Farm and Ranch News May 2016

Transcription

1 Farm and Ranch News May 2016 In This Month's Issue Spring Pasture Tour Livestock Dry Lots for Pasture Management Upcoming Events OSU Wheat Field Days Complete Listing of Dates and Locations: wheat.okstate.edu Heartland Nigerian Dwarf Goat Association Annual Show May 27-29, 2016, Cleveland Co. Fairgrounds, Norman, OK Website: hndga.webs.com; Facebook: HNDGA Hearland Goat Internal Parasites Workshop May 21, 2016 Langston University Contact: Steve Hart Pesticide Applicator Test Help Sessions for 2016 June 28th at the OSU-OKC Agriculture Resource Center (ARC) 400 N Portland June 30th at the Tulsa County Extension Office at 4116 E. 15th. Composting may be timely solution for disposal of dead livestock and large animals Proper injection sites to remember at calf-working time Cleveland County Cattlemen's Improvement Asssociation Spring Pasture Tour When: Tues, May 17, :00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Where: Slaughterville, OK Breakfast at Cleveland Co. Extension Office, Classroom C Caravan to pasture tour near Slaughterville Return to Norman for lunch - Program by Alex Rocateli, OSU Forage Systems Specialist RSVP by: May 13 at Livestock Dry Lots for Pasture Management With the highly variable rainfall we all have come to know in Oklahoma, pasture availability can be just as variable. During certain times of the year landowners can have twice as much pasture as their animals can handle followed by months of hay feeding due to dry weather. While availability of pasture may change significantly, the number of animals or stocking rate may remain the same. A general rule of thumb I use is 5 acres per cow or horse; however, this can vary significantly depending on soil fertility, tree/shrub cover and rainfall. There are places in the county where three times as many acres is not sufficient. Overstocking can easily lead to overgrazing, soil erosion, increase weed issues and permanent reductions in pasture productivity in some cases. Native pastures are most sensitive and may require years to recover from severe overgrazing. The use of a dry lot can help manage these issues. Property owners with a significant amount of land can set aside or sacrifice a small pasture to hold and feed livestock until weather and pasture conditions improve.

2 This sacrificed pasture can then be renovated as necessary. For landowners with more limited land resources, the use of a dedicated dry lot may be necessary. Dry lots are not new to many livestock managers, but their use is increasing as pasture land becomes limited. Recommendations on dry lot size varies, but 1,000 square feet per horse is common. Provide 500 square feet per cow, 500 to 800 square feet per cow/calf pair and square feet for sheep and goats. Dry lots should allow for feed and water sources and be easy to clean. Location of a dry lot is important as increased livestock traffic and grazing pressure will often eliminate vegetation potentially leading to erosion issues. It should be located at least 150 feet from a stream or body of water in order to protect water quality. The area should be relatively flat to minimize erosion but still have sufficient slope to allow for drainage and minimize mud. It should also be conveniently located near housing and other working and storage facilities. The surface of the dry lot does not need to be anything other than existing soil if the dry lot is only used to preserve pasture during drought conditions. However if a dry lot is used throughout the year due to insufficient land in general, other materials may be considered. In order to maintain the health of all animals, it should be cleaned on a regular basis. A dry lot can be used to manage livestock and pasture in several ways. It can be used to limit access to lush, rapidly growing pastures which may cause excessive weight gain, bloat in ruminants, or colic in horses. It can also be used as access to a series of smaller pasture paddocks. Rotationally grazing through these can reduce selectivity, improve total pasture utilization, and reduce pasture waste. Well managed, dry lots can provide a stable and secure area for year round feeding and handling of livestock in addition to serving as a tool to maximize pasture productivity and quality. Composting may be timely solution for disposal of dead livestock and large animals Josh Payne, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension animal waste

3 As the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service and state veterinarian have stressed for many years, emergency management plans should be developed and in place for catastrophic losses. It's also important to note that with large numbers of mortality, it may be necessary to employ more than one carcass disposal option. management specialist Natural disasters such as the wildfires that struck Woods County recently highlight the need to act quickly to dispose of livestock and other large animal carcasses. Composting animal mortalities can be an inexpensive, biologically secure and environmentally sound approach to addressing the issue of carcass disposal when other options such as burial or rendering are not available. Composting is a controlled biological decomposition process that converts organic matter into a stable, humus-like product. The carcass, which is a nitrogen source, is covered with a bulking carbon-source agent such as wood shavings, thereby promoting the proper carbon-to-nitrogen ratio required by microorganisms to successfully decompose the carcass while absorbing excess moisture and filtering odor. For smaller carcasses, a bin system can be utilized that layers carcasses with bulking agents such as chopped straw, poultry litter and wood shavings. The high temperatures degrees Fahrenheit to 150 degrees Fahrenheit - achieved through proper composting will destroy most pathogens. Microorganisms will degrade the carcass, leaving only a few small bone fragments that are brittle and break easily. This valuable by-product then can be applied as a fertilizer source, adding nutrients and organic matter to the soil or recycled for new compost piles. Proper management is key for composting to be effective. As with burial, site selection is important. The site should be located in an area that does not pose a risk to surface or groundwater contamination. Catastrophic losses are best composted in windrows of a bulking agent because of the increased quantity of carcasses. Height, width and length of these windrows are dependent on the size and amount of carcasses to be composted. For both routine and catastrophic composting, piles must be appropriately managed to achieve proper decomposition and prevent scavenger invasion.

4 Proper livestock and poultry mortality disposal is essential to the sustainability and environmental stewardship of farming and ranching operations, with state laws regulating disposal methods. When properly managed, composting livestock mortalities is a safe, effective option for most agricultural producers to consider. Proper injection sites to remember at calf-working time Glenn Selk, Oklahoma State University Emeritus Extension Animal Scientist The months of late April and May are traditionally the time when "spring round-ups" take place. This is the time that large and small cow/calf operations schedule the "working" of the calves. As the majority of the calves reach their second month of life, it is time to castrate the male calves and immunize all of the calves to protect them against blackleg. Visit with your veterinarian about other immunizations that should be given at this time. Correct administration of any injection is a critical control point in beef production and animal health. There is a negative relationship between meat tenderness and injection sites, including injection sites that have no visible lesion. In fact, all intramuscular (IM) injections, regardless of the product injected, create permanent damage regardless of the age of the animal at the time of injection. Tenderness is reduced in a threeinch area surrounding the injection site. Moving the injection-site area to the neck stops damage to expensive steak cuts. Therefore, cow/calf producers should make certain that their family members, and other hired labor are sufficiently trained as to the proper location of the injections before the spring calf-working begins. Give injections according to label instructions. Subcutaneous (SQ) means under the skin, intramuscular (IM) means in the muscle. Some vaccines (according to the label instructions) allow the choice between intramuscular (IM) and subcutaneous (SQ). Always use subcutaneous (SQ) as the method of administration when permitted by the product's label. Remember to "tent" the skin for SQ injections unless instructed otherwise by the manufacturer. Beef producers are encouraged to learn and practice Beef Quality Assurance Guidelines. You can learn more about the Oklahoma Beef Quality Assurance program by going

5 to the website: The Oklahoma Beef Quality Assurance Manual can be downloaded from that site.