Farm and Ranch News November 2016

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1 Farm and Ranch News November 2016 In This Month's Issue Cleveland County Cattlemen's Banquet - November 10th Paralyzed Cattle Markets Undervalue Calves Nitrate and Prussic Acid after Light Frosts Upcoming Events November OQBN Sale Dates Nov 3, 2016 Woodward Livestock Nov 4, 2016 Elk City Livestock Nov 8, 2016 McAlester Stockyards Nov 9, 2016 OKC West Nov 12, 2016 Pawnee Livestock Nov 19, 2016 Blackwell Livestock Full Calendar and Details Here Cattle Trails Cow- Calf Conference Dec 1, 2016 Comanche County Fairgrounds Annex Building 920 SW Sheridan Rd. Lawton, OK Brochure Poultry Litter Application Education - Anyone interested in land applying poultry litter must attend 9 hours the first year and 2 hours per year thereafter - Additional Details New Dove Management Fact Sheet New State Question 777 Fact Sheet Langston University Goat Newsletter - *FALL 2016* Resources for Goat Producers Hormones In Beef? Soybeans? Cleveland County Cattlemen's Banquet and Membership Drive It's time again for membership and directory advertising renewals. All cattle producers in Cleveland County are welcome and encouraged to join the Cleveland County Cattlemen's Improvement Association. Other supporters of the cattle industry are also welcome to join as associate members. The Cattlemen's Association promotes fellowship and communication among cattle producers in the county and provides opportunities to enhance their operation's efficiency and profitability through educational meetings with Oklahoma State University Extension and private sector specialists. Membership also includes dinner at the annual Cattlemen's Fall Banquet. Event details are below. When: Thurs, November 10, :30 p.m. Where: Frye Auditorium, Cleveland County Fairgrounds, Norman Membership/Banquet/Advertising Letter Membership Form RSVP by: November 4th at New Fact Sheets and Links Dove Field Management - This fact sheet discusses crop,

2 Pesticide Applicator Test Help Sessions for 2016 click Here December 6th at the Oklahoma County Extension Office at 2500 NE 63rd St. Oklahoma City, OK December 8th at the Tulsa County Extension Office at 4116 E. 15th. St, Tulsa, OK A-OK Alpaca Blastoff Nov 2016 The Lazy E Arena Guthrie, OK - Halter and Production Classes - Management Workshops - Industry Vendors - More info Here Oklahoma Poultry Shows - Nov./Dec. - More info Here OEGBN Celebration/ O.E.G. Bantam Bonanza Nov 19, 2016 Atoka Co. Fairgrounds South Central Poultry Club Show Nov 26, 2016 Caddo Co. Fairgrounds Oklahoma State Poultry Federation Show/Serama Express Dec, Heart of Oklahoma Exposition Center, Shawnee, OK field, and habitat management for attracting dove State Question 777: A Proposed Constitutional Amendment - This fact sheet discusses but does not take a stance on State Question 777 Langston University - Goat Newsletter - Fall Goat related research, activities, and news. - See Past Newsletter Here Resources for Goat Producers OSU Extension Northeast District Office - Animal Science Includes an OSU Goat Ration Formulator Balance goat herd rations Allows producers to easily enter their own feeds Excel-based Langston University Web Training Site: Click Here Provides links to Quality Producer Certification, Nutrient Calculators, and Goat Quiz Quality Producer Certification - Quality webbased training for new and current goat producers Nutrient Requirement Calculators - Estimate intake and create balanced rations for your goat herd Paralyzed cattle markets undervalue calves Derrell S. Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist Feeder cattle prices to a large degree reflect feedlot choices as they evaluate the tradeoffs between purchasing lighter or heavier feeder cattle. When feeder cattle markets are in "balance:, prices for lighter weight feeder cattle adjust to account for the cost of gain to put the additional weight on those cattle such that feedlots are relatively indifferent to buying feeder cattle of various weights. This is what we observe on average most of the time. Sometimes, anomalies will develop in feeder markets which create different incentives for producers. Such is the case this fall. For example, steers with an average weight of 826 pounds (medium/large number 1 at the seven federally reported auctions in Oklahoma)

3 had an average price of $121.59/cwt. last week (October 21, 2016). Given that price, and assuming that feedlot cost of gain is $0.70/pound, feedlots could pay as much as $141/cwt. for a 600 pound steer. However, the average price for 600 pound steers last week in Oklahoma was $119.78/cwt. In fact, the price of pound steers was less per pound than all heavier animals up to 850 pounds. There was less than $2/cwt. difference in prices for steers from 600 to 850 pounds. It is very clear that feedlots are placing a large risk premium against lighter feeder cattle. It could be that feedlots simply don't want lighter weight cattle because there is an ample supply of heavy feeder which they often prefer to feed. However, the year over year decrease in September feedlot placements and the fact that feedlot inventories are barely one percent above last year despite the fact that there lots more feeder cattle would suggest that feedlots are not attempting to grow feedlot numbers very fast. It will be pointed out that feedlots are losing money and so clearly cannot to pay the full potential price for lighter feeder cattle. However, this analysis is based on what they are paying for heavy feeder cattle when there are lighter weight cattle that are a relative bargain. The bigger problem, it seems, is that feedlots, like everyone else, are gripped by fear of the future. Feedlots appear to be operating very hand to mouth favoring heavy feeders that will finish sooner rather than later. Weak and volatile futures have significantly contributed to this environment. The point of this is not to second guess feedlot decisions but rather to look at how cow-calf and stocker producers can react to the price signals in the feeder market today. The almost equal prices for cattle from 550 to 850 pounds translate into a value of gain that is almost equal to the price of cattle. In short, the market is encouraging cattle to stay in the country and come to the feedlots later rather than sooner. That creates stocker opportunities. Calf and stocker prices this fall have been sharply undervalued relative to heavy feeder cattle because stocker demand has not yet kicked in to replace weak feedlot demand for these lighter cattle. It seems that stocker producers (and their lenders) in many cases are gripped by the same fear that is affecting the rest of the industry. Stocker producers who find that Feeder futures offer little to help in managing the obvious risk in this market may want to consider one of the oldest tried and true methods of risk management in cattle markets: buy and sell on the same market. Many producers have taken a financial hit the past 15 months or so and are upsidedown financially on cattle right now. The history of the cattle industry has been that many successful producers recognize that today's lousy selling price is a buying

4 opportunity. For cow-calf producers with calves to sell, the same signals suggest that retaining calves for stocker or backgrounding should be evaluated. Certainly, pushing lots of calves into a yearling market next year has risks and means that conditions have to be monitored carefully going forward but the big market signal is clear: there is a need to slow cattle down and spread them out over time and that provides opportunities in the country. Prussic acid and nitrate poisoning are concerns after a light frost Glenn Selk, Oklahoma State University Emeritus Extension Animal Scientist Although late October has been very warm and "summer-like", the average first frost date for much of the Southern Plains is here. Soon a cold front will bring near-freezing to sub-freezing nighttime temperatures It was discovered in the early 1900s that under certain conditions sorghums are capable of releasing hydrocyanic acid or commonly called prussic acid. Prussic acid when ingested by cattle, is quickly absorbed into the blood stream, and blocks the animal's cells from utilizing oxygen. Thus the animal dies from asphyxiation at the cellular level. Animals affected by prussic acid poisoning exhibit a characteristic bright red blood just prior to and during death. Lush young regrowth of sorghum-family plants are prone to accumulate prussic acid especially when the plants are stressed such as drought or freeze damage. Light frosts, that stress the plant but do not kill it, are often associated with prussic acid poisonings. Producers should avoid grazing fields with sorghum type plants following a light frost. The risk of prussic acid poisoning will be reduced, if grazing is delayed until at least one week after a "killing freeze". As the plants die and the cell walls rupture, the hydrocyanic acid is released as a gas, and the amount is greatly reduced in the plants. One can never be absolutely certain that a field of forage sorghum is 100% safe to graze. Cattle that must be grazed on forage sorghum pastures during this time of year should be fed another type of hay before turning in on the field, and should be watched closely for the first few hours after turn in. If signs of labored breathing, such as would be found in asphyxiation, are noted, cattle should be removed immediately. Call your local veterinarian for immediate help for those animals that are affected. Be certain to

5 read OSU Fact Sheet PSS-2904 "Prussic Acid Poisoning" before turning cattle to potentially dangerous fields. Frosts also stress the plant before a hard freeze kills it. Plant stress from frosts will impair the normal metabolism of the plant. Therefore the plant continues to take up nitrates from the soil but is inefficient at converting the nitrates to protein. Therefore nitrate accumulations may reach dangerous levels. Testing the forage before grazing or cutting for hay will provide important knowledge about the safety or danger in the forage. Visit with an OSU County Extension office about testing procedures and read OSU Fact Sheet PSS "Nitrate Toxicity in Livestock." Hormones in Beef? Soybeans? Many livestock producers have seen how aware and concerned consumers have become regarding hormones in meat and milk. Unfortunately, some consumers have been mislead by animal rights groups into believing that hormone use is rampant in animal agriculture and used with no regard to consumer safety. First of all, consumers should keep in mind that livestock producers are also consumers of meat, milk, and eggs. Secondly, the commercial use of hormones in pork and chicken production is illegal. Lastly, testing of drug residues in livestock production is taken very seriously, and any violations come with steep penalties. If this doesn't quite ease the mind of the consumer, perhaps the following tables of hormone concentrations of various plant and animal sourced foods as well as natural concentrations in people may provide some perspective. The information is from Iowa State University, and the full article can be found here. Needless to say, it's interesting.

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