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
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
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”
Management Considerations for April 2024
COW HERD MANAGEMENT
- Evaluate BCS and adjust nutrition for spring-calving females going into breeding.
- Ensure thin (BCS ≤ 4.0) females are on an increasing plane of nutrition.
- BCS 5.0+ females should be maintaining weight and condition.
- Record cow BCS and use it as a guide for future management.
- Start lactation rations/supplementation by end of first calving cycle.
- Pregnancy check fall calving cows and make culling decisions.
- How were pregnancy rates relative to last year?
- Do we need to re-think our fall/winter nutrition program?
- Plan your mineral supplementation for this coming spring and summer.
- Make effort to measure intake regularly and adjust it as needed.
- If using fly control products, start them at recommended area times.
- Properly store bagged mineral and avoid damaging bags and pallets.
- Risk of grass tetany is greatest for lactating cows and older cows. Consider magnesium levels in mineral supplements, particularly for cows grazing the following:
- wheat, rye, triticale, oats, bromegrass, and other cool-season forages
- Use the estrus synchronization planner to help plan synchronization protocols.
- Schedule breeding soundness examinations on bulls well prior to turnout.
- Allow plenty of time to re-test or find a replacement bull if needed.
CALF MANAGEMENT
- Review health protocols for spring-born calves and schedule processing activities.
- If not already completed, wean and market fall-born calves.
- Consider the economic return by implanting nursing calves and grass cattle.
- If not already done, schedule your breeding protocols for replacement heifers in advance of the breeding season.
- If synchronizing with MGA, make sure intake is consistent at 0.5 mg of melengestrol acetate per hd per day for 14 days, and remove for 19 days prior to administering prostaglandin.
GENERAL MANAGEMENT
- Use the Management Minder tool on KSUBeef.org to plan key management activities for your cowherd for the rest of the year.
- Adjust turn-out dates as needed for drought stressed pastures.
- Consider your storage method for any leftover hay and feed and look for opportunities to minimize shrink during extended storage.
- Good sanitation around winter feeding and bedding areas helps reduce stable fly populations.
- Take a balanced, multi-tool approach to fly/insect control.
- Wrap up any last minute pasture management projects before spring turn-out:
- Finish repairing fences.
- Conduct burns, work to control trees and brush.
- Ensure sufficient water is available when cattle are turned out.
Mineral Supplement Selection for the Cow Herd
Although, the upcoming grazing season may be hard to picture at this point, it’s not too early to begin making preparations. Among those preparations is selecting a mineral supplement, especially for those operations that are looking to take advantage of “early booking” discounts for mineral orders. It can be challenging to select a mineral program, as there are many different products and mineral formulations currently available. When evaluating mineral supplements the phosphorous concentration may be used as a basic guide to determine if the mineral fits the production stage of the herd and forage base. Phosphorous is one of the most common mineral deficiencies in grazing systems around the world and is one of the primary reasons we provide mineral supplements to grazing beef cattle. The table below illustrates the amount of phosphorous required in a mineral supplement required for cattle at various production stages consuming forages with different phosphorous concentrations. Forage phosphorous concentrations vary and are typically greatest during the spring and lowest in the winter. In Kansas, phosphorous content of native range during the grazing season is typically between 0.15 and 0.20%. Thus, the maintenance requirements of lactating cow (20 lbs milk/d) could be met by a mineral with at least 8% phosphorous (average of 6 and 10 in the table).
For more information, contact Justin Waggoner at jwaggon@ksu.edu
How to Find More Time
One of the more common issues for many of us in the workplace is trying to find more time for family, friends, exercise or some new activity. However, the question becomes how we can find more time within the day or week for the aforementioned activity of choice? One of the ways that many people try to find more time (including myself) is the “do I really need that much sleep” method of finding more time. Although, this method does work; it may also result in some undesirable outcomes, especially if the activity involves interacting with others. Time management experts suggest that the best way to make more time for any new activity is to become more efficient within our day. Efficiency is essentially organizing and prioritizing the daily “to do list” but it also includes looking for places in our day where we simply waste time. The most common “time waster” for many people involves a computer or a phone in today’s world. Procrastination is also another common “time waster” that reduces our ability to get things done. Many strategies have been developed to combat procrastination. One simple strategy that I recently came across is the 2-minute rule and it essentially targets all those little things that we encounter during the day that eventually add up. This informal rule essentially says that when we encounter anything in our day that will take less than 2-minutes that we should do it, be it a quick email response or cleaning up our computer files. It is difficult to find more time in our busy work schedules, but one thing is clear seconds turn into minutes, minutes into hours, hours into days and so forth, which proves that little things do add up over time.
For more information, contact Justin Waggoner at jwaggon@ksu.edu.
Management Considerations for March 2024
COW HERD MANAGEMENT
- Start post-calving nutrition programs for spring-calving females.
- Begin lactation rations once first calving cycle is complete.
- Make sure thin (BCS ≤ 4.0) females are on an increasing plane of nutrition going into breeding.
- Pregnancy check and wean fall-calving cows if not already done.
- Evaluate your mineral program for the coming spring and summer seasons.
- What was your average consumption last year?
- Do you need to make changes this year to achieve targeted consumption?
- Consider magnesium supplementation levels, particularly for lactating cows grazing wheat, rye, or triticale in the spring.
- If synchronizing females for breeding, schedule your protocols now well in advance of the breeding season and mark your calendars.
- Use the estrus synchronization planner available to you.
- Inventory your A.I. supplies and check your semen tanks.
- Evaluate herd bulls for BCS and adjust as needed prior to breeding.
- Bulls need to be in a BCS ≥ 5.0 prior to the next season of use.
- Schedule breeding soundness examinations with your veterinarian.
CALF MANAGEMENT
- Market your fall-born calves if not already done.
- Schedule your spring calf working activities and visit with your veterinarian to discuss your calf health protocols.
- Monitor growth and pubertal development of replacement heifers.
- Heifers should be having active estrous cycles prior to breeding.
GENERAL MANAGEMENT
- Make sure you complete your spring calving records!
- Don’t forget late-calving females as you focus on other spring projects.
- Rethink your turn-out dates if pastures were stressed from drought last year.
- Plan/adjust your feeding dates accordingly.
- Take inventory of any feed/forage that will be left over from winter.
- Cover piles or close bags if silage is left over and won’t be fed until fall.
- Clean up any soiled bedding or unused/wasted feed to reduce the breeding and development of stable flies as the weather warms up.
- Finish pasture management projects started last year:
- Repair or replace fences as needed.
- Burn if conditions allow, cut and pile trees, particularly Cedar trees!
- Clean and repair tanks and equipment as needed so watering sources are working properly when cattle are turned out to pasture.
- If making bull selection decisions:
- Review your herd performance relative to your marketing and genetic goals.
- Study EPDs impacting your marketing and genetic goals and do your homework well before sale day.
Cold Stress Impacts and Resources
The New Year often brings with it some of the coldest months of the year.
Cattle are most comfortable within the thermonuetral zone when temperatures are neither too warm nor cold. During the winter months cattle experience cold stress anytime the effective ambient temperature, which takes into account wind chill, humidity, etc., drops below the lower critical temperature. The lower critical temperature is influenced by both environmental and animal factors including hair coat and tissue insulation (body condition). The table below lists the estimated lower critical temperatures of cattle in good body condition with different hair coats. In wet conditions cattle can begin experiencing cold stress at 59°F, which would be a relatively mild winter day. However, if cattle have time to develop a sufficient winter coat the estimated lower critical temperature under dry conditions is 18°F. Cold stress increases maintenance energy approximately 1% for each degree below the lower critical temperature, but does not impact protein, mineral or vitamin requirements. Thus, maintenance energy requirements of cattle may increase by 15-20% on those exceptionally cold and windy days that commonly occur in January and February. Increased maintenance energy requirements essentially means that less energy is available for production (gain), which translates to lower ADG, increased Feed:Gain, and greater Days on Feed.
The Kansas State University Mesonet now has an animal comfort feature that provides an index of animal comfort (heat and cold stress) for current condition as well as 7-day forecast. The Mesonet allows users to see both statewide maps and select specific weather stations across the state. The animal comfort page of the Kansas Mesonet may be accessed at https://mesonet.k-state.edu/agriculture/animal/current/.
For more information, contact Justin Waggoner at jwaggon@ksu.edu
Safe Work Practices for Working in the Cold
January and February are some of the coldest months of the year and often bring extreme weather conditions that can be challenging for agricultural workers who work in the elements. Although there are no specific standards or regulations regarding what employers must provide to employees that are required to work in winter conditions. Employers do have an obligation to provide workers with employment and a work place that are free from recognized hazards (Section 5a 1 OSHA, 1970). Thus, employers have an obligation to train employees and ensure that they are aware of the risks of cold stress and safe work practices for working in the cold. The U. S. Department of labor, OSHA website offers the following suggestions for preventing cold stress https://www.osha.gov/emergency-preparedness /guides/cold-stress.
Safe work practices to prevent cold stress.
- If possible, schedule heavy work during the warmer part of the day.
- Assign workers to tasks in pairs (buddy system), so that they can monitor each other for signs of cold stress.
- Reduce the physical demands of workers (for example, use relief workers or rotate extra workers in and out of work for long, demanding jobs).
- Workers can be allowed to interrupt their work, if they are extremely uncomfortable.
- Employers should give workers frequent breaks in warm areas.
- Acclimatize new workers and those returning after time away from work, by gradually increasing their workload, and allowing more frequent breaks in warm areas, as they build up a tolerance for working in the cold environment.
For more information, contact Justin Waggoner at jwaggon@ksu.edu.
Calving Schools Planned
K-State to host four events around Kansas focused on providing tips to help producer prepare for calving season.
MANHATTAN, Kan. -In anticipation of calving season, Kansas State University Animal Sciences and Industry and K-State Research and Extension are planning a series of calving schools in January.
The program will outline overall calving management that includes stages of the normal calving process as well as tips to handle difficult calving situations. A.J. Tarpoff, K-State extension beef veterinarian, explains the goals of the event are to increase knowledge, practical skills, and to increase the number of live calves born if they need assistance. Continue reading “Calving Schools Planned”