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Previous issues of the BEEF Cattle letter
Issue # 585
Now Is the Time to Sort Old Cows - Kris Ringwall, Beef Specialist, NDSU Extension Service
The question of cattle numbers is always present. With the current dry conditions, cow numbers are on the minds of cattle producers.
Cattle need to eat and, usually, the available forage is directly connected to the available moisture. As unpleasant as the thought of reducing a cowherd is, a plan needs to be ready if dry conditions persist.
Cows generally are viewed as a herd, but all producers know that the herd is made up of smaller groups. The decision to reduce the cowherd really is a process of deciding what groups to keep to make up the whole herd.
In a broad perspective, one can classify cows as young, mature, old or older. There are excellent, good, fair, average, poor and bad cows.
There are cows that are daughters of good, average or poor bulls. There are cows with calves at side, pregnant or open. And there are cows we like and those we don't like.
Next week the Dickinson Research Extension Center will sort cows on paper. The following week the calves are worked and hauling to their respective pastures gets under way.
Age is the first sort. The sort will be based on the previous year's records and then fit to the current year's stocking plan.
Last year's calf records per cow showed we had:
Young cows are more prevalent in the herd. The data also shows old cows do not produce as well as middle-aged cows. While old cows will wean calves, cowherd reduction needs to begin with old cows.
Old cows require more care and will not compete for forage against younger cows. Sort off the old cows (more than 10 years of age) and put them in a "maybe sell" pen.
Some lines of cattle perform better than others and maintain their ability to milk better. However, if pasture is short, a cow more than 10 is old.
Further review of the data shows 5-, 6-, 7-, 8- and 9-year-old cows weaned 627, 620, 599, 643 and 607 pounds of calf per cow, respectively. The 10-year-olds last year that will be 11-year-olds this year did not produce more than 600 pounds of calf and will not produce more pounds of calf this year. These cows are in their declining production years and, ultimately, as they lose their teeth, they will continue to decline.
As the old cows age within any environment, their decline will increase proportionately and the first indication of stress will reduce milk production, which translates to a smaller calf.
Remember, the decisions to survive dry weather are decisions that will position the cattle operation better for next year, so the old cows should be the first set of cows set aside for potential sale.
While the genetics for performance may be in the old cow and calf, the nutrition will not support the pair. The cows are still up and available, so cut those older cows to the side and then see what else might fit in the hold pen.
Obviously open cows and those that lost their calves and did not accept a "within herd twin graft" already should have gone to town. With high grain prices and the prospect of escalating hay prices, there is a real term for cows without calves. It's called beef.
Forage Focus: Alfalfa Weevil Update - Ron Hammond, Andy Michel, Bruce Eisley, OSU Extension Entomologists
Heat unit accumulations necessary for initiating scouting for alfalfa weevil larvae have been reached for all parts of Ohio. While scouting should have begun in southern Ohio a few weeks ago, we have now reached the point where it should also be started in northern Ohio. As a refresher, alfalfa weevil scouting is accomplished by collecting a series of three 10-stem samples randomly selected from various locations in a field. Place the stem tip down in a bucket. After 10 stems have been collected, the stems should be vigorously shaken in the bucket and the number of larvae in the bucket counted. The shaking will dislodge the late 3rd and 4th instar larvae which cause most of the foliar injury. Close inspection of the stem tips may be needed to detect the early 1st and 2nd instar larvae. The height of the alfalfa should also be recorded at this time. Economic threshold is based on the number of larvae per stem, the size of the larvae and the height of the alfalfa. The detection of one or more large larvae per stem on alfalfa that is 12 inches or less in height indicates a need for rescue treatment. Where alfalfa is between 12 and 16 inches in height, the action threshold should be increased to 2 to 4 larvae per stem depending on the vigor of alfalfa growth. When alfalfa is 16 inches in height and there are more than 4 larvae per stem, early harvest is recommended. See the OSU Alfalfa Weevil FactSheet http://ohioline.osu.edu/ent-fact/0032.html for more on alfalfa weevil scouting and thresholds. For insecticides that are labeled for alfalfa weevil, see http://entomology.osu.edu/ag/545/aiaw.pdf
Weekly Roberts Agricultural Commodity Market Report - Mike Roberts, Commodity Marketing Agent, Virginia Tech
LIVE CATTLE futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) were gainers on Monday with the exception of the August '08 contract. The APR'08LC contract closed at $92.400/cwt, up $0.125/cwt and $2.375/cwt higher than a week ago. JUNE'08LC futures were up $0.375/cwt from Friday's close at $93.750/cwt and $1.800/cwt higher than last week at this time. Profit taking weighed on prices while spreading in June/August and August/October were noted. The herd has been trimmed and demand is strengthening. Packer margins remained profitable at an estimated positive $61.90/head vs. a positive $78.25/head last Monday, according to HedgersEdge.com. Packers were reported buying for $90.99/cwt vs. an estimated breakeven buy at $96.00/cwt. Cash cattle were steady to higher trading at $92/cwt, up $2/cwt. USDA put the 5-area price at $92.11/cwt. Cattle in the U.S. Plains were up as much as $3-$4/cwt. Export was looking up. In export news, South Korea is ready to start taking more bone-in beef from animals under 30 months of age. USDA put Friday's choice beef at $154.87/cwt, down $0.40/cwt. This market looks like it may have bottomed out. Cash sellers should consider holding cattle to the end of the week. Corn inputs should be not be priced yet.
FEEDER CATTLE at the CME closed down amid increasing corn prices and technical selling on Monday. The May'08FC contract finished at $106.725/cwt, off $1.025/cwt. AUG'08FC futures were off $1.475/cwt at $109.175/cwt. Spiking corn futures to record highs hurt feeders on Monday. Increasing corn prices will hurt most when the grass is scarce later on in the colder months. August took the most pressure because May cattle can still find grass. Demand remains good for heavier feeders. The Oklahoma City auction shows cash feeders up $1-$3/cwt on top of gains last week to $4/cwt. The CME Feeder Cattle Index for April 24 was placed at $101.87/cwt, up $0.18/cwt. August feeders may rally later depending upon pasture conditions. Hopefully nearby corn inputs were priced on earlier profit taking days ago.
CORN on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) closed up on Monday amid more wet weather reports that may hamper corn seedings. The July'08 contract set a record corn price of $6.51/bu. The MAY'08 contract finished at $6.00/bu, up 22.6¢/bu and 19.8¢/bu higher a week ago. The DEC'08 contract set a fresh high closing up 23.4¢/bu at $6.302/bu and 25.2¢/bu higher than last Monday. Wet weather, record crude prices, and heavy volume were supportive. Funds bought over 10,000 contracts on Monday. Most funds are long in the market with over 80% of their high-risk portfolios in energy and about 11%-12% in commodities such as corn, soybeans, or wheat. These funds have to balance the books at the end of month. That means when money comes in from energy (crude) they need to invest it in the same ratio in grain and livestock commodities. Crude went up … so the funds went on a buying spree. Many folks in the Mid-Atlantic States say they are just about to give up on planting corn. They are hoping they can find soybean seed. USDA placed the U.S. corn crop at 10% planted vs. a five-year average of 35% by this time of year. The market was working on estimates of between 15%-19% planted. U.S. corn-inspected-for-export was placed at 34.939 mi bu vs. estimates for between 35-40 mi bu. As the livestock sector struggles with high feed costs, cash corn in the U.S. Midwest was steady to firm. Cash corn in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic States was $5.55/bu-$6.05/bu for old crop and $5.95/bu-$6.15/bu for new crop. Even though Monday was a high-volume day, the supplement to the CFTC Commitment of Traders report had funds cutting bullish positions in CBOT corn by 11,000 contracts from 185,851 lots. It is a good idea to price up to 60% of the '08 crop this week. Market volatility is offering a good opportunity to price more corn. Corn futures are overpriced at this time so profit taking can be expected most likely by mid-to-late in the week. However, there is fundamental support for U.S. corn so upside potential remains a very good possibility.
Visit the OSU Beef Team calendar of meetings and upcoming events
BEEF Cattle is a weekly publication of Ohio State University Extension in Fairfield County and the OSU Beef Team. Contributors include members of the Beef Team and other beef cattle specialists and economists from across the U.S.
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