A Publication of:
OSU Extension - Fairfield County
831 College Ave., Suite D, Lancaster, OH 43130
Phone: 740.653.5419, e-mail: fair@postoffice.ag.ohio-state.edu
and the
Questions and comments may be directed to the BEEF Team or Stan Smith, Editor
Previous issues of the BEEF Cattle letter
Issue # 145
July 14, 1999
DROUGHT MANAGEMENT FOR BEEF AND SHEEP PRODUCERS - Ed Vollborn, OSU Extension Grazing Program Leader
Drought management often causes more stress due to mental strain than does the additional physical needs of a manager. Basically, drought causes a drastic reduction in feed available. This deficiency can be managed by: "Reducing the need - Increasing the feed."
"Reducing the need" is often a "quick, less strenuous fix" because of its dramatic, sudden impact.
Develop a drought emergency management plan to minimize operating costs through April 2000. Stay flexible in making changes to the plan as moisture conditions and market prices evolve over the year. Initiate the tried and true managements first, then be creative in exploring other options.
Points to consider:
- Water is normally the least expensive nutrient. It is a critical part of the animal's diet, being responsible for everything from the body's chemical reactions to providing a built-in cooling system. Cows will drink twenty gallons or more of water per day, depending on their size and the temperature outside, so fresh water must be available at all times. Muddy water sources or dripping springs may not be providing enough daily consumption. If offered, would your cows drink additional water from a clean, fresh supplemental source at 7:00 p.m. each evening? If so, providing additional water by hauling from a stream or pond, or piping from a public water source may be a good investment.
"Reducing the need":
- Consider marketing old, open or poor performing cows early. Because of the scattered nature of this year's drought, the price impact of forced liquidations has been minimal at this point. Always keep a good relationship with your market manager to prevent selling on a "bad day". Early sale of cull cows could really impact your long-term feed supply.
- Early weaning of beef calves could be the most efficient use of remaining resources. Weaned and started (pre-conditioned) calves normally weigh more and typically sell value added. Feeding concentrate to calves in dry lot is easier than feeding cow-calf pairs on pasture. What's wrong with early weaning? Most farmers have developed seasonal work routines to reflect best use of their time. It is not normal to have 'January' feeding chores in 'July.' Perhaps it is time to re-evaluate with no or minimum second/third cut hay, no pasture to mow - is there time to do feeding of early wean calves?
"Increasing the feed":
- Emergency crops are still an option. Be careful to look at 'days to maturity.' Several of the common crops require 60-90 days of active growth (days the seed sets in the soil awaiting germination don't count). Pencil out the cost of planting the summer annuals. What will be the impact of getting just one harvest versus the normal of two or more? Varieties of small grains that have been improved for forage qualify, if planted in the August time period (location in state will impact best seeding date) could provide high quality grazing in late November and again in March. The brassica (turnips, kale, etc.) can provide a lot of tonnage in a short time, can be inexpensive to plant and will capture carryover fertilizer. Brassica do require a good moisture situation for germination. County Extension offices have Agronomy Factsheets 019 and 020 that provide more information on 'emergency' forages.
- When roughages are in short supply and grain prices low, supplementing grain for stored forage is always an option. Shelled corn can be fed on the ground during dry periods with very little loss. Range cube feeding, common in many western states has been demonstrated in Ohio in year-round grazing operations with great success. Two-four pounds per cow, per day of a twenty percent protein high energy cube has kept cows in good body condition while keeping them hungry enough to harvest low quality forage to meet their remaining daily nutritional needs.
- Be creative! First, look for acreage on your own farm that is under utilized. Could a temporary electric fence give you a few extra days of grazing? Graze cows or creep graze calves on short meadow regrowth. Once legumes bloom or grasses get brown leaf tips, only limited growth can be expected. Are there fields in the community not being used? Could a temporary fence make them usable? OSU Extension Bulletin 872 has a couple of pages on establishing value for standing forage. Do you have a neighbor, friend or relative in the trucking business that could 'back haul' supplemental feed from outside the drought region at a reduced cost? Manage what you have! One of the key concepts of management intensive grazing is 'improved forage utilization' - eating a higher percentage of what is being produced.
Can some 'brush', firewood tree tops, etc. be utilized by maintenance animals? A chain saw can bring some forage within reach quickly. Beware of poisonous plants! Caution: all wild cherry needs to be consumed 'green' or not at all.
Caution: We need to continue to manage the 'luring, dynamic pasture' to take advantage of rains when they arrive. Our tendency is to graze until we run out of usable pasture. The management strategies which 'reduce the need' (selling less productive breeding animals, early weaning, etc.) as well as the strategies to 'increase the feed' should be done before grass is completely consumed. Grazing 'two inch short' regrowth is foolish since volume will be very low and damage to the pasture can be devastating because we are reducing root reserves (another topic). Don't 'fudge' on the rest period!
Tough times develop 'tough' grass farmers. Make 'smart' decisions before forage supplies are
totally consumed. Be creative!
PLAN TO PALPATE and PREG CHECK YOUR COWS!
It's always a good idea to palpate your cows to avoid boarding any freeloaders for the winter. However, this year, boarding open cows even for the balance of summer may be intolerable.
In addition to the obvious reason for chuting all cows, palpating for pregnancy and culling the opens, there are also other advantages. While they're in the chute, check for condition of teeth, eyes, udders, feet and legs. Without teeth, even when pastures are productive, it's difficult for a cow to forage enough to maintain condition. If cancer eye is detected early, the value of the cow as a cull will not be affected. Soundness of udders can affect getting the calf off to a good start on it's birthday as well as milk production until weaning. Obviously, sound feet and legs will not only allow cows to graze more, but also adequately support the bull during breeding.
Anytime you have easy access to a cow, it's a good time to booster vaccinations against IBR, BVD, PI3, BRSV, Lepto and Vibrio. It's also an excellent time to take a look at fly control and, as Fall approaches, grub or lice control may be considered. Young cows (3 years and under) might be candidates for a deworming, also.
Finally, by knowing the reproductive stage of each cow, they can be more easily divided into different nutritional groups based on pregnancy status and cow condition. And, if there's a reproductive problem that's identified early enough, depending an individual's management philosophy, there may be time to correct the problem and get the cow bred yet this year.
Consult with your vet for the costs involved in performing each of the procedures described
above to your cow herd. I bet you find it won't take the feed cost savings on very many
freeloaders (open cows) to pay the entire bill.
ASSESSING POTENTIAL FOR NITRATE PROBLEMS IN CORN - Peter Thomison, OSU Extension Corn Specialist
Severe drought stress in parts of Ohio has raised questions concerning the potential for toxic levels of nitrates in corn harvested for silage. Nitrates absorbed from the soil by plant roots are normally incorporated into plant tissue as amino acids, proteins and other nitrogenous compounds. Thus, the concentration of nitrate in the plant is usually low. The primary site for converting nitrates to these products is in growing green leaves. Under unfavorable growing conditions, especially drought, this conversion process is retarded, causing the nitrate to accumulate in the stalks, stems and other conductive tissue. The highest concentration of nitrates is in the lower part of the stalk or stem. For example, the bulk of the nitrate in drought-stricken corn plants can be found in the bottom third of the stalk. If moisture conditions improve, the conversion process accelerates and within a few days nitrate levels in the plant return to normal.
The highest levels of nitrate accumulate when drought occurs during a period of heavy nitrate uptake by the corn plant. A drought during or immediately after pollination is often associated with the highest accumulations of nitrates. Extended drought prior to pollination is not necessarily a prelude to high accumulations of nitrate. The resumption of normal plant growth from a heavy rainfall will reduce nitrate accumulation in corn plants, and harvest should be delayed for at least 3 to 4 days after the rainfall.
Not all drought conditions cause high nitrate levels in plant. If the supply of soil nitrates is in the dry soil surface, plant roots will not absorb nitrates. Some soil moisture is necessary for absorption and accumulation of the nitrates.
If growers want to salvage part of their drought damaged corn crop as silage, it's best to delay harvesting to maximize grain filling. Even though leaves may be dying the stalk and ear have enough extra water for good keep. Kernels will continue to fill and the increases in dry matter will more than compensate for leaf loss unless plants are actually dying or dead. Moreover if nitrate levels are high or questionable, they will decrease as plant get older and nitrates are converted to proteins in the ear.
The kernel milkline can be used as a guide in determining the best time to cut corn for silage. When the kernel milkline has moved 1/4 to the distance from the top (or crown) of the kernel to the base, the whole plant contains approximately 60-70% moisture -- usually the recommended moisture range for making corn silage.
Test kits for qualitative plant tissue analysis of N-P-K are available. Dr. Jay Johnson noted that Spectrum Technologies markets one such kit. Their address is:
Testing nitrate levels with such kits generally involves splitting the corn stalk, adding a small amount of the nitrate powder (match-head size), working the nitrate reaction powder into the sap with a knife blade, and waiting several minutes for a final reading (to allow color development). Since the nitrate powder reacts with nitrates in the plant sap, it is important to have fresh plant tissue when testing. Normally with drought stricken corn plants, the highest concentration of nitrate-N is in the bottom third of the stalk. Therefore if the corn is to be harvested for silage it is important to test the nitrate levels at the cutting height of the forage chopper to determine the highest levels of plant nitrate.
Quick tests for nitrates should be used to determine if the plant is low in nitrates. If the plant is marginal to high in nitrates then a lab analysis is recommended before feeding. To get a quantitative nitrate determination, send or deliver a sample of 6-10 plants (cut at the stalk height of the forage chopper) to a plant analysis laboratory. Lists are available from your county extension office. Results of the test can generally be obtained over the phone, fax or email when tests are completed.
For more information on feeding corn with varying nitrate-nitrogen levels, consult Dairy Guide
Leaflet D6111.
'EMERGENCY WATER' - Mark Byers, OSU Extension Health and Safety Specialist
Due to the current drought being experienced in parts of Ohio, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Huntington District is permitting the withdrawal of water for emergency livestock use from impoundments under its control. The Huntington District controls twenty of twenty-eight Corps lakes in Ohio, primarily in the central and southeastern portions of the state. Efforts are currently underway to allow this practice statewide and it is my understanding the other three Corps districts in the state would likely approve such requests. There are restrictions such as livestock or domestic use only (no irrigation of crops), limit of 100,000 gallons, no tanker trucks, no "factory" farms, etc. The Corps has also asked that all requests GO THROUGH THE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY.
Information and an application form will be available in OSU Extension offices next week. For
those of you needing this information in a more timely manner, please call me at 614-292-0622
or e-mail and I will fax you a copy.
The general message in the July 12 U.S. Department of Agriculture report was one of confirming a bearish price scenario in grains and oilseeds for the foreseeable future. Ending stocks in the current crop year for soybeans were dropped to 395 million bushels with some increase in both exports and the crush, but that is the good side of the coin. The bad side of the coin is that ending stocks estimates for the next crop year are at a record 590 million bushels. Ending stocks in corn for this year were pegged near 1.75 billion bushels and for next year they move up toward 2 billion bushels. The source of all the bad news is clear in the acreage information. We have seen strong moves up in corn and soybean acreage. In 1995, the last year of the old farm programs, planted acreage in corn was 71.2 million acres. That ballooned to 79.5 million in 1996 and moved still higher to 80.2 million in 1998. This year's acreage (this is the first time we have had survey information from farmers) was pegged at 77.6 million acres in the July 12 report. This is larger than some private analysts have expected, and while down a bit from last year, it will produce a crop bigger than usage and ending stocks will continue to grow. We can expect to see continued pressure on corn and soybeans in particular as prices sink to some of the lowest levels we have seen since the farm crisis of the mid-1980s. All this has been exacerbated by soybean acreage that stood at 62.6 million acres in 1995 and has exploded up to 74.2 million acres this year according to the July 12 report. We are seeing new-crop offers on corn as low as $1.30 in some parts of the Midwest, and new-crop offers on soybeans, where the November futures are barely above $4, are moving down toward $3.50 and below in some areas.
In the beef complex, we are awaiting a Cattle on Feed report on Friday that is likely to show strong placements again. Numbers stay high and commercial production is running at or above year-ago levels. This is a substantially different price scenario than many had expected given where we are in the traditional cattle cycle. Cash cattle traded at $64 with some at $64.50 late last week, but I expect the trade this week to be more nearly in the $63-$64 range. Boxed beef cutout values for the Choice grades have dropped from the $118 level back down toward $111. I would continue to look to sell the December cattle futures on rallies back into the chart gap that was left on June 28. It extends above and below $66, so $65.90 or some such might be a good place to place a sell order. I don't see any strong signs right now with what is going on in the pork complex that we are going to be able to rally substantially higher than those levels in this market.
The August feeder cattle chart is shown again this week. It looks like it might be a good lesson
in not insisting on the market rallying completely back to the old high before you are willing to
pull the trigger and do some forward pricing. The $77.90 high on Monday of this week looks
quite attractive in terms of what we are seeing in the fed cattle market. I would turn more
aggressive and forward price late summer and fall feeder cattle this week if this market can rally
back toward, say, the $77.80 level. It is less likely now, given what we are seeing in the cash fed
cattle market this week, that we will challenge that earlier high at $78.77.
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.
Fairfield County Agriculture and Natural Resources
