of a line as a huge orifice choking down the water flow rate. It might be useful in saving water in the shower, but not helpful at the watering tank.
If we have put in too small of a line, then we have to make up the difference in storage. That storage is normally going to be found in utilizing a larger watering tank which will allow for longer delivery times. If we have sized the pipe correctly and have short walking distances for the cows to the water, then we can utilize quite a bit smaller tanks.
All-weather tanks such as "ball" tanks or heated tanks are great for extending the grazing season out in the field and for winter feeding areas. These tanks often indicate that they can handle 50+ cows (2-ball) and something similar. These are sized (cow numbers) based on feedlot conditions, not for open pasture with long walking distances. Trying to utilize only this type of tank in the summer with 800+ feet walking distance is going to leave you with some unhappy cows. They just don't have enough drinking space for this use, especially during hot weather, but may be fine when water intake is lower during the winter. One easy solution for this during warm months is the addition of a frost-free hydrant beside or close to the all-weather tank. This hydrant can supplement the water requirements during warm weather and be real handy in cleaning out the all-weather tank when necessary.
If you are getting ready to put in a watering system or add on to an existing one, I would recommend getting some help with the designs and make sure that you pressure check the lines before you cover them up!
Assistance with watering system designs is available through the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Contact your local office or http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/.
EDITOR's NOTE: Creating water sources that allow improved pasture management and utilization is one of several practices that may be funded through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Application deadline for the current round of the EQIP funding cycle in Ohio is December 29, 2006. Visit the Ohio EQIP web site, or your local NRCS office for more information.
Weekly Roberts Agricultural Commodity Market Report - Mike Roberts, Commodity Marketing Agent, Virginia Tech
CORN on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) closed lower amid slumping oil markets on Monday. The DEC'06 futures contract closed at $3.626/bu, off 11.2¢/bu from Friday and about 10.0¢/bu lower than this time last week. December '07 futures were off 5.4¢/bu at $3.546/bu. As the main ingredient of ethanol, the price of corn is tied more and more to movement in crude oil. Expectations are that more corn acres are needed to fuel this ethanol boom. Pardon the pun. The need for more corn acreage next year to satisfy expanding ethanol demand is expected to prompt USDA to allow farmers to withdraw land from CRP without penalty and plant more corn. USDA declined to say if it would ease those restrictions on Monday. Technical selling begun last Friday fueled profit taking from overbought positions on Monday. The corn market remains susceptible to volatility and is vulnerable to sporadic setbacks after the last week's highs. South Korea buyers announced they are interested in U.S. corn after recent prices lowered. In addition, expectations are that some exporters in China will not honor some of its lower priced contracts, several trading floor sources said. Argentina export commitments for 05/06 were down 31% from last year at 8.585 million tonnes (338 million bu). Cash corn in the Midwest was steady to firm early Monday due to slow farmer selling. The 2006 harvest is expected to wrap up this week. Friday's CFTC Commitment of Traders report for futures/options combined showed that as of last Tuesday, funds in long positions were placed at 337,969 lots, down 21,417 lots from the previous week. Funds in short positions were placed at 53,504, down 15,100 lots. Corn producers may consider selling up to 20%-30% of the '07 crop now. If storing is an option, storing the unsold portion of the '06 crop for January delivery may be profitable as well. This market is so volatile that buying a call option may be considered but put a careful pencil to it before doing so.
LIVE CATTLE in Chicago (CME) closed lower again on Monday amid technical selling by funds wiping out gains made in early trading. The DEC'06LC closed at $85.200/cwt, down $0.300/cwt. The FEB'07LC closed down $0.975/cwt at $88.125/cwt. Both contracts finished about $1/cwt lower than last week at this time. Three floor sources on the CME agreed that this sell off was more chart driven rather than fundamentally provoked. One fund bought early on but most all other funds sold late in the day noting declines in other commodities. Even though cold weather in most states was seen as supportive slowing weight gains in cattle additional weakness in futures should be noted by the expectation of more unsold cattle on the market from last week. This prompted lower cash calls. Cash cattle traded steady to $1/cwt lower on Monday with packer margins still hovering in the red. The average beef plant margin for Monday was estimated at a negative $24.70/head, up $7.25/head from last Friday's negative $31.95/head but down $7.05/head from early last week, according to HedgersEdge.com. South Korea rejected a second shipment of U.S. beef for bone fragments creating angst in the U.S. meat industry who said these rejections aren't encouraging to the upcoming talks on a proposed free-trade deal. USDA put the choice beef cutout at $142.16/cwt, up $1.05/cwt. Cash sellers are encouraged to keep marketings current pushing them off feeding floors as soon as they are ready. It is still wise to protect a portion of 4th quarter '06 and 1st quarter '07 marketings. Corn users should consider pricing more corn inputs at this time.
FEEDER CATTLE at the CME closed up on Monday with the JAN'07FC contract finishing at $97.725/cwt, off $0.300/cwt and $0.10/cwt higher than last week. The MAR'07FC contract closed up $0.525/cwt at $96.875/cwt. Both months rallied above the 10-day moving average at one time. Lower CBOT corn futures were supportive from the beginning of trading. Gains in feeders were limited by a sliding CME Feeder Cattle Index and weakness in some cash feeder sales late Thursday and Friday of last week. The CME Feeder Cattle Index for November 30 was placed at $99.62/cwt, down $0.19/cwt. Cash sellers are still encouraged to consider protecting a portion of 4th quarter '06 and 1st quarter '07 marketings at this point. Corn users should consider pricing more corn inputs at this time.
Visit the OSU Beef Team calendar of meetings and upcoming events
BEEF Cattle is a weekly publication of Ohio State University Extension in Fairfield County and the OSU Beef Team. Contributors include members of the Beef Team and other beef cattle specialists and economists from across the U.S.
All educational programs conducted by Ohio State University Extension are available to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, gender, age, disability or Vietnam-era veteran status. Keith L. Smith, Associate Vice President for Ag. Admin. and Director, OSU Extension. TDD No. 800-589-8292 (Ohio only) or 614-292-1868
Fairfield County Agriculture and Natural Resources
