Pasture Passages. Sydney Hayter. From The Agent s Desk. Issue 2 Jacksonville, FL January/February 2015

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1 Issue 2 Jacksonville, FL January/February 2015 From The Agent s Desk Hello Everyone! I trust the holidays were full of warm wishes and happy memories, with time spent around family, friends and loved ones. Winter seems to be a unique time here in Florida, since we don t exactly share our northern neighbors experiences. Never the less, there are still important management practices to consider: for your livestock, pastures, and ponds. In this issue, I ve covered ways to maintain those excellent management skills throughout our coldest months. One of the biggest questions is what and how much to feed, and this is universal across all species. While nutritional needs are higher in the winter, care should be taken to not overfeed animals as doing such can inhibit future productivity and have a negative impact on health down the line. This can be especially true in those livestock we see more as companions like horses, backyard chickens and even goats in some cases. This is why it is important to feed according to age, activity level, pregnancy status, and current body condition. As you may recall in my last newsletter, there is a needs assessment in the works. Please be on the lookout for this either in your physical mailbox, or your inbox. This will be a huge asset to learning the most I can about the community and structuring my programming in 2015 in order to best suit your needs! Best Regards, In This Issue Winter Supplementation - Page 2 Keeping Horses at a Happy Weight - Page 3 Selecting Herd Sires - Page 4 Agriculture in the News - Page 4 Upcoming Programs - Page 5 Sydney Hayter Livestock and Forages, Extension Agent

2 Page 2 Winter: To Supplement or Not? Despite the mild winters that we experience in Florida, management strategies still should be adjusted with changing seasons. A looming question as the air gets colder and grazing options change is whether to provide supplements to livestock, especially females who are expected to calve in the coming spring months. The first strategy that should be utilized in providing nutrition during colder months is stretching the forage supply. This can be achieved through selective fertilization, rotational grazing, making hay, and utilizing annual forages. Forage, when properly managed, can provide most of the nutritional requirements of a beef cow. However, due to variation in quality and growth as a result of multiple factors, a challenge can arise in maximizing the nutritional status of the cow herd. This is why it is important to have forage quality checked. If what is being provided is adequate in terms of Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN) and Crude Protein (CP), supplementation should not be needed. Before deciding to invest in providing supplements, an alternative strategy is to ammoniate low-quality hay. Anhydrous ammonia treatment can improve hay quality and intake, reduce waste, and improve performance. This can be especially helpful for hay that has been weathered or stored outside since last year. Proper cattle management is another vital factor in making the decision to provide supplement. If cattle, especially pregnant females, are managed properly then there may not be a need to provide supplements through the winter, as they should be expected to maintain their nutritional status. The best strategies involve calculating requirements, calving at a proper body condition score (BCS), and grouping cattle by requirements. Cows in late gestation should be getting at least 18 lbs of dry matter intake (DMI) per day, with 48% TDN and 7% CP. Heifers nutrient requirements vary by their size and daily gain. Information can be found in EDIS publication SS-ANS-14 (available at Table 2, regarding cost-effective strategies for supplementation (where much of this information can be found). Maintaining cows at a BCS of 5 or above should rebreed sooner and higher pregnancy rates. Easier-fleshing females will retain body condition through nursing calves and have less trouble keeping this condition. This will also help maximize the calf crop s performance. Going further with cows BCS, an effort should be made to group cattle by nutrition requirements. Those with higher requirements should be grouped and fed separately from the easy-keepers. This will ensure females are eating what they need to gain weight and maintain a proper BCS to calve without issue, rebreed, and wean a healthy calf. If forage quality is not up to par, and members of the cowherd are still struggling with weight, then the time may come to provide supplements. Energy should be the first economic priority, and should only be provided to cows and heifers who will respond those who weaned a calf, lower than a BCS 5, and early calvers. Care should be taken to select a supplement that will provide TDN balanced with protein at a low cost. Protein is the second economic priority, and should be fed at a rate of 0.15 to 0.30 lb when forage has a TDN:CP ratio greater than 7. Non-protein nitrogen (NPN), such as urea, can be best for young cattle. Minerals are the last, but not least important, economic priority. A complete mineral supplement containing salt, calcium, phosphorous and trace minerals is recommended.

3 Page 3 Keeping Horses at a Happy Weight We all fall into that trap food equals love, and the more treats we give to our animals, the more loved they are. This can be a fatal mistake, and has resulted in a rather dramatic increase of nutritional problems in horses. The other mistake horse-owners can make is overfeeding for their animal s activity level. Many of our equine friends are ridden regularly, and run around the pasture, but very few in the industry are considered athletes. (Think racing horses and polo ponies). Alternatively, care should be taken to avoid overly -thin horses as well. This can become an issue in the winter months (even here in North Florida, where we ve already had freezing conditions!), and nutrition should be managed before weight begins to fall off. Thankfully, there is a simple way to ensure horses are at a happy, healthy weight for their status and avoid digestive problems, laminitis, and other hoof problems later down the road. Before venturing on a weight-management plan, it is important to know at least the condition score of your horse, and the weight if you have access to a weigh-tape or scales. The condition score scale used for horses is similar to that of beef cattle, with scores ranging from 1-9. A score of 1 would be very emaciated, with almost no fat and visible skeleton, and a score of 9 is extremely obese with obvious fatty patches and no visible bones. A happy medium is somewhere between 4.5 to 6. To assess this score, look over the spine and ribs, then along the withers and across the rump. It is ok for bones to be somewhat visible, but best if they are just barely felt and not seen. Horses have six basic nutrient requirements: water, carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals. Water is crucial to maintain hydration and healthy movement through the digestive tract. A normal horse with moderate body condition should consume 5-15 gallons or more per day, and needs access to clean water at all times. Carbohydrates will make up the majority of a healthy horse s diet. These come in the form of structural and non-structural (fiber and sugar/ starches respectively). Structural carbs come from the roughage part of the diet, usually as hay, which is why it is important to feed good-quality hay. Non-structural carbs are available as grain supplements, and should only be fed minimally to fulfill those requirements the hay fails to meet. Ideally, a horse will receive 1.5-2% of its body weight as forage on a dry-matter basis. Hay can also provide protein, which is essential for growth and maintenance. Growing horses generally require 12-18% protein in their diet, while mature horses can get by with a lower level of 8-12%. Fat is an easily digestible energy source for horses, and as such should not be fed in excess, since this extra nutrition can cause extra body condition. When providing fat, it is important to make sure other nutrient requirements are being met as well. Vitamins can build up in excess and cause toxicity problems. Generally a good forage program with adequate concentrate will provide vitamins in appropriate levels. Minerals should also be monitored, and the two most commonly mentioned are calcium (C) and phosphorous (P). A supplement should have a C:P ration between 1:1 and 2:1. Similar to feeding other livestock, if possible horses should be separated and fed by nutritional status. This allows each animal to get what they need, and not more or less.

4 Page 4 Selecting Herd Sires With the calving and subsequent breeding season approaching, it is important to assess what priorities are considered in selecting the sire(s) of your cowherd s calves. These can vary according to breed, cow size and age, and production goals. All of these factors can equally impact the process used in selecting a herd sire, and unfortunately one of the most common mistakes many ranchers make can be single-trait selection. The optimal herd sire is the male who best combines these traits in relation to your cow herd and production system. Because of the bull s ability to produce multiple offspring in a year, proper selection is even more important. In a system where replacement females are maintained, 87.5% of the genetics after 3 generations in the cowherd can be traced to herd sires 1. This puts even more pressure on choosing the right bull! If this is your production practice, select sires based on maternal traits such as fertility and young calf growth, with a secondary emphasis on growth. In a terminal system, industry targets for growth and carcass characteristics need to be taken into account, followed closely by consideration of when calves are marketed. Benchmark data provided by producers and markets should be taken into account, and can be found in the form of Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs). These are an article unto themselves, but in short are a predictor of how a bull s offspring are expected to perform compared a the breed average. Note that they can only be compared within the same breed, but can be very useful when considered in combination with the bull s physical appearance and health. Visual evaluation is a vital factor in selecting a sire. The bull should be sound on all four legs, well-muscled, in good body condition, and have at least a somewhat balanced, attractive look. Bulls that have reached puberty should undergo a Breeding Soundness Exam (BSE), performed by a veterinarian, to evaluate their ability to successfully breed females. When production practice, marketing strategy, physical health, breeding ability, and EPDs are all taken into account, a successful decision can be made in selecting an appropriate sire for your cow herd. 1. Information gathered from EDIS publication AN 173. Agriculture in the News A short collection of headlines and news updates on what s happening in the world of animal agriculture Something on the forefront of many producer s minds is the Farm Bill that passed in The most promising parts of the bill are the increase in funds available for assistance for current and future farmers, and the opportunities for rural development and specialty crops. A nice summary of highlights can be found at: The USDA is looking to improve upon its information from the 2012 Census of Agriculture, and has sent forms for the Tenure, Ownership, and Transition of Agricultural Land (TOTAL) survey to more than 80,000 landowners. The objective of this survey is to measure financial impacts and challenges of land ownership, and so both farmers and landlords will receive surveys. Responses are mandatory by law, and will be kept confidential. The results will be published online in August of this year. The USDA s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is online at There were multiple spots of good news in the recent spending bill passed by Congress. The government cannot require farmers to report greenhouse gas emissions from manure management systems, nor obtain greenhouse gas permits for methane produced by bovine flatulence and belching. The EPA has also been required to withdraw its new rule defining waterways as a part of the Clean Water Act, and the Army Corps of Engineers cannot regulate farm ponds and irrigation ditches under the same act.

5 Page 5 Preparing for the Calving Season Wednesday, January 21st 6:00-7:30 pm Prepare yourself for the spring calving season, and how to manage females for rebreeding Call to pre-register. Upcoming Programs A Day of Gardening - February 28th, 8:30 am - 2:30 pm, $15 to register by Feb. 23rd Aquatic Systems - February/March - TBA For more information, or if you have questions/comments, call Sydney at or sydneyrh@ufl.edu.

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