News Update
December 31, 2012
Angus Offices Closed Jan. 1
The American Angus Association, Angus Foundation and Angus Productions Inc. offices in Saint Joseph, Mo., will be closed to observe the New Year holiday Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013. We will reopen Wednesday, Jan. 2. Happy New Year!
Resolve to Improve Cow Herd Productivity
As 2013 approaches, thoughts turn to New Year’s resolutions. Many cattlemen may be focusing on how they can increase cow herd productivity and profitability. With that goal in mind, the American Angus Association encourages breeders to consider enrolling cows in the MaternalPlus® program.
“Efficiency is critical in today’s cattle business,” says Association Chief Operating Officer Bill Bowman. “The MaternalPlus program is an additional tool producers can use to evaluate their animals and make the best management decisions possible.”
Launched in early 2012, MaternalPlus is a voluntary, inventory-based reporting system designed to capture additional reproductive trait data, and ultimately, expand the No. 1 profit driver in the cattle industry — reproductive and lifetime productivity. Already, nearly 170 breeders have participated in the MaternalPlus program.
“We have solid information on carcass traits, growth trends and other profit determinants,” Bowman says. “MaternalPlus allows us to analyze data that has otherwise gone undocumented, and can make a huge impact to an operation’s bottom line.”
There is no better time than the New Year to sign up for MaternalPlus. Producers can enroll at any time, but for spring-calving programs the best time is prior to the beginning of calving season.
ICA Honors Three for Work to Improve Iowa Beef Production
Three Iowans who have devoted their lives to improving cattle and beef production in the state were honored during the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association annual meeting. Together, their work totals 125 years, and not one of them would say they are finished yet.
Darrell Busby, Oakland, was honored as the ICA 2012 Hall of Fame recipient. Since Busby came to Iowa in 1980 as an extension beef specialist, he has worked to provide a better understanding for producers of how what’s going on inside cattle can improve outcomes on the outside.
Lee Faris, Mount Ayr, was named the 2012 Outstanding Commercial Producer Award winner. Faris has been involved in cattle production for 40 years. He began his beef operation near Mount Ayr when he purchased 27 head of three-year-old bred cows in 1973.
Everett Shepherd of EJ Shepherd Charolais, Stuart, is the Seedstock Producer of the Year for 2013. His journey to focusing on Charolais cattle is much like the journeys he has taken across the country “looking for the right genetics.”
For more information and the full release, click here.
In 2013, Resolve to Improve Farming Practices
New Year’s resolutions aren’t just for those who are overweight, sedentary or struggling to break a bad habit. Farmers can resolve to avoid poor management practices or implement better production techniques in 2013.
Purdue University crop, livestock and agricultural economics specialists shared their top three farmer resolutions for the year ahead. Those resolutions, with comments from Ron Lemenager, Extension beef specialist are:
- Resolve to take feed samples and have them analyzed for nutrient content. “Work with a nutritionist to formulate rations that will minimize cost and optimize performance.”
- Resolve to adjust rations for cold stress, to minimize losses in weight and body condition. “For each 10-degree drop in wind chill factor below 30° (F), the maintenance energy requirements increase by 13% for cows in moderate body conditione with a dry, winter hair coat and 30% for thin cows or cows with a wet or summer hair coat.”
- Resolve to create a business plan of where you want to go and how you plan to get there. “It can help not only when you go to the bank for a loan but also when the IRS does an audit.”
For the complete list of agricultural economics resolutions, click here.
Producers May Need to Supplement Feed to Ensure Successful and Productive Calving Season
Producers who want to assure a healthy, productive calving season may want to consider testing their forage supplies to ensure the feed is of high nutritional value, an Ohio State University (OSU) Extension beef expert said.
Otherwise, feeding poor-quality forages to cows in the late gestation or early lactation period can have devastating negative impacts on conception rates in the following breeding season, said John Grimes, beef coordinator for OSU Extension. OSU Extension is the outreach arm of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
If producers find they have poor-quality forage, they may want to supplement the feed with higher quality corn for those cows, particularly with first-calf heifers, he said.
“In nearly every cow-calf operation, harvested forages are the primary diet component of winter rations, but we typically know less about those forages than any other feed and health products consumed by the herd,” Grimes said. “It’s easy to overvalue hay that looks good in the bale while we may have forgotten how mature it was when it was packaged.”
The issue is even more significant this year, considering that the drought of 2012 has been one of the worst on record in Ohio, leaving many livestock producers hard-hit in their pastures and forages, he said.
“The drought caused shorter supplies, so there may be some less-desirable hay,” Grimes said. “So if your hay isn’t good enough, you test it and it is nutritionally inferior, you may have to supplement with byproduct feed or corn.”
For more information and the full release, click here.
Snow A Welcome Sight for Farmers
As Michigan farmers look to the New Year and growing season ahead, recent snows encourage optimism. In northern climates, snow can account for a significant portion of annual precipitation, increasing soil moisture essential for plant growth. Beyond this clear advantage, snow positively impacts other aspects of agriculture from soil fertility to global trade.
Michigan receives average annual snowfall totals ranging from 30 inches (in.) in the southeast to as much as 200 in. in parts of the Upper Peninsula. This may seem like quite a bit, but it takes approximately 10 in. of snow to provide 1 in. of water.Annual precipitation totals vary much less across the state ranging between 30 and 38 in. on average. Therefore, snow accumulation provides between 7% and 66% of total annual precipitation. With nearly half of the state still facing abnormally dry conditions, the value of this winter precipitation is magnified. A few more significant snow events could put the drought of 2012 officially behind us.
Some livestock systems benefit from snow, as well. Healthy cattle can ingest much of their water requirement as snow when grazed on winter pasture. Grazing snow is a learned behavior, and Michigan State University Extension recommends that cattle be observed closely as they adjust. Snow must be abundant, and not compacted or icy. Still, the right kind of snow may allow cattleman to extend the grazing season on stockpiled forage or crop residues without a winterized watering system.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Recycling Christmas Trees and Poinsettia
After the holidays, there are several ways to dispose of or recycle your tree. (Before recycling your Christmas tree, remove all ornaments, lights and tinsel.) Place the tree in the yard or garden for use by birds and other wildlife. The branches provide shelter from strong winds and cold. Supply food by hanging fruit slices, seed cakes, suet bags or strings of cranberries or raisins on the tree’s branches. You also can smear peanut butter and seeds in pine cones and hang them in the tree. Prune off the tree’s branches and place the boughs over perennials as winter mulch. Chip the tree and use the chipped material as mulch around trees, shrubs or in perennial flower beds.
If you can’t use the tree yourself, contact your Solid Waste Agency or sanitation service. Most communities have some type of Christmas-tree disposal program. Some have central collection points, others collect trees at curbside. Collected trees may be chipped into mulch and made available to local residents or used in city parks. Others may be chipped and composted.
Conservation groups may be another option. Some hunting and fishing groups collect trees and use them to provide habitat for wildlife. Don’t burn your Christmas tree in a fireplace or wood stove. Dry, evergreen branches literally explode when burned and could cause a house fire. Also, burning the tree may contribute to the buildup of creosote and lead to a flue fire.
For more information and the full release, click here.
Editor’s Note: The articles used within this site represent a mixture of copyrights. If you would like to reprint or repost an article, you must first request permission of Angus Productions Inc. (API) by contacting the editor at 816-383-5200; 3201 Frederick Ave., Saint Joseph, MO 64506. API claims copyright to this web site as presented. We welcome educational venues and cattlemen to link to this site as a service to their audience.