News Update
Nov. 15, 2007
Workshop Explores the Optimal Beef Cow Nov. 30
Methods and factors that define top beef cow operations will be the theme for the eighth annual Nick Petry Workshop, titled “The Optimal Beef Cow: Does She Exist?” Nov. 30 at the stadium arena at the National Western Stock Show Complex in Denver. The workshop is co-sponsored by Colorado State University’s Western Center for Integrated Resource Management (WCIRM) and the National Western Scholarship Trust.
The daylong program will feature nationally known experts in beef cow production. Don Adams of the University of Nebraska will speak on “Defining the Production Environment for Beef Cattle.” Adams is part of Nebraska’s West Central Research and Extension Center. “Land Health, Production and Biological Traits of Beef Cattle” will be examined during a presentation led by Robbie Baird LeValley, a livestock Extension specialist with Colorado State University Extension.
During the workshop, participants will gain firsthand knowledge from cattle ranchers themselves. Kit Pharo of Pharo Cattle Co. in Colorado will examine beef genetics and production practices during his presentation titled “Selection of Cows that Work for You.” John Welch, general manager of the Spade Ranches in Texas, will explain how to “Build a Beef Cow.” The Spade Ranches are two of the largest and oldest ranches in Texas.
The workshop will also feature a presentation on an “International Perspective of Beef Genetics in Emerging Markets.” Troy Marshall, editor of The Seedstock Digest, will discuss current trends in seedstock production. The workshop will conclude with a panel discussion involving the speakers plus invited participants Scott Johnson of the Flying Diamond Ranch in Colorado, Manny Monseratte of the Y Cross Ranch in Wyoming, John Raptoupolus of the Raptoupolus Ranch in Colorado, and Sarah Shields of the San Isabel Ranch in Colorado.
Registration for the Nick Petry Workshop is free and lunch will be provided. To RSVP for the program, visit the WCIRM web site at www.wcirm.colostate.edu.
— Release provided by CSU News and Information.
National CUP Lab Introduces New Ultrasound Interpretation System
The National Centralized Ultrasound Processing (CUP) Lab & Technology Center recently announced the completion and introduction of computer software that offers “chute-side” image interpretation of beef cattle in addition to state-of-the-art image capture technology. CUP’s Ultrasound Image Capture System, or UICS, estimates U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Yield Grade and Quality Grade as animals are scanned. This feature allows feedlot operators to make sorting or marketing decisions before the animal leaves the chute. Commercial cattlemen can also use the software to adjust replacement heifers to a common age to make breeding or culling decisions.
For certified scanning technicians, UICS is truly the first paperless system on the market, using electronic chute order forms and barnsheets. This feature eliminates the need for postal mail or a fax machine by allowing technicians, feedlot operators and breeders to upload images and paperwork via the Internet. The program is also available to anyone wishing to utilize ultrasound as a selection or marketing tool, but requires an approved carcass ultrasound machine and a comprehensive training course.
For more information on carcass ultrasound technology, training, or the new UICS program, contact The National CUP Lab at 515-232-9442.
— Release provided by the National CUP Lab & Technology Center.
Strategies for Stretching Short Hay Supplies Set for Dec. 8
For some beef herd owners, it will be a stretch to get cows though the winter. Drought and an Easter freeze cut pasture and hay production. With limited supply, hay prices have skyrocketed.
“Stretching Winter Feed Supplies” will be discussed Dec. 8 at the Forage Systems Research Center in Linneus, Mo., from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., said David Davis, superintendent of the University of Missouri (MU) research farm.
A lunch, included in the registration fee, will be served at noon.
Strategies include extending the grazing season, adding supplements from feed byproducts, not overfeeding and reducing waste. For some, it may mean reducing the cow herd.
Three MU Extension specialists will detail how to make those strategies work, while Davis will tell of forage research results from the experiment station.
Q&A sessions will be part of each presentation, Davis said. Farmers can share their experience in winter-feeding.
For meal planning, advance registration is requested by Nov. 30. The $10 fee can be paid at the door after contacting Tamie Carr at 660-895-5121 or carrta@missouri.edu.
— Release provided by MU Extension and Ag News.
Coping With High Fertilizer Prices
Soaring fertilizer prices may have farmers considering using less on their crops. However, the best option is for farmers to determine what amount they really need and apply the fertilizer when it will provide the optimum benefit, says a University of Kentucky (UK) College of Agriculture soils specialist.
“Prices are very, very high for phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen,” said Lloyd Murdock, UK extension soils specialist. “Demand is up from all over the world. We’ve been used to cheap fertilizer for decades and haven’t had to worry much about efficiency. Now we have to think about efficient use of fertilizer more than we ever have.”
Murdock said he expects farmers to make more judicious use of their fertilizer dollars. His big concern is that they may quit using it. Instead, what they need to do is take soil samples every year or two rather than every three years.
This gives farmers a good record of their fields and allows them to make fertilizer decisions using this history, he said. They must not be afraid to use these records to help them use fertilizer efficiently. Many have used the theory, “more is better,” and are afraid if they reduce their usage to the amounts recommended by their soil tests they may not be able to sustain their 200-bushel (bu.) per acre corn crop.
Nitrogen, used heavily in corn production, has increased in price over the past several years because of foreign imports, prices of natural gas and other factors. Nitrogen fertilizer is used more than any other fertilizer, Murdock said. It is especially important for producers to understand their crop’s fertility needs and meet them.
Using UK recommendations available in publication AGR 1, he said he gets as good a crop as farmers do when they use higher than recommended rates of nitrogen. Murdock said he feels very comfortable with these recommendations that have been tested and tweaked through the years. The recommendations have a range from high to low, which varies based on factors such as soil drainage and tillage methods.
“If the fertilizer cost is high and the commodity price is low, then you’d probably want to stay toward the lower level of the range,” he said. “But right now commodity prices and nitrogen prices are both high, so you’d want to stay toward the medium to high part of the range. These recommendations are very good and are an efficient use of fertilizers. There are also recommendations for side dressing corn that can also reduce nitrogen usage.”
In addition, there are a few products on the market that help reduce nitrogen loss from volatilization when using urea as the nitrogen source including Agrotain, a urease inhibitor, and ESN, a polymer-coated slow-release urea. It is important to understand how these products work in order to get the best results, Murdock said. Information on inhibitors and slow release urea is available through UK’s publication AGR 185 at local Extension offices.
— Release provided by UK News and Informaiton.
— compiled by Mathew Elliott, assistant editor, Angus Productions Inc. (API)
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