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Management Considerations for May 2024

Posted on by Jessica Jensen

COW HERD MANAGEMENT

  • If cows are in marginal BCS (4.0 – 5.0) going into breeding, possibly consider:
    • Supplementing 2-3 weeks prior to and through 1st cycle.
    • Using monensin (200 mg/hd/day) in feed supplements.
    • Temporary calf removal or a CIDR to initiate estrus in anestrus females.
    • Early weaning if BCS doesn’t improve during the season.
  • Pregnancy check and cull fall calving cows, if not already done.
  • With higher costs, it’s important to closely manage salt and mineral programs.
    • Record date and amount of salt and mineral offered and calculate herd consumption.
    • If consumption is 2X the target intake, then cost will be too!
    • Properly store bags and pallets to avoid damage and product loss.
  • Continue to provide high magnesium mineral formulas to cows grazing high risk forages: wheat, rye, triticale, oats, bromegrass, and other cool-season forages.
  • Risk of grass tetany is greatest for lactating cows and older cows.
  • The estrus synchronization planner (https://www.iowabeefcenter.org/estrussynch.html) is a helpful tool for scheduling synchronization protocols.
    • Order your AI supplies well prior to starting your protocols.
  • Closely monitor bulls at the start of the breeding season for injury and to make sure they are aggressively covering cows.

CALF MANAGEMENT

  • Calculate the value of gain relative to cost of gain for:
    • Implanting nursing calves and grass cattle.
    • Creep feeding nursing calves
  • Finalize health protocols for spring-born calves and cattle going to summer grass.
  • Consider supplementing or feeding replacement heifers for a period when initially turning to grass if they don’t have post-weaning grazing experience and/or forage supply is limited.

GENERAL MANAGEMENT

  • Reconsider stocking rates and turn-out dates for drought stressed pastures.
  • Begin implementing early-season weed/invasive species control.
  • Use the Management Minder tool on KSUBeef.org to plan key management activities for your cow herd for the rest of the year.
  • Employ multiple strategies and chemistries for controlling flies and insects.
  • With high feeder calf prices this spring, consider price risk management tools.
  • Make and evaluate important production calculations:
  • Calving distribution (% 1st cycle, % 2nd cycle, % 3rd cycle)
  • Calving interval
  • % calf crop (# calves weaned/# cows exposed for breeding) for calves born in fall 2023.

What’s in Feedlot Diet

Posted on by Jessica Jensen

The commercial cattle feeding industry is incredibly diverse in many ways. A recent survey of consulting nutritionists conducted by Samuelson et al., (2016) gives us some insight into the feeding and management practices of the cattle feeding industry. This survey summarized responses from 24 consulting nutritionists that service in excess of 14 million cattle annually. As expected the primary grain used in both receiving and finishing diets was corn. However, the most commonly reported secondary grain used was wheat. The most common processing methods were steam-flaking and dry-rolling. The typical grain inclusion was 60% or less for receiving diets and 34.8% of the respondents reported an inclusion of 60-70% grain in finishing diets with a range of 50-90%. The reported range in grain inclusion of finishing rations is likely attributed to the use of byproduct feedstuffs. The most commonly used byproduct in both receiving and finishing rations was wet distiller’s grain. Alfalfa was the most common roughage source used in receiving diets (58.5% of responses). In finishing diets corn silage was the primary roughage source used (37.5% of responses), followed by corn stalks (29.2% of responses) and alfalfa (20.8% of respondents). The majority of nutritionists in the survey recommend an energy content 0.68-0.70 Mcal/lb of Net Energy for gain and 13.4% crude protein in the finishing ration.

For more information, contact Justin Waggoner at jwaggon@ksu.edu

Send Everyone Home Safe

Posted on by Jessica Jensen

Most of you reading this are likely involved in agriculture in some capacity. Would you consider agriculture to be a high risk industry?

The reality is that agriculture is a dangerous business. A recent report (12/2023) from the U. S. Department of Labor contains some staggering statistics and emphasizes the need for safety. In 2022, workers engage in farming, fishing and forestry had the highest fatal work injury rate among U.S. occupations with 23.5 fatalities per 100,000 full-time employees. A total of 5,486 fatal occupational injuries occurred in the U.S. in 2022 with 146 fatal injuries occurring among agricultural workers. Fatal work injuries due to contact with equipment and machinery (738) increased 4.7% from 2021 to 2022. These statistics are sobering. The need for safety in agriculture is real and present. When was your last discussion about safety with your family or employees? Now is the best time to have those discussions.

A quote from Dr. Keith Bolsen, K-State emeritus professor, comes to mind:

“Our number one goal is to send everyone home safe at night; if an operation isn’t safe nothing else really matters.”

The full report from the U.S. Department of Labor may be accessed at https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cfoi.pdf

For more information, contact Justin Waggoner at jwaggon@ksu.edu

Long-Term Effects of April, August, or October Prescribed Fire on Yearling Stocker Cattle Performance and Native Rangeland Plant Composition in the Kansas Flint Hills

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

Objective: The objective of our experiment was to determine if prescribed fire applied in April, August, or October influenced stocker growth performance or plant community characteristics in the Kansas Flint Hills over a 6-year period. Continue reading “Long-Term Effects of April, August, or October Prescribed Fire on Yearling Stocker Cattle Performance and Native Rangeland Plant Composition in the Kansas Flint Hills” →

K-State Hosts 30-hour OSHA Course for Agriculture Workers

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

Agriculture is a high-risk industry, where “near misses”, accidents and even fatalities unfortunately occur. Many agriculture employers believe they are exempt from OSHA regulations and standards.  However, agriculture falls within the scope of OSHA per the “General Duty Clause” (Section 5.a.1., OSHA 1910) which states that “Each employer shall furnish to each of his/her employees employment and place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his/her employees”.  K-State will be hosting an OSHA-30-hour course for agriculture workers this spring in Garden City, KS. I would highly encourage anyone who is not familiar with OSHA and your role and responsibilities as an employer or supervisor to take an OSHA course.

For more information, contact Justin Waggoner at jwaggon@ksu.edu

A Novel Approach of Using Electrostatic Field to Reduce Thawing Time and Improve Frozen Beef Quality

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of applying an electrostatic field (EF) on thawing characteristics, such as thawing speed and purge loss, as well as its impact on quality attributes during subsequent aging and retail display of beef. Continue reading “A Novel Approach of Using Electrostatic Field to Reduce Thawing Time and Improve Frozen Beef Quality” →

GreatO+ Supplementation Leads to Greater Proportions of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in the Small Intestines of Holstein Steers

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

Objective: This study aimed to determine if supplementation of GreatO+, an extruded blend of flaxseed and microalgae (NBO3, Manhattan, KS), in Holstein steers would lead to greater amounts of fatty acids, particularly omega-3s, in the small intestines. Continue reading “GreatO+ Supplementation Leads to Greater Proportions of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in the Small Intestines of Holstein Steers” →

Practice Good Habits to Ensure Safety When Handling Liquid Nitrogen Tanks

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

Sandy Johnson, extension beef specialist, Colby

Breeding season is still a ways off but those that use artificial insemination (that’s AI in my world) may be busy delivering or picking up semen stored in a liquid nitrogen tank. Unfortunately, many of the people involved with moving these tanks may be unaware of the safety precautions they should be taking when doing so. Understanding more about liquid nitrogen and its properties will reduce complacency and help prevent accidents. Continue reading “Practice Good Habits to Ensure Safety When Handling Liquid Nitrogen Tanks” →

Managing Feeder Cattle Price Risk

Posted on by Sandy Johnson

 By Jennifer Ifft, agricultural policy extension specialist, Flinchbaugh Agricultural Policy Chair

For producers that will have calves to sell in fall 2024 or early 2025, futures prices have rallied to around nearly $265-270/cwt. However, weather, global conflict, or other factors could negatively impact the 2024 market. Prices were relatively high throughout 2014 in response to a drought-induced decline in cow numbers, but during the fall of 2015 prices declined rapidly. While market fundamentals may currently be stronger in 2024 than 2015, markets remain volatile and high prices have never lasted forever.   Continue reading “Managing Feeder Cattle Price Risk” →