News Update
Jan. 8, 2010

Cattlemen Advised to Watch Feed During Frigid Weather

Cattle producers need to keep a sharp eye on feed amounts and early calves when frigid air moves in, say cattle experts with the University of Arkansas (U of A) Division of Agriculture.

The National Weather Service kept winter weather and wind chill advisories in effect on Thursday. A combination of stiff winds and cold air was expected to send wind chills below zero.

“Cattle are pretty hardy and tend to handle cold weather well,” said Brett Barham, assistant professor of breeding and genetics for the Division of Agriculture.

Still, the cold can present some challenges to cattle operations.

Cattle perform best when the temperatures hover between 59° F and 77° F.

Tom Troxel, professor and associate department head for animal science for the U of A Division of Agriculture, said that studies have shown that for every 1° below the critical temperature, a cow’s energy requirement increases by 1%.

“This means that if the temperature drops below the critical temperature, cattle need to be better fed,” he said. “It may be that more, or higher quality, hay needs to be provided.”

Cold temperatures bring other factors into play, such as mud and rain.

“When cattle get wet, air insulation in their coats is lost,” Troxel said. “The air pockets between hair fibers are matted down in cold rain.

“Another thing to consider is mud,” he said. “It’s estimated that it can increase the maintenance requirement from 7% to 30%.”

Water is also an important nutrient, and cattlemen should be sure water is accessible during freezing temperatures, Troxel said.

Cattlemen need to keep a close watch on cows that may calve, and early season calves.

“The biggest dangers are to calves that are born during the extreme cold,” he said. “Luckily, most of our calves are scheduled to be born in late winter and early spring, so not very many calves should be affected.

“Cows that are expected to calve during this cold snap should be observed and possibly moved closer to shelter prior to calving,” Barham said. “After calving, the newborn calves should be observed, and in the case of hypothermia, intervention in the form of providing shelter and a heat source is needed.”

For more information about managing cattle, visit www.uaex.edu or contact your county extension office.

— Release provided by U of A Extension.

USDA Livestock Disaster Payments Exceed $175 Million

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said yesterday that U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has already made more than $175 million in disaster payments to America’s livestock producers after implementing two new programs in 2009, demonstrating USDA’s commitment to rapidly meeting the goals of Congress and providing farmers and ranchers with timely and effective disaster assistance.

“America’s farmers and ranchers deserve efficient and effective assistance programs to help get through natural disasters,” said Vilsack. “While the previous ad hoc disaster assistance too often was too little, too late, because we were able to get these new programs up and running quickly, we are already beginning to achieve Congress’ goal of helping producers recover losses rapidly and more thoroughly.”

Under the standing provisions of the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) and the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP), authorized in the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (Farm Bill), producers are better able to recover from their losses stemming from 2008 and subsequent disasters. The 2008 Farm Bill provisions replace previous ad-hoc disaster assistance programs and are funded through the Agricultural Disaster Relief Trust Fund.

LIP provides payments to eligible livestock owners and contract growers who suffered eligible livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality as a direct result of an eligible adverse weather event, including hurricanes, floods, blizzards, disease, wildfires and extreme heat and cold. Eligible livestock under LIP include beef cattle, alpacas, buffalo, beefalo, dairy cattle, deer, elk, emus, equine, goats, lambs, poultry, reindeer, sheep and swine.

LFP provides payments to eligible livestock producers who have suffered livestock grazing losses due to qualifying drought or fire. Eligible livestock under LFP include beef cattle, alpacas, buffalo, beefalo, dairy cattle, deer, elk, emus, equine, goats, llamas, poultry, reindeer, sheep and swine. For losses because of drought, eligible areas are determined using the U.S. Drought Monitor, which can be found at the FSA web site: www.fsa.usda.gov/.

To be eligible for LIP for livestock losses suffered during 2009, livestock owners and contract growers must file a notice of loss no later than 30 calendar days of when the loss of livestock is apparent to the producer and an application for payment no later than Jan. 30, 2010.

To be eligible for 2009 calendar year grazing losses under LFP, eligible livestock producers must submit a completed application for payment and required supporting documentation to their administrative county FSA office no later than Jan. 30, 2010.

For more information or to apply for LIP or LFP and other USDA Farm Service Agency disaster assistance programs, visit your FSA county office or http://www.fsa.usda.gov/.

— Release provided by USDA.

Beef Basics II Course Now Being Offered to Beef Producers

A home study course aimed at providing important information for beef producers has been updated to include the latest research available, according to University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension.

Beef Basics II recently was unveiled, focusing on breeding for profitability, said Steve Pritchard, Extension educator in Boone and Nance counties who chairs the program.

The seven-lesson course is designed to help producers with topics on reproduction, herd health and genetic improvement using the most current university research, Pritchard said.

The Beef Basics program started in 1993 as a way to help beef producers, feed consultants and veterinarians wanting to learn more about beef production, he said. Since then, more than 5,800 people from Nebraska and more than 40 other states and a few other countries have used the course to further their education.

“The course was started to fill a need to provide educational information on different segments of the beef industry,” Pritchard said.

Many beef producers and others find it difficult to attend educational seminars, Pritchard said. The Beef Basics course allows them to learn in their own home and work at their own pace. Courses can be taken in any order and the number of lessons in a course range from four to 15. Extension educators grade quizzes associated with each lesson and return them with comments to the students.

“These cold and wintry nights would be an excellent time to brush up on beef cattle management skills,” Pritchard said.

Thirty-seven percent of those responding to a survey taken of producers who took the course in the last four years indicated that the information learned from the courses has resulted in a gain of about $11 per head.

Earnings averaged $6,843 per operation. Reported savings from the survey respondents on 10,570 head of cattle was $116,650 per year.

Participants surveyed indicated they had made management changes to their operation based on what they had learned from the home study courses. One past participant indicated saving $12 per head by following the mineral nutrition recommendations in the course, Pritchard said. Another producer reported “using corn co-products with more confidence and efficiency” after completing the course.

In addition to the Beef Basics II course, Extension also offers Beef Basics VII, which focuses on using corn coproducts in the beef cow herd through the introduction of corn milling byproducts.

Beef Basics II costs $60 while Beef Basics VII costs $40. To enroll, go to Beef Basics beefbasics.unl.edu/. Call Pritchard at 402-395-2158 for more information.

— Release by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.

Women’s Ag Conference Scheduled

Partners in agriculture, business managers, producers, farm homemakers, absentee landlords and helpers are encouraged to attend the Women Managing the Farm Conference Feb. 5-6, 2010, in Wichita, Kan.

The conference is intended for women who are involved in agriculture, said Kristy Archuleta, Kansas State University (K-State) faculty member, financial educator, and conference coordinator.

While more women are choosing agriculture as a career, women also sometimes land in agribusiness unexpectedly, by marriage or a change in responsibilities in managing a family farm or agribusiness, she said.

Whether planned or unplanned, women who are assuming and growing in various roles in agribusiness stand to benefit from attending the Women Managing the Farm Conference, Archuleta said.

This year, the conference schedule includes five keynote speakers (for a list of speakers and their biographies, visit www.ksre.ksu.edu/news/story/womens_conference010610.aspx). In addition to the keynotes, conference attendees can attend breakout sessions on a wide range of topics, Archuleta said. Examples include estate planning, trusts, long-term care insurance, coping with clutter, facilitating family meetings, water rights, farm safety, beef quality assurance, soil and crop rotation, mental health and more.

The cost to attend the two-day conference is $99 per person (if registration is received before Jan. 25) or $120 (if received after Jan. 25). Single-day registrations are available for Friday, Feb. 5 ($85 before Jan. 25, and $105 after) and Saturday, Feb. 6 ($75 before Jan. 25, and $95 after). Registration and more information is available at www.womenmanagingthefarm.info/. For questions about registration, call 1-320-224-0154 or e-mail: wmf@ksu.edu.

Information about possible scholarship opportunities is available online.

Early registration and applications are encouraged.

The conference will take place at the Hyatt Regency Wichita, which is offering a conference rate of $92 plus tax for single/double occupancy and $112 plus tax for triple/quadruple occupancy. For reservations or more information, interested persons should contact the hotel directly by calling 1-316-293-1234.

The conference is sponsored in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Risk Management Agency, Farm Credit Associations of Kansas, Kansas Soybean Commission, Kansas Wheat Commission, ProAg Insurance, Kansas Agri-Women, the Kansas Department of Commerce, KFRM Radio and Kansas State University (K-State).

— Adapted from a K-State Research and Extension release.

— Compiled by Mathew Elliott, assistant editor, Angus Productions Inc.