MoosNews
Volume 16, No. 1 – January 2013
News,
Views, and Mostly Other Matters
By Paul Westfall, Extension
Livestock Agent
Happy New Year! Hope all you folks with spring-calving herds are
getting ready for that big event! That
means making sure that there is a nice, clean pasture to use for the calving
area that is easy to check, since cows should be checked often during the
calving season. A pasture that is close
to the house is a lot easier to check than one on the back side of the farm
accessible only by a muddy lane. The
folks running a fall-calving system have it a bit easier right now – they
should have turned the bulls in with the cows and just need to make sure that
nature is taking its course. That means
more observation.
Have we ever really thought about the importance of
just observing the cow herd? Sure, we
talk about observing for signs of estrus and watching for heifers having
problems calving, but do we really think about why we should be observing the
cow herd regularly? Let’s think about
some of the other advantages of good observation. I mentioned a couple of obvious reasons to
“take a good look.” Let’s name a few others.
Check for problems like a sick or injured cow. Check the grass. Practice body condition scoring. Is there a hole in the fence? Are the flies
bad? Those are a few things to look out for.
You can add your own items. A
couple of other important reasons for observing the cows every day are to keep
them used to having you in their midst.
This makes handling them a lot easier because they are used to having
you around them. The last reason I’ll
mention is for our own mental health. Is
there a prettier sight in the world than a bunch of contented cows and calves
grazing a lush, green pasture under a clear sky? I think that is worth taking a few moments
just to enjoy.
We do have to remember that it is winter time, so
make sure that the cows are getting the nutrition they need and that they have
adequate shelter, especially for the folks that are expecting calves during the
colder part of winter. Cattle don’t need
anything special, but a wooded ravine or draw that reduces the wind chill helps
a lot. Cattle are pretty comfortable
when the temperatures are in the 30’s and 40’s due to their hair coat and to
the heat generated by rumen function, so usually a windbreak is all that is
needed. Cold temperatures, wind, and
rain all together can make for some pretty miserable conditions, even for
cows. That’s especially true for newborn
calves, which are soaked to the skin when they are born. Be prepared to provide
assistance, or, better yet, to move spring-calvers under shelter during bad
conditions. Wherever the maternity ward
is, make sure that it is clean and dry - not piled high with mud and
manure. The sooner Momma Cow gets the
calf cleaned up, standing and nursing, the better off the cow and calf are.
Here are some January management items to
remember. In general, provide clean,
adequate water and free access to a high quality mineral supplement. Be sure to
use a high magnesium supplement when there is potential for grass tetany once
the grass greens up in the spring. Check
cattle for health disorders and provide treatment at the first sign of a problem. Check the fences and facilities and make any
needed repairs. Check the forage
availability. If it is limited, consider feeding hay in a confined area. Don’t let the cattle waste too much hay under
normal conditions, much less when hay is short.
Body condition score the entire herd. Cows should
score at BCS 5 at calving, and first- calf heifers should score at BCS 6. Once the heifers and cows reach the next
breeding season, they should score a BCS of 5 at that time. Vaccinate the pregnant yearling heifers with
enterotoxemia C & D toxoid if enterotoxemia has been a problem and
with Scours vaccine if calf scours has been a
problem. Consult your veterinarian for specific recommendations. Treat the herd for lice. Cows should be treated twice, 2
to 3 weeks apart during late December and early
January.
Those with spring-calving herds should gather,
replenish, and clean the calving
supplies and tools. During calving, move the bred heifers to a
calving area 10 days before the first calf is expected. Check the mature cows two to four times a day
and heifers more frequently during calving season. Check the 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. Once the
calf is born, dip the navel in iodine or chlorhexidine and tag the calf so
other folks can figure out which calf you are talking about. Record the birth
date, calf tag number, and cow ID. Help
the 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 Momma and baby
to a clean pasture as soon as possible.
Drench any calves dehydrated by scours with electrolytes, and treat with
sulfa or antibiotics as recommended by your veterinarian. Mark any cows having calving difficulty or
with udder problems for early culling. Be
ready to assist with calving difficulties.
Keep the yearling heifers gaining weight. They need to weigh about
two-thirds of mature weight at breeding.
Turn the bulls in with the heifers 3 weeks before letting them in with
the cows.
on buying new bulls. Order the calf and cow vaccines. Prepare calving pasture. Generally a clean,
sodded area is best. Feed the cows a
ration developed for the last third of gestation. Generally, medium quality hay
or stockpiled fescue will suffice. Feed
the bulls the same ration as the cows, but allow them feed to appetite (eat as
much as they want). If a bull is too
thin, add some grain. They’ve got a lot
of work to do in a short time period, thanks to our management practices and
marketing strategies.
Those with fall-calving herds should already have
the bulls out with the heifers and cows. Spot-check the heifers to make sure
they are breeding. Remove the bull from the heifers after a 45- to 60-day
breeding season. Be prepared to remove
bulls from the cows after a 45- to 90-day breeding season. Remember, cows bred
January 1 should calve October 13. The
cows need to be in moderate to good condition to rebreed, so maintain a BCS of
5.0. Make the final selection of
replacement heifers and send the cull heifers to market. Evaluate the profit potential for creep
feeding the calves. Feed the cows the best
feed now. Consider that with average
quality hay, a lactating cow needs 4 to 5 pounds of whole cottonseed; 1 1/2
pounds of cottonseed meal plus 2 pounds of corn; or free choice liquid
supplement or block plus 2 pounds of corn.
A forage analysis permits you to supplement your cows more
precisely. Limit grazing on winter
annuals. Two hours of grazing per day and free choice hay stretches grazing and
is a substitute for concentrate supplements.
Hope you are enjoying your winter and are ready for
spring calving. Should be fun!
**********
From
the President’s Pen
HAPPY
NEW YEAR, FELLOW CATTLEMEN!
This
sure has been a busy and exciting year! Thanks for all the support you’ve shown
me and your board of directors.
As
most of you already know, we’ve done the concessions at E.B.’s cattle sales
recently. One on December 21 and on on Jan. 5. Thanks so much for all the good
help we have had. I think we all had a real good time showing a good promotion
on beef from your Granville County Cattlemen’s Association.
Our
next sale will be January 26, 2013, so please come and join us. We start around
8 a.m. serving coffee, hot chocolate and sausage biscuits. The burgers and
hotdogs come off the grill for lunch and we serve until either the sale is over
or the food runs out.
This
extra money helps us continue our goals – helping our local 4-H and FFA clubs, plus helping to upgrade our
scholarships at N.C. State and VGCC.
Let’s
make 2013 a real big year for your association.
There are several big events happening this coming year, so please come
and get involved.
Don’t
forget your dues!
Kay
**********
Dates for the calendar
Feb. 14 – monthly dinner meeting of the GCCA 7 p.m.
Feb. 21 – Planning board meeting at the Expo Center
7 p.m.
**********
December
Minutes
On December 13, the GCCA met at Poplar Creek Baptist Church Fellow
ship Hall for a Christmas and Awards steak dinner and annual business meeting.
Amos and Frances Brewer hosted the event.
Kyser (Kay) Stark, president of the association, conducted the
meeting. Stark reviewed the year’s work, which included a successful fundraiser
Earth Roast in June, donations to the FFA for their trips and projects,
scholarship awards from GCCA-endowed scholarships at N.C. State University and
Vance-Granville Community College, 6 meetings in which information about cattle
production was presented, and several meetings held on members’ farms with
workshops to teach or review particular practices, including freeze branding.
Stark recognized the new board members, Eddie Denny and James
Gooch, and welcomed them to the board, which has been very active in 2012.
As a part of the annual business meeting, certificates of
appreciation “for amny years of dedicated service to the Granville County
Cattlemen’s Association” were presented to two long-time members of the GCCA.
Stark presented an award to Bette Laursen, member of the
association since 1980. Stark said that Laursen has been active in local, state
and nationsl livestock organizations. N.C. cattle producers refer to her as
“Mama Angus” and she has served as director of the N.C. Cattlemen’s
Association, N.C. Angus Association, and the Granville association where she
has also served several times as president. Laursen was Executive Director of
the N.C. Angus Association for many years and has been inducted into the N.C.
Angus Hall of Fame. Laursen was delegate to the American Angus Association
Annual Meeting for many years, serving as chairman of the delegation. She was
well known for the many trips she planned to internationally recognized Angus
ranches in Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Virginia, Nebraska, North and South Dakota,
Wyoming and Montana. She and her husband, Doan, maintain a commercial Angus
herd at the Goose River Farm.
The second recipient was James I. (Jim) Smith. Sherby Slaughter
presented the award. Smith was born into the cattle business in that he grew up
on his family’s dairy farm. After a
stint in the Navy and graduating from N.C. State University with a
degree in Dairy Science, he was continuously in the beef cattle business until
he retired a few years ago. Smith has been active in local, state, and national
beef and dairy cattle organizations. For many years, he was farm manager of the
1,300-acre Umstead Farm in Granville County. He is a past president of both the
North Carolina Cattlemen’s Association and the N.C. Angus Association, and has
also served as director for each organization for several terms. Smith was
delegate to the American Angus Association Annual Meeting many times. He has
been Dairy Superintendent of the N.C. State Fair for several years, was board
member and president of the N.C. Holstein Association, and director and
president of the N.C. Dairy Association. He was inducted into the N.C. Angus
Hall of Fame and the N.C. State Fair Hall of Fame.
Steve Walker received the well-deserved award of Producer of the
Year. Steve is known for his knowledge of cattle production and for continued
improvement of his herd and pastures. He was honored for using “best practices”
methods of production as recommended by the National Cattlemen’s Beef
Association Beef Quality Assurance program. He maintains a mixed breed herd of
cattle and sells quality feeder steers on the feeder calf markets each year.
Walker was treasurer of the Granville County Cattlemen’s Association for many
years and has served as president and director. He is a member of the N.C.
Cattlemen’s Association and has been director for several terms.
Special submission by Bette Laursen
