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BEEF Cattle questions may be directed to the OSU Extension BEEF Team through Stephen Boyles or Stan Smith, Editor

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Previous issues of the BEEF Cattle letter

Issue # 491

June 14, 2006

Keep Your Bull at Home - Kris Ringwall, Beef Specialist, NDSU Extension Service

There is nothing more serious in the cattle business than buying a bull. Much time is spent evaluating available information, such as performance data and pedigree, to assure that the right bull is brought home.

Not everyone will use the right information (a personal bias), but when the gavel strikes the podium, the bull has a new owner and home. The process essentially has bonded the bull to the new operation. There is always the need to look over the fence as the bull settles into the new surroundings.

With the increasing size of the beef cowherds, multiple purchases are common for more operations. With reasonable cull prices, (local sale results show bulls weighing a ton netting more than $1,500 in the sale ring), a very real option is to sell marginal bulls and replace them with improved sires. This leads to serious bull sorting and buying and the ultimate end point, bull turnout.

For most beef operations, bull turnout is in progress or soon to begin. Trailing or hauling cows to pasture is one task that, with today's high fuel prices and equipment expenses, needs to be thought through to minimize trips. Bull turnout is just another reminder of the need to travel and position bulls and cows accordingly.

Bulls and cows simply don't appear in the same pasture. A fairly thought-out process needs to be completed to assure that every animal gets to the proper pasture. The Dickinson Research Extension Center routinely travels 50 miles round trip to deliver bulls to cow pastures. The trip is not going to break the bank, but repeated trips add up.

As bulls are prepared for turnout, breeding soundness exams already should be in hand. Any bull that turned up infertile already should have had the opportunity to visit the local sale barn. In case the infertile bull was kept for a recheck, don't forget to do the recheck and at the same time check for new problems that weren't detected during the earlier breeding soundness exam.

As the bulls start detecting the presence of cows beginning to cycle, keep an eye out for any aggressive fighting that has created some lameness. Lameness and subsequent pain are important to detect because subtle structural unsoundness will not improve in the breeding pen.

Most producers can recall the new bull that never got turned out. Rivalry in the bull pen benched the bull and the dollars invested before delivery to the cow pasture. It is frustrating, but bulls are bulls and even a roughneck takes second seat to bulls that have a focused intention.

Perhaps a sigh of relief is in order as the bulls walk out of the trailer and greet the cows. The territory is ripe for problems and the need to recheck pastures becomes a routine activity, even with high fuel prices. Structural problems or pain related to injury takes a toll. Reproductive issues, including bulls that injure their penis regardless of the cause, can result in a bull that has no interest in breeding cows. A bull not breeding cows easily will cost $40 in lost revenue per day.

The bottom line is that monitoring a bull is important. The failure to pick up and replace nonperforming bulls hits the pocketbook. With all the challenges of maintaining an effective, sound and performance orientated bull herd, the end reward is good calves that fit the market.

All the headaches are worth it, unless the worst-case scenario occurs: Upon checking the cows, you find the neighbor's bull is in your pasture.

Forage Focus: The "Fertilizer"Value of Hay - Rory Lewandowski, Extension Educator Ag/NR Athens and Hocking Counties

We all know that fertilizer costs have been increasing, and most projections I have seen expect fertilizer costs to remain high. It's certainly possible to eliminate fertilizer application on a hay field but savings are only short term. Essentially this results in a "mining" of the soil and if this practice continues over a period of years expect that yields and stand quality will decrease under this type of management. According to the OSU Extension Agronomy Guide, each ton of grass hay removes about 13 pounds of P2O5 and 50 pounds of K2O.

Hay making and the use of hay involves, in one sense, the re-distribution of minerals and nutrients. I recently made a phone call to check on some current fertilizer prices. I was quoted triple 19 (19-19-19) at $375.25/ton and 6-24-24 at $401.25/ton. Triple 19 contains 380 lbs of actual phosphate (P2O5 ) per ton and 380 lbs of actual potash (K2O) per ton, for a total of 760 pounds of P205 and K20 nutrients. The 6-24-24 fertilizer product contains 480 lbs of phosphate and 480 lbs or potash per ton, for a total of 960 pounds of P2O5 and K2O nutrients. Based on the quoted price per ton, actual phosphate and potash costs are around 49 cents per pound for the triple 19 ($375.25/760 lbs of nutrient) and 42 cents per pound for the 6-24-24 ($401.25/960 lbs of nutrients). If we assume that these fertilizer products are applied to meet the more demanding removal rate of K2O at 50 pounds per ton of hay, then the fertilizer value of a ton of hay might be worth between $21 and $24.50, (50 x .42 or 50 x .49) depending upon which fertilizer material is used. Depending upon the fertilizer material used and its price, the fertilizer value of a ton of hay can vary, but the point is, this value is significant.

Hay Day is Saturday in Belle Valley

Don't forget that OSU's annual Hay Day is this Saturday, June 17 in Belle Valley. Held at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center's (OARDC) Eastern Agricultural Research Station beginning at 9:00 a.m., this free event will include field demonstrations, plus information on mowing, tedding, raking, baling of dry hay and wrapping of baleage.

Find more details at: http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~news/story.php?id=3660 or http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/seminar.asp?strID=2633

Flies, a Health Concern for Beef Cattle

What's the buzz around cattle pastures these days? The same that it always is when the weather turns warm: flies.

The winged intruders are more than just an annoyance to grazing cattle. Flies also can transmit diseases and stunt growth, said Ron Lemenager, Purdue University Extension beef specialist. Producers can protect their herds with insecticides, he said.

"For grazing cattle we're really concerned about two different types of flies: face flies and horn flies," Lemenager said. "Face flies tend to feed on secretions around the eyes and noses of cattle. They move from one animal to the next. The face fly is a major vector for M. bovis, which is a bacteria that can cause pinkeye.

"The horn fly is a little different. That particular fly is much smaller in size and tends to stay with the same animal, leaving that animal only to deposit eggs in fresh manure patties and then returning to that animal. The horn fly is a bloodsucker and tends to feed on the back, withers, neck and sides of animals. The horn fly can cause reduced weight gains."

Face flies are similar in size to common houseflies. They feed without piercing the cow's skin. In addition to carrying the bacteria that causes pinkeye, face flies also can transmit eyeworm and infectious abortion.

Horn flies are about half as big as face flies but no less troublesome. The flies inject their tube-like mouthparts into cattle and draw blood for food. Horn flies can feed as often as 30 times per day. The feeding causes stress for animals, often leading to weight loss. Horn flies also can spread summer mastitis, a disease affecting a non-lactating cow's mammary glands.

"These flies start becoming a problem about late May," Lemenager said. "By the middle of June producers should be thinking about fly control."

Control methods for face and horn flies on grazing cattle include insecticide treatments. Insecticides usually are applied directly to the animals, by various methods:

* Insecticide-impregnated ear tags -- Insecticide is gradually released from the tag through the animal's body oils. Cows spread the chemical when they groom themselves or their calves.

* Dust bags -- Insecticide powders are sprinkled over cattle as they walk under the bags hanging above gateways. Bags that contain oil-based insecticides are known as oilers.

* Pour-ons -- Concentrated insecticide is poured along the animal's top line.

* Sprays -- Insecticides are sprayed onto cattle. Some sprays come in ready-to-use forms, while others require dilution with water.

* Feed-throughs -- Cattle consume supplements or feed mixes containing a larvacide. The compound disrupts the life cycle of developing flies after the eggs are layed in fresh manure.

Horn flies are vulnerable to most control methods, Lemenager said.

"The horn fly is very easy to control because it stays with the animal," he said. "Fly sprays, insecticide-impregnated ear tags, back rubs with insecticide and dust bags are pretty effective methods of control.

"We also can use feed-throughs, in which you've got insecticide that's part of a mineral or supplements that you might purchase commercially. The feed-through insecticide passes through the animal into the manure, and then it breaks the life cycle of the fly before it can become an adult. It works primarily on the pupa stage of larval development."

Producers have fewer control options for face flies.

"The face fly is a different critter," Lemenager said. "The feed-through insecticides don't work quite as well if you have neighbors who are not controlling their flies, because these flies will migrate from animal to animal. So you're probably stuck with using insecticide sprays, impregnated ear tags, dust bags, oilers or some combination of them."

Producers should be careful which insecticides they use and how they use them, Lemenager said.

"There are some resistance issues with some of these insecticides," he said. "Producers should visit with their local herd health provider or Extension educator about what's working in their area. We're probably going to have to switch the insecticides we use from one year to the next, so that we don't develop a significant resistance problem."

Additional information about flies is available in Purdue Extension publications E-12-W, "Control of Cattle Pests" and E-206-W, "The Face Fly," both written by Ralph Williams, Extension entomologist. The publications are available online at Purdue's Beef Extension Publications Web page, at http://www.ansc.purdue.edu/beef/beefpub.htm

USDA Extends Incentives to Complete EQIP Practices Delayed by High Energy Costs

WASHINGTON, June 2, 2006- Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today announced the deadline for completing environmental projects to qualify for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) energy cost assistance will be extended to September 1, 2006.

"Farmers and ranchers have put various conservation practices on hold because of the recent increases in the cost of energy," said Johanns. "As part of our commitment to help mitigate the impact of high energy costs on agricultural producers, this cost adjustment and time extension will lessen the impact of energy prices on farmers and ranchers, while protecting our natural resources."

Prior to today's announcement the deadline for completion of the EQIP projects was June 30th to receive the incentive payment for EQIP projects that have been delayed due to increasing energy costs. The EQIP energy cost assistance applies to regular EQIP projects, Ground and Surface Water Conservation EQIP projects and Klamath Basin EQIP projects.

The one-time payment adjustment applies only to participants who signed EQIP contracts in 2004 or earlier and will only be paid for practices that are completed between March 1 and September 1, 2006. Projects must be completed before payments can be made. The 15 percent payment increase will focus on a select list of specific practices that have escalated in price by 20 percent or more because of rising energy costs and to practices most affected by increased costs in construction materials such as concrete, steel and plastic pipe.

Administered by USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service, EQIP is a voluntary conservation program for farmers and ranchers that promotes agricultural production and environmental quality. EQIP offers financial and technical assistance to participants who implement structural or management practices on agricultural land.

For more information on this one-time adjustment, go to the NRCS Web site http://www.nrcs.usda.gov or visit your nearest USDA Service Center.

Weekly Roberts Agricultural Commodity Market Report - Mike Roberts, Commodity Marketing Agent, Virginia Tech

LIVE CATTLE in Chicago (CME) traded in a narrow range with the JUNE'06LC closing off $0.275/cwt at $78.250/cwt. The AUG'06LC futures finished down $0.225/cwt from Friday's close at $78.625/cwt. Trading was also very light. The nearby contracts fell to lows not seen in 12 sessions due to higher corn prices, seasonal demand decline, and technical factors turning lower. Technically speaking the AUG'06LC contract has had support near $78.239/cwt. Further chart based selling was seen after the June and August contracts dipped below their 20-day and 100-day moving averages on Friday. Floor sources said that traders are expecting a sharp decline in May placements due to diminishing fourth-quarter slaughter-ready supplies. Cash cattle in the southern Plains traded mostly down $2/cwt at $81/cwt to $81.50/cwt on Friday. Feed lot operators seemed willing to move fed cattle at the lower values because of continued large numbers still in the pipeline fueling expectations that cash cattle will trade lower again this week. In export news U.S. trade negotiators were still unable to close a deal to restart U.S. beef exports to South Korea because of its rejection of a small number of U.S. plants, according to Secretary Mike Johanns. USDA reported that choice beef was off $1.04/cwt at $153.08/cwt by noon Monday. According to HedgersEdge.com, the average beef packer cutout margin on Monday was off $4.70/cwt from $58.55/cwt to $53.85/cwt and down from $69.45/cwt one week ago. Cash sellers should consider protecting 3rd & 4th quarter marketings in the AUG'06 FC & OCT'06LC contracts. Corn prices are generally seen as holding to increasing at this time. Buyers of corn should consider price protecting near term supplies.

FEEDER CATTLE at the CME were slightly off $0.375/cwt in the AUG'06FC contract closing at $108.225/cwt, $1.053/cwt lower than one week ago. The SEPT'06FC down $0.350/cwt at
$107.90/cwt, also off $0.950/cwt from last Monday's close. Corn costs were seen as getting the sell-off going with chart-based selling as sell stops fueled more losses. Feeders may also show carry-over technical selling through the next few days after falling below the 40-day moving average last Friday. The CME feeder cattle index for June 8 was of $0.14/cwt at $108.53/cwt. The previous high was February 21. After a nice run of consecutive increases a decline in the index and higher CBOT corn futures could possibly weigh on prices. It was reported that cash feeders at the Oklahoma City feeder auction were $1/cwt lower and could be $3 per cwt lower by tomorrow. Rising feed costs would weigh on both live and feeder cattle futures. Cattle feeders should consider protecting 3rd quarter sales in the AUG'06LC with sell orders just below the $108/cwt level and & 4th quarter sales in the OCT'06LC at the $106/cwt level.

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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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