MoosNews

February 2012

The GCCA will meet on Thursday, Feb. 9, at 7 p.m. in the board room of the Cooperative Extension office. $5 gets you dinner – and we’ll throw in the program for free! This month’s program is sponsored by Southern States.

News, Views, and Mostly Other Matters

By Paul Westfall, Extension Livestock Agent

  

Got soil?  Need samples?  This has certainly been a good year to take samples in mid-winter.  We really haven’t had much frozen ground to deal with, so there is plenty of mud.  Soft soil also makes it a lot easier to take soil samples.  Judging by the piles of boxes on the loading dock at the soil testing lab each time I go there, folks are really taking advantage of the soil conditions to take samples and get them analyzed.  The bad news in all this is that there is an 8- to 9-week waiting period to get the results.  That leaves us in a bit of a dilemma because it is time to get the spring fertilizer onto the pastures and hay fields.  So what do we do?  I suggest going ahead and scheduling the nitrogen application to go on at the right time to promote optimum grass growth, or sometime in February or early March when the fescue starts growing.  Since the phosphorus and potassium, also the lime, if needed, can be applied at any time of the year, those applications can wait until the soil test results are received.  Nitrogen needs to be applied at the right time to be most effective. Give me a call if you want to discuss the technical reasons in more detail.

Now is also a good time to get some legumes into the pasture and/or hay mix.  I think clovers are best planted in the fall, but spring seedings can do well, also.  The reason for getting legumes into the pasture mix are 1) to improve the nutritional value of the forage available to the cows, and 2) to allow the nitrogen-fixing bacteria on the roots of the clover to add nitrogen into the soil, returning some of that atmospheric nitrogen to the soil for plant use.  That can really cut the fertilizer bill.  The higher amount of protein available to 10 cows and the increased digestibility of the forage mix will also yield monetary benefits in less supplement needed for the herd, improved BCS scores, and faster calf growth.  Adding two pounds of a white clover will cost between $8 and $9 per acre, plus the cost of making a no-till seeding, such as fuel and renting the seeder at $10 per acre.  Compare that to the cost of nitrogen.  Of course, the soil pH has to be good to maintain clovers, so a lime application will likely be needed, too, but that also benefits everything else in the pasture.  Adding clover to the pasture mix is something to think about.

Now for the management tips.  In general, provide clean, adequate water for your herd and free access to a high quality mineral supplement. Make sure you use a high magnesium supplement when there is potential for grass tetany – like when grass is growing fast in the spring.  Check cattle for health disorders including pinkeye, foot rot, etc. Treat at the first sign of these disorders.  Check fences and facilities and make any needed repairs.  Check forage availability. If limited, consider feeding hay in a confined area.  Consider unrolling round bales to gain better utilization.  Body condition score all cattle.

Those with spring calving herds are getting pretty busy about now. Be sure to move the bred heifers to the calving area 10 days before calving is expected.  Check mature cows two to four times a day and heifers more frequently during calving season.  Check heifers every 3 to 4 hours after calving starts. Assist with delivery if no progress is seen no more than 1 hour after the water bag is visible.  Dip navels in iodine or chlorhexidine and tag calves at birth. Record birth dates, calf tag numbers, and the cow ID.  Remember, the job is not over until the paperwork is done.  Help newborn calf nurse, if needed.  Castrate and implant bull calves at birth if possible.  Observe calves for scours and respiratory problems.  Observe cows for uterine prolapse and retained placenta.  Move pairs to clean pastures as soon as possible after calving.  Drench calves dehydrated by scours with electrolytes, and treat with sulfa or antibiotics as recommended by your veterinarian.  Mark cows having calving difficulty or udder problems for early culling.

Don’t get so caught up in the calving needs that you forget to get ready for next year’s calf crop.  Make sure bulls are in good condition for breeding. Trim feet, conduct breeding soundness exams, and provide additional feed if needed to improve body condition to 6.0.  Purchase additional bulls if needed so that you have a bull:cow ratio of 1:25.

Fall calving herd managers are still pretty busy, too.  They need to vaccinate calves over 3 months old with clostridial vaccines (black-leg). Check with your local veterinarian about other disease problems in your area.  Castrate bull calves if they weren’t castrated at birth, and dehorn as needed.  Implant calves if that is a management tool used on your farm.  Steers that were implanted at birth can be re-implanted at 3 to 6 months of age.  Keep an eye on the condition of the bulls during breeding season, and provide supplemental feed as needed. Breed the yearling heifers beginning 3 weeks before the cows.  Remove bulls from heifers after a 45- to 60-day breeding season.  Spot check to make sure the cows are settling.                         

Don’t Forget - Valentine’s Day! – Feb. 14

From the President's Pen:

We would like to keep members informed on what your board discussed at its January meeting.  One idea is to have some meetings this spring at a farm to have an idea of what other cattlemen are doing. Any volunteers?  Also, we are working with Paul on setting up a website.   Sandy Gabel is getting information on what needs to be done to make the GCCA a 501c3 (non-profit, tax-exempt corporation).  Bette Laursen and her committee are working on getting our membership book together.  Plans for Earth Roast 2012 are underway.  Please share any ideas for program topics for the monthly dinner meetings.

A very special thanks to Joy and Paul for the nice article in the Oxford Ledger. Joyce Morgan has agreed to send cards on behalf of the GCCA.  Please notify Joyce if you learn of members who may need to know that their fellow cattlemen are thinking of them – whether they’re sick, have had a death in the family or any other type of special recognition.

 

Our GCCA serves to promote and protect the beef industry. Any person or business interested in the production, marketing or consumption of beef is eligible to join! Meetings are held on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. The dinners are catered and cost only $5!  Dues are $10 per year (due in January) or $100 for a lifetime membership!

Hope to see you February 9th - bring a guest!

Kay

January Meeting Minutes

The Granville County Cattlemen’s Association met on January 12, 2012 for its monthly dinner meeting. Following a catered beef dinner, Kyle Richards shared information about Prima Tech, a company located in Duplin County (http://www.primatechusa.com). There are some great items in the marketplace that can be big timesavers to cattle producers, from vaccinators with built-in marking paint to show where the shot was given to injector guns with ergonomic grips. Sandy Gabel gave the treasurer’s report.  There were no minutes to accept since the December meeting was the Christmas dinner. President Kay Stark reported that he would plan to use an agenda format for meetings this year. Anyone who would like to add agenda items should contact Kay at least 10 days before the meeting. Sandy, Charlie and Bette agreed to work on a committee to investigate ways to defray costs of the soon-to-be-published Member Directory; Bette has quotes of $350 and $467 for 100 color booklets.  The group voted to give $200 to Poplar Creek Baptist Church in appreciation for the use of their facilities to have the Christmas dinner. Frances and Amos Brewer suggested that the check be applied to the Building Committee of the church.

Respectfully submitted by

Laura Santos, for Jean Gill

Are Cattlemen Really Bacteria Farmers?

by Paul Westfall, Livestock Extension Agent

Sandy Gabel and I recently attended the regional Forage and Grassland Winter Conference.  Sandy was serving on a farmer panel to discuss reducing costs for cattle farmers.  The main feature of the day’s program was a presentation by Ray Archuleta, who is an agronomist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. 

For years, the literature and farm press has characterized cattlemen as actually being grass farmers, since forages are so important to cattle nutrition.  Good grass eaten by a ruminant such as a cow leads to happy, healthy cows.  We use a lot of different strategies to get that good grass into our cows, including hay, baleage, pastures, and grazing systems.  Grazing systems can be further subdivided into rotational, intensive management, and mob grazing categories, with infinite variations, it seems.  The goal is to get the best quality forage into the cows at the least cost using a system that makes sense to the farmer.

Just as we are getting used to being known as grass farmers, Mr. Archuleta made a pretty good case for being known as “bug”, “bacteria”, or, more accurately, “soil microbe” farmers.  He went on to make a credible presentation about how healthy soil with strong, healthy root systems and diverse forages will improve the organic matter in soil and yield a lot of benefit, especially in dry years like we have experienced in recent years.  To sum it up a bit, having healthy soil microbes and plenty of earthworms will improve the soil’s ability to absorb and hold water, allowing a pasture to withstand dry weather longer.  A good 8-way mixture of grasses, legumes, and brassicas, allows for good interactions, including less additional fertilizer needed.  That should get attention.  Using intensive grazing techniques, including mob grazing and frequent movement of cattle across pastures more accurately mimics the movements of the great herds of yesteryear.  Plus, cows that think they are competing with their neighbor for that succulent piece of forage are less likely to be picky about what they are eating, leading to greater utilization of just about everything in the pasture.

Some enemies of a healthy pastures and hay fields include over-grazing and cutting too close to the ground.  Even Fescue needs at least a 4-inch stubble left to get the best regrowth after a harvest.  The other main culprit leading to pasture decline is not allowing enough rest between grazing periods.  Pastures need at least a 30-day rest period.  That long a rest period also helps to break up the life cycle of internal parasites.

We’ve asked Mr. Archuleta if he could come to one of our Granville County Cattleman’s meetings to share his thoughts and a very interesting demonstration with us.  That may happen later this fall.  Be watching the MoosNews for when he will be coming to visit with us and be sure to attend.  He really encourages some “out-of-the-box” thinking about our pastures and soil health.

What I Learned – Sandy Gabel

     The Forage and Grassland Conference’s overall focus was on lowering input costs.  The featured 
speaker, Ray Archuleta, spoke on “Working With Nature”. The primary theme of Ray’s talk was that the
grass we feed our cattle or the crops we grow both rely on the fertility and drainage of our soil.  
Originally, I was told we were raising beef cattle; then I was told that we were sod farmers in order to 
feed out cows the best available forage.  Now I’m told that the most important link in the chain is the soil
itself, as without good, arable soil one will never have decent grass – this does make sense.  Ray’s key to
the best available soil is to work with nature, his point being that there is an entire ecosystem in the soil, 
and this ecosystem is more efficient than man’s best efforts.  Every time the ground is plowed, disked, or
otherwise disturbed, the ecosystem is disrupted, the chemistry is thrown out of balance, and the soil is 
forced to work without natural nutrients.  All fertilizers and herbicides contain salts to some extent, and 
any salt is poison to nature’s ecosystem.  It becomes sort of a perpetual motion – you disturb the soil, so
you must replenish it via fertilizer or herbicide, etc.

     It makes sense, and the proof is that there are many farmers in our state who have sold all their hay 
equipment and either strip graze or mob graze 365 days a year.  Several farmers have not used 
commercial fertilizers in years, relying on 6-8 inch grass left over AFTER grazing and thatch to cover 
and protect the earth during dry spells as well as use it as a canopy against weeds.  Without growing hay
(or needing it) think of the lowered inputs – less diesel, no fertilizer, no herbicide – never mind the 
capital costs of repairing/replacing hay equipment.
     Working with nature seems like a make-sense goal.

In the spotlight…

• Will transport cattle to Siler City Stock Market. No number too large or too small! Contact Robert E. Land, 919-691-3445  cell 919-693-2201  home.

• March 3, 2012 – 1 p.m. Wood Angus Bull and Elite Female Sale in Willow Spring, NC. For more information, check out the website www.woodangus.com