News Update

March 14, 2013

Gardiner Angus Ranch Donates Genetic Opportunity to NJAA

Saturday, April 6, 2013, cattlemen will have an opportunity to support the National Junior Angus Association (NJAA) as they select a heifer from an entire elite flush offered by Gardiner Angus Ranch. The heifer will be sired by GAR Progress, ranked as the No. 1 bull in the Angus breed for marbling and ranked in the top 1% of the breed for calving ease. The heifer’s dam is GAR 28 Ambush 1759, half-sister to GAR Prophet, known for balance of calving ease, growth and end-product merit.

Proceeds from the sale of the heifer will be donated to the NJAA in support of the 2013 National Junior Angus Show, “Aberdeen in Twenty-Thirteen”, July 5-11 in Kansas City, Mo.
More information can be found at www.gardinerangus.com.

— Adapted from a release by Gardiner Angus Ranch.

Raising Calving-ease Heifers Takes More Than Genetics, Nutrition Needed

Breeding beef heifers for quality takes more than better genetics. It requires attention to details.

Dave Patterson, University of Missouri Extension beef specialist, told what it takes to make Show-Me-Select (SMS) replacement heifers Tuesday, March 12, at North Central Missouri College’s Barton Farm Campus in Trenton, Mo. The meeting was a makeup for one cancelled by snow.

“Many producers of Show-Me heifers have learned the importance of nutrition,” Patterson said. “They learned they weren’t feeding enough.”

Before breeding time, heifers being bred for their first calf should be gaining 1.5 to 2 pounds (lb.) a day. “In many cases heifers aren’t big enough,” Patterson says.

The “Missouri Recipe” for quality calves recommends breeding heifers after they reach 65% of mature body weight. “Too many producers underestimate the size of their cows,” Patterson adds.

The aim of the SMS replacement-heifer program is to produce more live calves of higher quality. While calving-ease genetics is the center of the program, it takes more. “It is total quality management,” Patterson says.

That includes selecting proven sires with calving-ease genetics, plus weight gain and other traits for profitable calves.

Using proven sires is a foundation of the Show-Me-Select plan. That means a sire with enough tested offspring to show what the bull can do.

Patterson emphasizes that commercial cow-calf producers should not use unproven bulls. “You’re not in the business of proving sires,” he says.

It’s not required but highly recommended that producers use artificial insemination so that they can use semen from proven sires. Top sires with good records are expensive. However, any producer can afford semen from the best bulls in their breed — when they buy bull power one semen straw at a time.

— Adapted from a release by University of Missouri Extension.

Preserve Your Farm Through Purchase Of Development Rights If You Have An Expired Oil And Gas Lease

Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) is a voluntary farmland-preservation program that pays property owners to place a permanent agricultural conservation easement on their farmland. Property owners wanting to preserve their farmland through PDR need to be aware of the status of their mineral rights. PDR applications ask property owners to state who owns their mineral rights and if they are being leased or not.

The purpose of PDR is to preserve prime and unique farmland for food production. Only some counties and townships in Michigan actively participate in a PDR program. Contact your township office to find out if there is an active PDR program in your area.

Property owners can access the easements, leases and deeds on their property by contacting their County Register of Deeds Office or by hiring a title company to do a title search of their property. Property owners should request copies of all title documents. Title companies usually charge around $350 for this service.

Oil and gas leases are a significant concern for PDR programs because this lease conflicts with the purpose of the agricultural conservation easement. Oil and gas development requires disturbance of the soil to extract resources. Agricultural conservation easements prohibit the disturbance of the soil except for normal agricultural practices.

For more information and the full release, click here.

— Adapted from a release by Michigan State University Extension.

K-State’s Weaber Awarded for Cow-calf Genetics Work

A Kansas State University associate professor in the Animal Sciences and Industry Department received recognition for his early career work.

Robert Weaber, Kansas State University (K-State) Research and Extension beef breeding and cow-calf specialist, received the 2013 American Dairy Science Association and American Society of Animal Science Midwest Section Outstanding Young Extension Specialist Award.

Weaber’s work focuses on cow-calf production and shows producers how to use certain genetic-selection tools. By selecting animals with certain genetic traits, cattle producers can improve meat production and animal health. Weaber also encourages cattle producers to collect data and track genetic progress in their herds. The award is presented to honor leaders in the area of Extension. The 2013 award was sponsored by Land O’Lakes Purina Feed LLC.

— This article was provided by K-State Research and Extension.

Field History, Weather Should Factor Into
Disease Management Decisions

Field history and weather patterns are important in determining how to best manage crop diseases, says a Purdue University plant pathologist.

Many organisms that cause crop diseases can survive in the soil and residue for several years. The fungi that cause sudden death syndrome, or SDS, and Phytophthora root rot are two examples in soybeans. Foliar and ear rot diseases, such as Goss’ wilt and Aspergillus ear rot, are examples in corn.

“The first thing to consider is which diseases have been problematic in a field in the past,” Kiersten Wise said. “If soil-borne organisms caused those diseases, producers should plan to continually manage those diseases.”

She recommended managing such diseases first with variety selection.

For example, a producer who has a field with a history of Goss’ wilt should select a hybrid that has a known resistance to the disease to reduce the chances of disease development. While disease resistance doesn't guarantee immunity, it can reduce yield losses.

Fields with heavy crop residue are at higher risk for future disease problems. Those with continuous corn are usually more likely to see disease develop than those in a corn-soybean rotation because residue doesn't break down as easily over the winter.

Wise said producers can use tillage or other residue decomposition practices on fields with large amounts of residue because it can help reduce chances of disease development.

An even bigger factor in crop disease development is the weather.

“Weather conditions as farmers start planting and when plants are in reproductive stages will influence what diseases will actually appear in a field,” Wise said. “We can try to do the best preventative management that we can, but we're also going to have to be prepared for any diseases the weather gives us.”

— Adapted from a release by Purdue University Extension.

— Compiled by Kelli Fulkerson, intern, Angus Productions Inc.