News Update
September 27, 2013
Calf Weaning Time —
Preparing for the Celebration
It’s that time of year when most spring-calving herds are planning their weaning schedules. Cow-calf producers contemplate weaning strategies like fenceline or dry-lot weaning, etc. Feed inventories, vaccine ordering, vaccination scheduling and other tasks accompany the annual celebration. By celebration, I mean the vocalization you enjoy along with your neighbors if they are in earshot of your cow herd.
One question I generally receive is “how long should I have my calves weaned before the sale?” That’s an excellent question. Some like to wean in the trailer on the way to the sale barn, others like 30 days to get the “ball out,” and others swear on the 45+-day target. Each strategy may have producer advantages, but as a Michigan State University Extension beef educator, I have found that the 45+-day weaning protocol has significant advantages for the calf.
Most of the “Value-Added” calf sales require that the calves be weaned at least 45 days prior to the sale date. Data from Iowa collected over a nine-year period compared the health status of calves weaned less than 30 days to calves weaned longer than 30 days. Data from more than 2,000 calves were summarized. Calves that had been sent to a feedlot at a time fewer than 30 days had a higher incidence of bovine respiratory disease (28%) compared to calves weaned longer than 30 days (13%). The percentage of calves that required three or more treatments also was significantly different (6% vs. 1%), in favor of calves that had been weaned more than 30 days. In fact, the calves weaned fewer than 30 days were not different in health attributes than calves that were weaned on the way to the market.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Kansas Beef Sector Finds Ways to Minimize Ogallala
Depletion While Remaining Economically Viable
A dry climate, sparse population and availability of water and feedgrains led to the development of infrastructure to produce the No. 1 agricultural commodity in Kansas — beef cattle. Western Kansas is well-known for its cattle-feeding facilities that currently generate more than $7.8 billion annually for the Kansas economy, according to Kansas Agricultural Statistics.
The availability of water from the Ogallala Aquifer, lying beneath eight U.S. states from South Dakota to Texas, undoubtedly helped cattle feeders long ago decide where to raise beef. Feedlot operations along the aquifer, from southwest Kansas to the Texas High Plains, comprise what one recent report refers to as the “cattle-feeding capital of the world,” with more than 36% of U.S. beef annually coming from the region.
Justin Waggoner, beef systems specialist at K-State Research and Extension’s southwest area office in Garden City, said that years ago, the Ogallala Aquifer was perceived as an infinite resource that could support all water uses — urban and agricultural. Today, people are aware this is not the case.
David Steward, a professor of civil engineering at Kansas State University, and a team of researchers recently completed a study that examined the future of the Ogallala Aquifer. The study found that if current usage of the aquifer continues, as much as 69% of the aquifer would be depleted by the year 2060. Usage is exceeding the recharge of the aquifer, which has led to its depletion.
For more information, please view the full release here.
Oct. 3 Webinar to Address Invasive Grasses
and Their Management
Invasive grasses will be the subject of an Oct. 3 webinar conducted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.
The webinar, Invasive Grasses: Ecology, Effects on Wildlife, and Management, will be conducted by Tim Fulbright, a Meadow’s Professor in semiarid land ecology at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Kingsville.
“More and more of our native rangelands are experiencing invasive grass species encroachment,” Fulbright said. “This webinar will focus on invasive grasses and the impact they have on wildlife habitat. In addition, grass ecology and potential management practices to increase plant diversity will be addressed.”
This webinar is part of the Texas Range Webinar Series conducted monthly by AgriLife Extension’s ecosystem science and management unit. Each webinar is scheduled from noon to 1 p.m., according to Pete Flores, webinar coordinator in College Station.
Participants seeking Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units must pay a $10 fee on the website. For all others, there is no fee, Flores said. Licensed agricultural private pesticide applicators participating in this webinar can earn one integrated pest management continuing education unit.
Continuing education units for archived webinars will only be available for one month following the live version of the webinar. After the month has passed, the webinar will still be available to watch, but participants will not be able to register for or receive credits.
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
Register Now for the 2013 Master Cattleman Summit
Cattle producers interested in improving the profitability and sustainability of their ranches are encouraged to register now for the 2013 Master Cattleman Summit at Oklahoma State University’s (OSU) Stillwater campus next month.
The summit, which will include a mix of classroom and hands-on learning opportunities, begins at 12:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11, and concludes around noon Saturday, Oct. 12. Sessions will be in the OSU Animal Science Building, located just south of the intersection of Monroe Street and Hall of Fame Avenue.
“Our goal for the summit is to create educational opportunities on the OSU campus that are not as readily available at meetings and conferences out in the state. Therefore, a lot of the sessions are hands-on workshops or demonstrations,” said Dave Lalman, OSU Cooperative Extension beef specialist.
The fee for participants registering before Oct. 2 is $30. After that date, the fee increases to $40.
This year’s summit will focus on enhancing ranch profitability and sustainability through improved forage utilization, grazing distribution, fencing, water systems and brush control.
“After two years of severe drought and dramatically escalating input costs, ranch managers are more sensitive than ever to the opportunity to improve stewardship of their valuable forage resources,” Lalman said. “Attendees will leave Stillwater better equipped to make good decisions related to grazing management, brush control, livestock water systems, fencing, genetics and beef cattle enterprise risk management.”
For more information, please view the Angus Journal’s Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events here.
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