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OSU Extension - Fairfield County
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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 # 140
June 9, 1999
OBT UPDATE
The Ohio Bull Test (OBT) committee met for several hours last week and adopted several changes that we believe will improve the quality of the bulls being offered for sale at the OBT in 2000. Higher quality bulls will improve profitability within the industry for both bull buyers and sellers. The requirements for next years OBT - including all the changes - will be in print later this summer. In the mean time, here are the highlights of the major changes:
1) Bulls must be born between January 1, 1999 and April 15, 1999.
2) Bulls will be indexed 60% for average daily gain while on test and 40% for weight per day of age. This will reward bulls with higher weaning weights.
3) Minimum acceptable weight at delivery to OBT is now 2.45 pounds/day of age.
4) A minimum requirement for ribeye size of 0.9 square inch per 100 pounds of body weight has been adopted. Bulls failing to meet this minimum requirement will not make sale order.
5) Bulls meeting the ribeye requirement and that index 90% or above based on the combined 'index' described in #2 will make sale order. However, the sale order will be based on a 'star' system taking into account the following: BW EPD, WW EPD, Milk EPD, ADG ratio, WPDA ratio, and adjusted scrotal circumference. This will reward bulls with top EPDs by moving them up in the sale order.
6) A minimum 'adjusted' 205 day weaning weight of 550 pounds is required to get into the test.
7) Pelvic areas will be measured this year.
8) All breeder information is required to be submitted by the 56 day weigh-in date. Bulls with incomplete data at this time will not be eligible for the sale.
9) Delivery date to OBT has been moved up a week to allow the bulls to come off test a week sooner. Sale date remains the same - Saturday, April 15. This will allow one more week to 'cool' the bulls off before sale day.
There were some other adjustments made, however, these are the primary ones. The goal of the
committee continues to be to improve the quality of bulls offered for sale at the Ohio Bull Test.
For more details about requirements for consigning to the OBT, contact Eric Dorr at
dorr16@postoffice.ag.ohio-state.edu or 614.873.6736.
TIME TO MONITOR LEAFHOPPER ON ALFALFA - Hal Willson, OSU Entomologist
The hot weather appears to be suppressing potato leafhopper activity on alfalfa. However, the hot
and dry weather is causing extreme stress to alfalfa stands and such stands may be very
susceptible to leafhopper feeding activity. In general, our threshold for treatment of alfalfa is
exceeded when the catch of leafhoppers in ten sweeps exceeds the height of alfalfa (i.e. 6 PLH
per 10 sweeps is the economic threshold on 6 inch high alfalfa). However, when alfalfa is under
extreme stress, the threshold should be reduced by half. In contrast, if weather conditions are
favorable to vigorous growth, the threshold may be increased nearly two-fold.
SOUTHEASTERN OHIO HAY DAY
The Eastern Ohio Resource and Development Center in Belle Valley will be hosting a field day June 19, 1999. The Ohio State University Research Station will have on hand several different forage harvesting equipment demonstrations, including mowing equipment, tedders, balers, and wrappers.
The program starts at 9:00 a.m. and runs until approximately 2:00 p.m. with lunch available.
Presentations covered during the program include 'round bale storage' and 'management of forage
quality and quantity.' The research station has several other points of interest including varieties
of legumes, grazing maze, endophyte resistant varieties of fescue, rotationally grazed sheep,
cattle and numerous other experiments. For more information call 740-732-2381 or 740-732-2682.
FLY CONTROL TO KEEP THE FLIES FROM WINNING - John B. Hall, Extension Animal Scientist, Beef, Virginia Tech
Production losses to the US beef industry have been estimated in the $700 million dollar range from horn flies alone. The flies seem especially bad this year. Perhaps it's the weather this spring or maybe it is the increased resistance of the flies to our common control methods. Whatever the reason, fly control for the cow-calf operation can appear more difficult and confusing each year. However, there are always new options (and some old ones) that give us lots of possibility for control. Let's try to break it down to some manageable pieces.
The flies: The 5 flies that affect cattle the most are horn flies, face flies, heel flies, deer flies and horse flies. Horn flies are the flies we see on the backs, side, and poll areas. They are bloodsucking flies that feed 20 to 40 times per day, and their major economic damage is from blood loss. Face flies feed on secretions of the eyes and nose, and are the major contributor to pinkeye. Heel flies lay the eggs that produce cattle grubs so their damage comes later. However, heel flies cause cattle to be nervous and spend less time grazing when the flies lay their eggs on the lower legs of cattle in late summer. Deer flies and horse flies are biting flies, but they don't feed as regularly on one animal like horn flies. Deer and horse flies are more nuisance flies that disrupt the grazing patterns of cattle and cause them to spend energy to get away from the flies. Deer and horse flies are hard to control in pasture situations. In the summer, the two flies we should work on controlling are horn flies and face flies.
Resistance develops when flies are exposed to insecticides too early, at too low a dose, or for too many years in a row. There are, naturally, a few flies in the population that are hard to kill with a particular type of insecticide. If these flies are exposed to insecticide early in the season, they continue to breed and all the flies by the end of the summer are resistant. If flies are exposed to the same insecticide year after year or at a low level, some of the flies "develop" resistance.
The products and methods: There are a dizzying number of insecticides on the market for fly control. However, they all fall into 5 basic categories -- pyrethroids, organophosphates, combinations, oral larvacides and avermectins. Table 1 lists some of the common names or brands of these categories of insecticides and the usual way they are applied.
Ear tags are the most convenient method for fly control. They give good control of horn and face flies. However, fly tag use has resulted in the most resistance. Ear tags should not be applied until June and must be removed 4 - 5 months later. This puts the tags in when it will kill the most flies and creates less resistance. Too often you can see fly tags in cows in the winter because they weren't taken out in the fall. All these winter tags do is create resistance. Flies in Virginia are resistant to most of the "original" tags or first generation pyrethroids. New second generation pyrethroids, organophosphates , and combinations of the two offer some good options for ear tags to use against resistant flies.
Table 1. Common fly control products and application methods
| Category of insecticide | How applied | Common names or brands |
| Pyrethroids | Ear tag, spray, pour-on | 1st generation - Atroban, Ectrin, Gard
Star, Rabon, Durasect, Brute.
2nd generation - Super Deckem, Cutter Gold, Saber, Cylence. |
| Organophosphates | Dusts, spray, ear tag, pour-on | Diazinon, Chlopyrifos, Malathion, Fenthion, Co-ral, Commando, Patriot, x-Terminator, Optimizer, Spot-on, Lysoff, and many others |
| Combination - pyrethroids and organophosphates | Ear tags | Double Barrel, Max-Con |
| Oral larvacide | Bolus or feed additive | Rabon oral, Vigilante bolus |
| Avermectins | Pour-on | Ivomec pour-on, Ivomec Eprinex, Dectomax, Cydectin |
Sprays, dust bags and rubbers are good ways to apply insecticides, but they are less convenient. They provide good control of horn flies but are slightly less effective for face flies. Most of these products are organophosphates although some are pyrethroids. Dust bags and rubbers (oilers) must be located where cattle will be forced to use them. The best locations are near mineral feeders or water troughs, but they should not be placed over the mineral or water as accidental poisonings could occur. Dust bags and cattle rubs must be recharged regularly so there is a constant supply of insecticide.
Pour-ons are easy to apply, but their duration of control is limited (usually 28 days). In addition, they only control horn flies. Most of the pour-on products are organophosphates or avermecitins. For these products, the fly control is usually an added benefit of using them for deworming or lice control. They may not be the most economical way to control flies alone.
Oral larvicides are of limited use in pasture situations because flies can travel a great distance to find cattle. Entomologists have documented that horn flies regularly travel up to 3 miles to find cattle. So even though, the oral larvicide is reducing fly populations on your farm, flies could be coming from other locations. Oral larvicides were designed for feedlot or drylot situations and provide a good option in those environments.
Strategies for using fly control: The following simple steps can help make your fly control program more effective and create less resistance in the flies.
1) Use fly control products only during the peak fly season (June - October).
2) Use a combination of methods (such as tags and occasional spray), but use the same product during the same years.
3) DO NOT "double up" on organophosphates, they can be toxic.
4) Rotate types of insecticide yearly.
5) Note any product that is not working on your farm and eliminate its use for several years.
6) Keep dust bags and rubbers well charged
7) Remove fly tags when recommended by manufacturer.
Live cattle futures were up strong last Friday and again on Monday, riding primarily expectations of higher cash prices with boxed beef values continuing to move up in recent days. The concern is whether or not this will hold as we move through some important holiday periods where grilling tends to be featured. With December cattle futures recording a high on Monday of $67.95 and within 10 cents of the life-of-contract high at $68.05, I would advise placing short hedges here. This opportunity is going to look attractive in both the December and the October, so place orders just under contract highs as we move out and consider the fall months. With corn as cheap as it is and with feeder cattle prices continuing to lag behind the typical premium we see in feeder cattle as compared to the fed cattle market, this should be a nice profit for most cattle feeders. I think it is important not to get greedy here. If you are comfortable as a selective hedger and you see two consecutive closes above the old contract high of $68.05, coming many months ago, you can think about lifting that short hedge. But it is important that we not get too cute here. These are attractive prices, and I would tend to take them with the expectation that we are not going to see this boxed beef market continue its climb and move up from the $113 level we have been seeing across the past few days.
The Friday and Monday surge moved the summer and fall feeder cattle into new contract highs.
You can forward price these late summer and fall cattle on rallies in this market to good profit
levels, or watch the very steep trend line that we see forming on the charts and be prepared to
forward price aggressively when we see a break down through those trend lines. I have been
recommending long hedges in this market for months, and I started too soon in terms of catching
the rally we are finally seeing in this complex. Those holding long hedges on late summer and
fall feeder cattle certainly ought to think about taking profits if this market can rally back to its
Monday high of $77.75 or better on the August future and to its high of $78.50 or better on the
October contract. Certainly, any move by that October up toward $80, which will be important
resistance for a number of reasons, ought to be seen as an excellent forward pricing opportunity
and a chance to peg attractive prices on feeder cattle. As we carry those cattle through the risky
period in the summer when the corn price outlook could change dramatically due to weather, it is
important to take advantage of good pricing opportunities.
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
