News Update
May 25, 2011

Superior Livestock Scholarship Deadline Approaching

Superior Livestock Auction is once again awarding a $1,000 scholarship to a son or daughter of a Superior customer. For more information on the scholarship, click here. Applications, including essays, must be postmarked no later than June 1.

The family and friends of Buddy Jeffers have also established a scholarship in his memory in honor of his contributions to the field of agriculture. Recipients of the Buddy Jeffers Memorial Scholarship will be awarded $3,000. Applications must be received by close of business June 10. Details can be found at http://www.buddyjeffersscholarship.com/.

Insulation and Plastic Spread By Tornadoes May Not Mix Well With Livestock

Agriculture and livestock specialists with University of Missouri (MU) Extension have been getting questions from southwest Missouri cattle producers wondering about the danger fiberglass insulation in fields can pose to cattle.

“Since the May 22 tornadoes, when lots of fiberglass insulation was scattered throughout area hayfields and pastures, we have been getting this question. For many landowners, it is not practical to pick up every bit of insulation blown onto their land,” said Bob Schultheis, natural resource engineering specialist with MU Extension.

The main concern has been whether spun-glass insulation will cause damage to livestock if they ingest it when the hay or silage is fed.

Food animal clinicians, toxicologists and pathologists at the MU’s College of Veterinary Medicine agree that small amounts of insulation will likely not cause damage. But that doesn’t mean farmers should not attempt to clean up their fields as much as possible.

“Fiberglass has no toxic chemical properties. However, any indigestible foreign material eaten by cattle can cause blockage in the digestive system. That means the risk associated with intestinal obstruction would likely be associated with the size of the insulation swallowed,” said Monty Kerley of the animal sciences division at the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.

There is general agreement among MU veterinarians that cattle would avoid larger pieces of fiberglass insulation. However, small pieces mixed in with hay and silage is another matter.

“If an animal eats enough small pieces of insulation in hay or other feed, it could bind together and create a large mass of insulation that could block the digestive tract and cause serious, even fatal, problems. We sometime see these types of blockages if cattle consume twine or net wrap or plastic bag material,” said Kerley.

The other main concern focuses on whether the glass particles in fiberglass would penetrate the intestinal tract in livestock and cause a tissue reaction.

“This has been associated with the inhalation of asbestos. There is some disagreement among veterinarians on this question. I have not been able to find definitive research that provides information that would allow us to assess the degree of risk for cattle that ingest lots of smaller pieces of insulation,” said Kerley.

As a result, area extension specialists are generally recommending that producers pick up larger pieces of insulation in their fields and discard forage from a field area that is heavily contaminated with fiberglass.

“Small pieces of fiberglass that cause forage to only be lightly contaminated pose a low risk to cattle and livestock,” said Kerley.

For tornado-related news, information and other resources from MU Extension, see http://extension.missouri.edu/tornado.

For additional disaster-related resources from MU Extension, see http://bit.ly/MUExtDisasterResources.

— Release by MU.

Register Now for June 9 Free Pond Clinic in Southeastern Ohio

Ohio State University (OSU) and the Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) of Guernsey and Noble counties will hold a free pond clinic from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, June 9, at the Eastern Agricultural Research Station, 16870 Bond Ridge Rd. (Township Highway 126), in Belle Valley.

Whether for watering livestock, aquaculture, fishing or recreation, farm ponds can be practical, profitable and enjoyable. But having a healthy pond that meets specific goals requires adequate planning and management. The Pond Clinic is the perfect place to start.

Presentations include:

• “Weed Control and Fish Stocking Rates,” OSU Extension educator Clif Little.
• “Nuisance Wildlife Control and Habitat Enhancement,” Joe Lehman, wildlife specialist with the Guernsey County SWCD.
• “Construction and Design,” Jim Mizik, technician with the Noble County SWCD.

There are more than 2 million farm ponds in the United States, accounting for an estimated 20% of the nation’s standing water. As a result, farm ponds have a large impact on the surrounding hydrology, geochemistry and movement of soil.

To register for the Pond Clinic, call the Noble County office of OSU Extension at 740-432-5624. For details about the program, contact Little at 740-732-5681 or Wayne Shriver, manager of the station, at 740-732-2682.

The event is sponsored by OSU Extension and the Guernsey and Noble counties SWCDs.

The Eastern Agricultural Research Station is part of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). OSU Extension and OARDC are the outreach and research arms, respectively, of Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

— Release by Mauricio Espinoza, OSU College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Heavy Rainfall Causes Forage, Pasture Challenges

It’s probably best not to invoke the old saying “Make hay while the sun shines” to forage producers this year. The sun hasn’t been shining very often, and they haven’t had the ability to make much hay.

Ohio saw a record rainfall in April with a statewide average of 7.42 inches (in.) — that’s compared with 2.2 in. in April 2010. And so far, May has brought with it higher-than-normal rainfall as well.

“I’ve seen hay fields really suffering because of the excessive moisture,” said John Grimes, beef coordinator for Ohio State University (OSU) Extension. “Cooler-than-normal temperatures have also impacted growth.”

Grimes and Jeff McCutcheon, OSU Extension educator in agriculture and natural resources, say livestock farmers they have talked with have tried to treat pasture gently this spring — not grazing as much as usual to reduce damage to the sod.

“The forage is maturing,” McCutcheon said. “Normally they’d be trying to rotate rapidly through their fields to keep up with the grass. But this year, the forage is getting ahead of them, which means lower quality and lower yield later in the summer.”

McCutcheon said the nutritional quality in forage is still within an acceptable range for most livestock. “But if they’re heavily milking a dairy cow or they have animals they’re trying to grow, they might need to watch it. The higher the nutritional demand, the more you need to check the quality and possibly make some adjustments.”

More information on taking forage samples and interpreting test results is available in the OSU Extension fact sheet, “Forage Testing for Beef Cattle,” at http://ohioline.osu.edu/anr-fact/0002.html.

The wet weather also has prevented new seedings of alfalfa and orchard grass. “There’s still a window to plant other options,” McCutcheon said. “Sorghum/Sudan grass, pearl millet — those are the typical standby summer annuals to consider. If they’re going to graze, Italian rye grass and some brassicas are options. And, you can still plant corn for silage. That’s another option.”

Grimes said another option might be to plant soybeans and use the income from the crop to buy extra feed. “As with all farming, the big variable is the weather,” Grimes said. “To spread your risk out, consider a variety of strategies. It’s not a one-size-fits-all. Look at all of your resources before coming to a decision.”

Grimes added that farmers may want to plan now to attend the Ohio Valley Extension and Education Research Area’s Beef and Forage Field Day, scheduled for Aug. 25 at the Jackson Agricultural Research Station, to learn more about how to respond to this type of weather pattern. More information about the topics to be addressed will be available in coming months at http://beef.osu.edu.

“There’s a lot of frustration right now,” Grimes said. “There’s just too much water.”

— Release by Martha Filipic, OSU College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Texas Drought Losses to Agriculture Approach $1.5 Billion

Preliminary estimates of Texas drought losses have reached $1.2 billion and are expected to escalate higher this year as livestock producers continue to sell off herds and crop conditions deteriorate, according to economists with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service. For more information, visit the Front Page of the May 2011 Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA, available at http://bit.ly/lhXQ9F . Cattlemen seeking information on how to deal with the drought, can learn more on API’s “Dealing With Drought” topic site available at http://bit.ly/jI2bZU .

Beef Performance and Health Trainings for Veterinarians, Producers

Upcoming trainings hosted by the Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State University (K-State) will focus on beef cattle performance and health.Producers and veterinarians can learn about advanced Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) training, the new National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) welfare assessment tools, animal husbandry best management practices and downed animal care and humane euthanasia training.

The meetings are scheduled for June 8 in Scott City; June 14 in Colby; June 30 in Erie; July 6 in Holton; July 7 in Beloit; and July 12 in Pratt. The meetings are underwritten by the Kansas Beef Council and are free of charge to attendees.

“Working together, veterinarians and producers can improve consumers’ confidence in beef products,” said Dan Thomson, DVM, Jones professor of production medicine and epidemiology and director of the Beef Cattle Institute at K-State.

Producers will learn about new management practices for improving beef cattle health and production. All participants will learn about the new on-farm welfare assessment tools and leave the training BQA certified. Veterinarians will be trained to perform welfare assessments for their clients. There also will be PowerPoint, handouts and other items included in a training kit for veterinarians for delivery to clients.

Participants will learn about the Animal Care Training program, a national online program developed as a result of collaborations between NCBA, American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) and the Livestock Marketing Association (LMA) with the Beef Cattle Institute at K-State.

“As new practices evolve or technologies emerge to improve animal welfare or food safety, we need a mechanism to rapidly share the information and training in remote locations. The goal of the Animal Care Training program is to use modern technology to reach rural areas and provide up-to-date continuing education for all people involved with raising beef and dairy cattle to improve animal welfare, food safety and environmental stewardship,” Thomson said.

Beef consumers are more aware than ever before about the quality and safety of the food products they purchase. The BQA program is the cornerstone of the industry’s quality and safety efforts. The overarching goal of BQA is to deliver a healthy, safe and wholesome beef product to consumers. BQA includes hazard analysis and planning; proper vaccine handling; administration of vaccines at the proper injection site; management documentation and recordkeeping; proper cattle handling and cattle care.

The afternoon workshops for producers begin at 11:30 a.m., include lunch and conclude at 3 p.m. Veterinarians are encouraged to attend evening meetings, which include dinner, beginning at 5:30 p.m. and ending at 8:30 p.m. Participants are asked to register one week in advance of each respective session.

For more information about the regional trainings, as well as more information about the Beef Cattle Institute, go to http://beefcattleinstitute.org. For further information, participants can contact Abby Jones, (785) 532-3474 or e-mail at abby5@vet.ksu.edu.

— Release by K-State.

— Compiled by Katie Gazda, editorial intern, Angus Productions Inc.