MoosNews
Volume 15, No. 8 – August
2012
The summertime Farm Tour continues on
Thursday, August 9. We’ll meet at 7 p.m. for dinner at Sherby Slaughter’s farm
on Flat Creek Road, located in the 6600 “block” of Huntsboro Road. Bring $5 for
dinner and a hearty appetite and Ted’s Catering will handle the rest. Paul
Westfall and Sherby will do a slide show presentation for the program.
News, Views, and Mostly Other
Matters
By Paul Westfall, Extension
Livestock Agent
It looks like the month of August will be a
continuation of the weather pattern that we’ve seen through July – hot and
humid, with widely scattered showers.
I don’t know about you, but it seems that the widely scattered showers
have not scattered their way to my house, yet I was on a farm this week that
had water standing in puddles, there was mud on the farmer’s truck tires, and
his grass was green and lush with a good amount of clover mixed in. His cows were happy cows for sure!
Some folks thought ahead last spring and
planted some summer annuals for summer grazing. Thos annual grass species are usually hybrid sudan grass or
Pearl Millet. I’ve been getting
some questions lately about the risk of nitrate poisoning when grazing these
species, so I thought I would pass some of that information along this
month. Sudan grass and Pearl Millet
are great forages to use during the hot summer months because they are
warm-season grasses, they have good quality numbers, and they produce a lot of
forage. They are usually
top-dressed with some nitrogen to really produce a high tonnage of dry matter
for the cows. They are very
palatable except when very mature, and these grasses make some pretty good
hay. However, there is that risk
of nitrate being present under the right conditions. Nitrate levels can be high after a dry period is broken by
rainfall, and there is a flush of new growth. These species are really good at pulling nitrogen up into
the plant, which is great for plant growth, but if cows graze that forage
during the growth spurt following a drought-breaking rainfall, the nitrate
levels in the forage can cause cows to die. That is a bad situation. Also, if hay is cut while the nitrate levels are high, the
nitrate levels in the hay will still be high when the hay is fed, again leading
to cow losses. Nitrates do not
dissipate during storage.
Nitrate levels will go back down to safe levels
a week or so after that growth spurt is complete and the grass is back to a
normal growth pattern, so all is not lost with the forage. In order to determine whether the sudan
grass or millet is safe to graze, it is best to take a forage sample and send
it to the NCDA&CS forages lab to have the level of nitrate tested. If that is the only test requested, the
results are returned pretty quickly, and the test only costs the postage to get
the sample delivered overnight. Of
course, I recommend spending the $10 to get the nutrient levels of the forage
so the best feeding program can be developed to make sure the minerals,
vitamins, energy and protein need of the cows is met for the growth stage they
are in. The nitrate test results
will show if there is a level of risk for grazing and any management strategies
that might need to be considered.
That is certainly better than losing a cow due to nitrate poisoning.
One point to consider is that the nitrates tend
to accumulate in the lower portions of the stalk. When grazing these summer annual forages, don’t let the cows
graze the grass too low. Leave at
least six inches of stubble. That
will also help the grass get a quicker start on re-growth, so the forage can be
utilized for another grazing period or to get a cutting of hay. Also, when cutting these forages for
hay, raise the cutter bar to leave that amount of stubble. The best forage is the plant leaf
anyway, and the risk of nitrates is reduced a bit.
Now for the August herd management tips. Remember that it is August – one of the
hotter months of the year - so use caution when working cattle. If you have to work cattle or haul them
in a trailer, time the work to take advantage of cooler temperatures early in
the morning or haul them at night.
Cattle will suffer heat exhaustion at lower temperatures than we do, and
no one wants to lose cattle due to heat stress. In extremely hot weather, shade is essential, so make sure
the cows have access to some. The
best activity they can do during the heat of the day is stay in the shade and
ruminate, or chew their cud. They
will graze and fill the rumen during the cooler parts of the day, and
rumination time is necessary to proper forage digestion anyway.
Don’t allow cattle in ponds or streams. While it may seem like a good way to
let cattle cool off, it is also a good way to spread disease and cause some
environmental problems. Make sure there is an adequate supply of fresh water. Continue the fly control
program. Hot, dry weather brings
out the worst in face flies, which are hard to control. Check cattle for pinkeye and treat as
soon as symptoms are seen. As fly
tags get old, you may need to begin spraying, using back rubs, or replace fly
tags. Either way, be careful to
avoid heat stress when working cattle during the summer months. Watch cattle
for signs of lameness. If foot rot
is detected, treat ASAP.
Managers of spring-calving herds should check
cows for bad eyes, udders, and legs, and review herd production records to
identify cows that need to be culled.
Some time at the kitchen table planning the weaning management program
is time well spent. Be sure the
weaning pens/pastures are ready and make sure the weaning feeding program is in
place prior to that event.
Wean and vaccinate calves for respiratory diseases at least 45 days
prior to shipment. Check with your veterinarian now so that you can order
recommended vaccines.
Those with fall calving herds are also doing a
lot of checking. Replacement heifers are 8 to 10 months old, so keep an eye on
heifer weight gains and supply supplemental feed as needed. To have a calf at 24 months, they will
need to be bred by 15 months of age and will need to weigh 2/3 of their mature
weight at breeding. Check the
cowherd body condition. Cows should be in moderately good condition (BCS 5 to
6) prior to calving. If cows are thin (BCS 4 or lower) either give them higher
quality forage or provide supplemental feed. Check the calving supplies and order anything needed so that
you will be ready in September.
Check the bred heifers frequently. They should begin calving in
September. Vaccinate any early
calves with 7-way clostridium.
Feed the weaned calves for desired gain based on the management and
marketing plan.
Remember, if you have questions about grazing
summer annual forages, give me a call at (919) 603-1359.
**********
From the President’s Pen
Greetings fellow
cattlemen,
I know it has been a tough July with all the
storms we've been having. I just hope all have gotten some rain out
of them, and no storm damage.
Our June meeting went well out at Little Grassy
Creek Farm – the weather was wonderful and everyone got to see their
farm. Paul and Sandy explained their grazing plan and how it works.
Sandy and Laura have done a lot of work and they have a beautiful place. Thanks
for the wonderful time.
Looking forward to our next outing at the Sherby Slaughter
farm. It should be very interesting to see all Sherby has done there.
Come and bring a friend! Hope to see a good crowd. Directions to Sherby's
farm: turn on Huntsboro Road at
the blinking light, then go about 2. 5 miles to Flat Creek Road. Turn right and
go to end of the road - you will be there!
See you Thursday!
- Kay
**********
July Meeting Minutes
The
Granville County Cattlemen’s Association met at Sandy and Laura Gabel’s
beautiful Little Grassy Creek Farm on Thursday July 12,
2012,
Following dinner, business meeting was conducted by President Kay Stark. Minutes of the June meeting were
approved. Treasurer’s report
included $16,866.75 total Earth Roast deposits with profit of approximately
$4500 as of this date. Final
report will be forthcoming.
Members
were reminded of the Five County Beef Tour on July 18. The tour starts at the E.B. Harris farm
and includes information regarding new coyote and fox hunting regulations.
The
Southern Piedmont Summer Forage Tour on August 23, 2012, at Triple Creek Ranch,
owned by Dr. Henry Poore, in Virgilina, VA,, will feature projects implemented
to improve forage and reduce environmental impact of grazing. Dinner featuring locally produced beef
is included.
Earth
Roast Committee Chairpersons were asked to keep Committee Lists for future
reference. Flyers distributed at
the Earth Roast helped to enroll new members.
Sandy
shared information on how he operates Little Grassy Creek Beef Cattle
Farm. Sandy has 47 cows and 46
calves. Cows are now bred for Fall
calving. Sandy moves his cows
daily and drags the pastures every 10 days. One pasture is set aside for hay and winter forage. Paul Westfall shared additional
information about utilizing land to full potential with minimal environmental
impact.
August
meeting will be held at the farm of Sherby Slaughter on Flat Creek Road.
The
meeting was adjourned at 8:00 p.m.
Respectfully
submitted,
Gail
Medlin for Jean Gill, Secretary
**********
Officers:
President, Kay Stark Directors:
Past President, Joy Morgan Marshall 2012: Jimmy Morgan, David Owen
Vice President, Larry Medlin 2013: Sherby Slaughter, Steve Walker
Treasurer, Sandy Gabel 2014: Linda Currin, Wendy Lane
Secretary, Jean Gill
Newsletter, Laura S. Gabel
