Bull-o-gram. McDowell County Center January This year s annual meeting will be held on Thursday, February 14

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1 Bull-o-gram Beef newsletter McDowell County Center January 2009 Cattlemen s Association Annual Meeting Inside This Issue Cattlemen s Assoc Annual Meeting 1 Calendar of Events 1 Winter Forage Conference 2 Mythical Cow Gas Tax 2 Hay Waste from Trailers 2 Water Use by Beef Cattle 3 I Can t Get em Bred Back 3 January Beef Mgmt Calendar 4 This year s annual meeting will be held on Thursday, February 5th, 6:00 pm at the McDowell County Senior Center off Sugar Hill Road. We have an excellent program lined up for this year s meeting. Over the past 2 years we have seen an unprecedented increase in prices of almost all our operating expenses including fertilizers, feed, fuel, equipment, etc. Those who have recently purchased mineral supplements for our cattle have seen an almost 100% increase in the costs in the past 6 months. As a consequence of this action, it has become necessary for us to reanalyze the mineral needs of our herds. We ll look at the role minerals play and the specific requirements under the different feeding regiments that exist in our county to see if we can reduce the costs of providing these mineral supplements to our cattle. We will also show you how to build an excellent salt/mineral feeder to keep your minerals dry for under $10. In addition, we will be presenting the 2008 Cattleman of the Year Award, and the Service Award to recognize an individual, organization or business for providing services and resources to the McDowell Cattlemen s Association. This should be an interesting and informative meeting for everyone. As always, spouses and family members are welcomed and encouraged to attend. Farm Bureau will be sponsoring the meal so we need to have an accurate head count. Please RSVP to by Friday, January 30th at 5:00pm. In case of inclement weather, contact the Extension office or tune into WBRM 1250AM for the meeting cancellation notice. Looking forward to seeing you on the 5th! Contact Us McDowell County Extension 60 E Court Street Marion NC (828) Phone (828) Fax Distributed in furtherance of the acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University commit themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status or disability. In addition, the two Universities welcome all persons without regard to sexual orientation. North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating. January 29 January 30 February 5 February 7 February 14 February Calendar of Events Winter Forage Conference, Waynesville, NC RSVP for McDowell Cattlemen s Meeting McDowell Cattlemen s Association Annual Meeting, McDowell Senior Center, 6:00pm Clemson Bull Test and Heifer Sale, Garrison Arena, Clemson Cleveland County Replacement Heifer Sale, Shelby Livestock Yar NC Cattlemen s Conference Hickory Metro Convention Center, Hickory, NC

2 The North Carolina Forage and Grassland Council 2009 Winter Conference Series MANAGING FORAGE and GRAZING COSTS Waynesville, Haywood County Extension Center, Thursday, January 29 Contact: Program (planned) 1:00 Trade Show and registration 2:00 Welcome V. Mac Baldwin, NCFGC President 2:10 Dr. John Andrae-Clemson University Pasture costs 2:50 Break 3:10 Regional Producer Presentations and Panel 5:10 Extension Updates 5:30 Dinner and Tradeshow 6:30 Dr. Dennis Hancock U Georgia Cost management 7:30 Adjourn Registration Individual $20 Couple $30 Student $15 Registration with New membership $35 The Mythical Cow Gas Tax by: Matt Poore, Beef Extension Specialist, NCSU We had many questions last week from agents who had producers call concerning a tax that was to be put on cows because of the methane they produce in normal metabolism. The answer to the question is "there is no plan to enact such a tax". The rumor was started when EPA published an "Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking" that outlined actions that would be needed should the Clean Air Act be applied to green house gas emissions. The point they were making is that strict enforcement of the Clean Air Act would have devastating effects on every sector of the economy including agriculture. This information was supplied to me by Bryan Blinson from the North Carolina Cattlemen's Association. Hay Waste from Trailers Source: Michigan State University, Submitted by Jim Neel What about those trailers that can be used to feed hay? This was a question posed to Mr, Larry Moorehead, the speaker on the topic of hay waste, at the Northeast Beef Expo last month. The research on hay wastage during feeding that you are probably the most familiar is that conducted at Michigan State. They compared the hay that was wasted, fed in a ring, a cone, trailer and cradle. All feeder types provided 14.5 inches of feeding space. Dry matter waste was 6.1%, 3.5% 11.4% and 14.6% for the ring, cone, trailer and cradle feeders. So, in this study, the cone and the ring methods wasted less feed than the trailer or cradle. Using the results from this trial, feeding hay in the trailer feeder would result in 228 lb. hay waste per ton. If it takes 2.5 tons of hay to winter a beef cow, the trailer feeder would produce a waste of 570 lb. per cow over the winter. Hay is expensive regardless if you produce or purchase it. With a $100 per ton price, hay wasted from the wagon type feeder would total $31.30 per cow. While value of hay wasted from the ring feeder totaled $15.25, the cone feeder, $8.75 and the cradle, $36.50 per cow. Cow behavior can also contribute to hay wastage as well as the slant of the bars. The researchers reported that there was three times more butting from the cradle than the other feeders. 2

3 Several farmers have received a survey asking about their water use. This has raised many questions as most producers don't know exactly how much water a cow drinks in a day. Water use will differ dramatically by type of animal and environmental temperature, but for planning purposes (and for the survey in question) you need to know the maximum amount of water an animal (and the herd) would use in a given day. Here are the figures we use for planning purposes assuming a 90 degree high temperature. This information is adapted from the National Research Council's publication Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle. Lactating cow: 25 gallons/day Dry cow: 14 gallons/day 600 lb stocker: 13 gallons/day 1000 lb finisher: 21 gallons/day Mature bull: 21 gallons/day Water Use by Beef Cattle Matt Poore, Beef Extension Specialist, NCSU Using those numbers, a 100 cow herd (including 3 bulls) with spring calving would use a maximum of 2563 gallons per day. A 100 cow herd with fall calving and marketing of the calves before the heat of summer would use a maximum of 1363 gallons per day during the summer, but during peak lactation (November) with high temperatures in the 60s they would need 1833 gallons per day (11 gallons for bulls and 18 gallons for cows). The same fall calving herd that keeps all their calves over the summer would need to plan for 2763 gallons per day with peak use during the heat of the summer. I CAN T GET EM BRED BACK Jim Neel, University of Tennessee This comment has been made by cow-calf producers many times regarding the difficulty of getting first calf heifers "bred back." The reason heifers do not "breed back' is that they do not receive adequate nutrition. Cows must receive adequate nutrition prior to and following calving in order to breed back on time. Heifers need better quality feed than do the "mature" cows. These young heifers have greater nutrition needs compared to mature cows. The heifers have a nutritional need for growth that the older, mature cows do not have. Following are the hierarchy of nutritional needs of the young heifers: 1. Maintenance: Nutrients needed for carrying on the life processes and body functions. This is the first nutritional priority. When heifers do not receive adequate nutrition for maintenance, they will loose weight and body condition. 2. Growth: These young females are going to continue to grow and increase in weight up to 4 years of age. Therefore, they will require a higher quality feed than the older mature cows. The biggest problem on most Tennessee farms is that these heifers are fed with the mature cows and the same low quality feed. 3. Reproduction: These heifers will not breed until the preceding two requirements are met. These heifers should be in a BCS of 6 to breed. 4. Milk Production: The heifer's nutritional requirement for milk production will be met only after the needs for maintenance and growth are met. Heifers that have the potential for above average milk production will have a greater need for higher quality feed. " I can't get'em bred back" is due to the fact that they are not being managed and fed to meet their nutrient needs. 3

4 JANUARY BEEF MANAGEMENT CALENDAR Spring Calving Herds Monitor body condition of cows Test hay for nutrient content and supplement accordingly Don t Guess Market cull cows Begin to gather calving supplies Keep late pregnant cows gaining 1.0 lbs per day Pregnant heifers and 3 yr olds should gain lbs per day Keep high quality, high magnesium, high selenium minerals available Review calving assistance procedures Stockpile a few gallons of colostrum or purchase freeze dried colostrum Attend performance tested bull sales and/or order semen for AI Soil test pastures not tested in last 3 yrs Order clover seed for frost seeding later this winter Increase energy during cold periods Check waterers regularly Fall Calving Herds Begin/continue breeding Monitor body condition on cows, bulls and especially first calf heifers Feed cows extra energy after calving; some protein may be needed also if good stockpiled forage is not available. Cows calving at BCS < 5 should receive special nutritional attention. Keep 2 and 3 year-old cows separate from main herd Test hay for nutrient content and supplement accordingly Don t Guess Keep high quality, high magnesium, high selenium minerals available Supplement energy to young bulls during breeding season Send in forage test if not done earlier this year Continue to check calves closely for health problems Soil test pastures not tested in last 3 yrs Order clover seed for frost seeding later this winter Check waterers regularly Increase energy during cold periods 4

5 Shelby Livestock Yard, Shelby, NC Weighted Average Auction Report Tuesday Jan 13, 2009 Cattle Receipts: 245 Last week: 198 Last year: 355 Slaughter cattle trended mostly steady. Feeder cattle trended 6.00 to higher. Slaughter cows made up 17 percent of the offering, slaughter bulls 2 percent, replacement cows 2 percent, and feeders 79 percent. The feeder supply included 28 percent steers, 34 percent heifers, and 38 percent bulls. Near 28 percent of the run weighed over 600 lbs. (Figures in parentheses are weighted average weights and prices for each category) Feeder Steers: Medium and Large lbs (245) (110.00); lbs (255) (105.00); lbs (326) (105.94); lbs (379) (99.48); lbs (424) (96.47); lbs (472) (95.76); lbs (531) (90.81); lbs (593) (86.99); lbs (627) (83.90); lbs (663) (86.98); lbs (700) (80.00). Small lbs (325) (72.62). Medium and Large lbs (323) (86.18); lbs (410) (78.98); lbs (475) (79.00); lbs (545) (83.00); lbs (585) (77.00); lbs (650) (69.00). Holstein Large lbs (305) (52.50); lbs (430) (44.00); lbs (608) (51.96). Feeder Heifers: Medium and Large lbs (278) (89.00); lbs (324) (88.12); lbs (375) (91.00); lbs (422) (90.03); lbs (471) (85.98); lbs (528) (77.68); lbs (576) (75.64); lbs (633) (71.43); lbs (695) (72.00); lbs (733) (66.75); lbs (920) (57.50). Small lbs (185) (67.50); lbs (425) (60.00); lbs (490) (71.00); lbs (528) (62.99). Medium and Large lbs (343) (74.51); lbs (383) (73.47); lbs (419) (74.90); lbs (485) (58.00); lbs (523) (67.44); lbs (578) (60.40); lbs (660) (62.00); lbs (710) (58.00). Feeder Bulls: Medium and Large lbs (427) (102.47); lbs (473) (95.53); lbs (519) (90.19); lbs (564) (88.02); lbs (629) (83.69); lbs (672) (78.80); lbs (700) (75.00); lbs (757) (70.34); lbs (827) (67.50); lbs (868) (63.74); lbs (935) (59.98); lbs (990) (55.00). Small lbs (468) (63.81); lbs (520) (68.00); lbs (595) (52.50); lbs (615) (55.00). Medium and Large lbs (400) (76.00); lbs (488) (84.98); lbs (530) (79.28); lbs (578) (77.99); lbs (618) (70.23). Bred Cows: Medium and Large 1-2 Young lbs (827) per head 4-6 months bred (353.43); lbs (965) per head 4-6 months bred (530.90). Slaughter Cows: Breaker percent lean lbs (1254) (44.32); lbs (1596) (46.03); lbs high dressing (1660) (48.51). Boner percent lean lbs (1179) (44.85); lbs high dressing (1395) (48.00); lbs low dressing (1043) (40.16); lbs (1413) (43.49). Lean percent lean lbs (728) (34.99); lbs low dressing (690) (26.00); lbs (1083) (34.47); lbs low dressing (820) (29.00); lbs (1415) (36.00). Slaughter Bulls: Yield Grade lbs (1048) (57.47); lbs low dressing (1065) (49.50); lbs (1590) (62.00), low dressing (1590) (55.00). Source: NC Dept of Ag-USDA Market News Service, Raleigh, NC

6 McDowell County Center 60 E Court Street Marion NC Solar Energy/Energy Conservation Program March 14, :30 am -- 3:30 pm YMCA Are you concerned about rising energy costs? If so, this may be the program for you. Please make plans to join us for this exciting program designed to give you better insight into the world of solar energy. The cost for the program is $10 which will cover lunch and materials. Call the Extension office at or to RSVP by March 9 For accommodations for persons with disabilities, contact the McDowell County Center at , no later than five business days before the event. 6