News Update
March 2, 2010

Winter Cannot Pass Fast Enough For Oklahoma Cattle Producers

Unusually cold and wet weather has been widespread and prolonged this year in Oklahoma, giving cattle producers a number of management challenges and causing a variety of market effects.

Cold, sloppy feedlot conditions have delayed animal finishing and reduced carcass weights. It is readily evident that some of the lost performance will never be recovered and animals will require extra days on feed to finish at acceptable grades.

“This has helped push up fed-cattle prices to $90 per hundredweight (cwt.) recently as packers scrambled to find sufficient quantities of finished cattle,” said Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University (OSU) Cooperative Extension livestock marketing specialist.

Unfortunately, Peel cautions most of the higher fed prices will only partially offset the increased feedlot cost of production due to reduced performance, lower feed efficiency and increased sickness and death loss.

“Reduced total beef production, mostly due to lighter carcass weights, has helped push boxed beef prices higher, but the effects of bad weather on demand will show up in the coming days and weeks,” he said.

Peel added that approximately a third of the U.S. population was severely affected by snow and cold in recent days and weeks, resulting in reduced beef sales in terms of restaurant sales, which are always hit to some degree when travel is curtailed.

Most Oklahoma cow-calf producers have had a long winter of fighting mud to busting ice and hauling hay.

“Cows have been wet and cold for weeks and have lost body condition despite increased hay feeding,” Peel said. “Many herds are just beginning to calve and cows will likely lose more body condition rapidly once they begin lactation. Some producers are short of hay and face potentially another six weeks to eight weeks of feeding before any spring forage will be available.”

Producers needing more and better quality feed to get through the winter should evaluate all possible feed sources to design the most economical feeding programs to prevent excessive loss of cow body condition. Peel cautions that hay may not necessarily be the best answer in certain cases.

Furthermore, the rigors of the winter may well result in poor or delayed conception rates for spring-calving cows.

“The potential silver lining in this winter weather is that we have excellent moisture conditions to grow forage once spring arrives,” Peel said. “Cows that finish the winter in poorer-than-usual body condition may recover quickly with abundant high-quality spring forage.”

On the flip side, this may result in cows breeding somewhat later than normal. Producers may want to consider possible adjustments in the breeding season.

Stocker cattle have also been affected by the harsh winter, with the relative severity depending mostly on an operation’s particular location.

“In some regions, stocker cattle have been subject to the same wet, sloppy conditions with stalled-out wheat pasture and have not gained well,” Peel said. “Many were placed on pasture later than usual and so weigh less than expected at this time. Farther west in Oklahoma, it has been cold but drier and cattle have gained well, although with significantly increased hay feeding in most cases.”

The end of February marks the time when wheat pasture producers must begin monitoring wheat for signs of first hollow stem and the termination of winter grazing.

“Stocker cattle should begin moving off wheat pasture soon, with possibly most moving by the first week of March,” Peel said. “Cattle grazing out wheat should have excellent forage conditions as soon as the weather warms a bit and the wheat begins growing rapidly.”

— Release by OSU Cooperative Extension.

Brown Named to Replace Teagarden as Livestock Commissioner

The Kansas Animal Health Board has named accomplished veterinarian and retired U.S. Army Reserve Colonel Bill Brown as the state’s new livestock commissioner. He will replace George Teagarden, who will retire in May after 16 years in the position. Brown will assume his new role March 8. He and Teagarden will work together during the transition.

Brown most recently served as health services veterinarian for Newsham Choice Genetics of West Des Moines, Iowa. In that capacity, he was responsible for maintaining the health and biosecurity of the company’s swine operations in the U.S. and Canada. He previously held similar positions with Monsanto and DeKalb. In addition to working for these leading companies in the swine industry, Brown owned and operated mixed practice veterinary hospitals in western Kansas from 1974 through 1992.

The Ford County native graduated from the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1971. After graduation, he started a long career in the U.S. Army Reserve, serving several tours of active duty. Brown has provided veterinary expertise to the Army throughout his military career.

Brown is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Kansas Veterinary Medical Association (KVMA), American Association of Swine Practitioners, United States Animal Health Association and American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. He was named “Kansas Veterinarian of the Year” by KVMA in 2004.

“The Kansas livestock industry is fortunate to have an individual with Dr. Brown’s credentials as the new livestock commissioner,” said Kansas Animal Health Board Chair Heather Donley, who serves as director of quality assurance for the Beef Marketing Group, headquartered in Great Bend.

As commissioner, Brown will lead the Kansas Animal Health Department (KAHD). The agency is assigned to protect the health, safety and welfare of Kansas citizens through the prevention, control and eradication of infectious and contagious diseases in livestock and domestic animals. Agency officials also regulate companion animal breeding facilities, investigate livestock thefts and maintain the livestock brand registry.

— Release by the Kansas Livestock Association.

Manure Stewardship: Late Winter Manure Application and Risk

There are many definitions of stewardship, but a basic definition is “the responsibility to care for resources.” When applying the term stewardship to manure management we could define it as the “responsibility to collect, transport and apply manure to meet crop nutrient needs while minimizing impacts on resources.”

Manure application timing is a big part of stewardship and one concern with timing is the application of manure in late winter. In the most basic terms — manure should not be applied at this time of year. This statement applies to all sources of manure.

As we head into late winter most of Iowa has significant snow cover. With the warming trend that is predicted for the first week in March, it is likely we will lose significant snow and with the snow loss comes a very high risk of losing the manure with the snow. Nutrient loss from runoff can be significant, thereby rendering those manure nutrients useless for crop production and consequently causing stream and surface water pollution. If we are going to use manure as a nutrient source for crop production then we should consider protecting that nutrient investment at all costs by limiting the risk of nutrient runoff.

With that being said, there will be people who continue winter application of manure, and for a variety of reasons. If you must apply manure in late winter:

• Consider applying on flat slopes.
  
• Apply as far away from surface waters as possible.
  
• Follow all required separation distances.
  
• Avoid application on areas that drain to surface tile inlets.
  
• Do not apply manure in a grassed waterway.
  
• Wait until the snow melts.
  
• Avoid application prior to predicted rainfall, snow or warming conditions that could cause snow to melt or runoff.  

Please see IMMS, Volume 3 “Winter Manure Application” for additional guidelines.

Be aware that application of liquid manure from confinement feeding operations is prohibited on snow-covered and frozen ground from now until April 1 unless an emergency exemption applies or the manure can be appropriately incorporated into the soil.

Finally, if you participate in U.S. Department of Agricuture-Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) cost-share programs or receive technical assistance from USDA-NRCS, be aware that the 590 Nutrient Management Standard does not allow nutrient application if runoff potential exists unless you meet the emergency exemptions in the 590 standard. The 590 standard applies to all sources of nutrients, not just manure.

— Release by Iowa State University.

Spring Heifer and Bull Sale Scheduled for UT Plateau AgResearch Center

The University of Tennessee (UT) Plateau AgResearch and Education Center will hold its annual spring heifer and bull sale on Friday, March 26, starting at 10 a.m. CDT.

The sale will feature high-quality registered open Angus, Gelbvieh, and Balancer heifers as well as registered Angus bulls. All sale animals will come from the existing UT herd. Minimum bids per head will be required. Registration documentation and performance data are available for review. A list of the cattle to be sold is available online at http://plateau.tennessee.edu/.

For more information or to make arrangements to preview sale stock, contact the Center at 931-484-0034, or e-mail Glenda Wisdom at gwisdom@utk.edu.

Marcka Auction Services will oversee the sale, with Marcus Davis presiding as auctioneer. The sale will be conducted at the center's headquarters on U.S. Highway 70 North, approximately 8 miles west of Crossville.

The Plateau AgResearch and Education Center is one of 10 field laboratories operated across the state by the AgResearch unit of the UT Institute of Agriculture. At each facility UT researchers work to solve real-world problems faced by producers and industries so businesses can thrive and consumers can enjoy high standards of living.

More information about the Plateau Center, including a map and directions, is available online at http://plateau.tennessee.edu/.

— Release by UT Institute of Agriculture.

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