A Publication of:

OSU Extension - Fairfield County

831 College Ave., Suite D, Lancaster, OH 43130

and the

OSU Extension BEEF Team

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

You may subscribe to this weekly BEEF Cattle letter by sending a blank e-mail to beef-cattle-on@ag.osu.edu

Previous issues of the BEEF Cattle letter

Issue # 488

May 24, 2006

Forage Focus: When Ensiling Grasses, Don't Forget the Risk of Listeria - Stan Smith, PA, OSU Extension, Fairfield County

In a recent memo to OSU Extension Beef Team members, Ohio Beef Industry Center coordinator Francis Fluharty reminded us about the potential for Listeria issues to surface. Fluharty says that if you are making baleage, and it's too wet to make a round bale, but too dry to make a good baleage bale, you stand an increased risk of having a poor fermentation, resulting in mold. Those are the conditions where Listeria monocytogenes functions best. The result is the risk of getting Listeria (circling disease) next winter in the animals being fed the poorly fermented forage. Fluharty reminds that once you see the symptoms, it's typically too late for the cow!

In the article below, Dr. Shulaw details why and how Listeria can become a risk for livestock being fed improperly ensiled crops. For even more information regarding Listeria, and the potential for Listeria ending up in your kitchen, see this recent story from OSU News and Media : Food Safety Researchers Play Kitchen Detective: Listeria is focus of $600,000 study

Listeria a Concern in Ensiled Crops - William P. Shulaw DVM MS, OSU Extension Veterinarian, Beef/Sheep

Listeria monocytogenes infections are relatively common in sheep, goat and cattle production systems. These bacteria are frequently shed in the manure of apparently normal animals that serve as chronic carriers. The bacteria usually find their way into the ensiled material by soil or manure contamination of the forage prior to, or during, the ensiling process. One common way this happens is when tractors that are used for other animal management operations are used to pack forage in a bunker silo.

Ideally, ensiled material should reach a pH of 4.5 or so after fermentation. Listeria can continue to grow at a pH above 5-5.5. If the material is chopped coarsely, or inadequately packed and sealed, the fermentation process may not reach the desired low pH. In addition, there may be pockets that did not reach the proper acidity in otherwise acceptable forage. Listeria can grow in these pockets. Reaching proper acid levels is usually easier with corn silage than grass or legume silages. Silage is often incriminated in animal infections, but not all infections can be traced to silage feeding.

Animals that consume the bacteria may develop intestinal infections that cause no disease but which result in chronic shedding of the bacteria in the manure. This helps ensure survival of the bacteria on the farm. In some animals, the mammary gland is chronically infected. Dairy cows have been known to shed the organism in the milk for months. Mammary infection in other species is possible also. The bacteria may gain access to the body through the tonsil, or abrasions of the mouth, and travel up the cranial nerves to the brain. When this happens, small abscesses in the brain occur and the animal develops the classic signs of "circling disease" with incoordination, circling to one side, and paralysis of the lips, ear and eyelids on the affected side. Most of these animals die unless treatment is begun very early.

Listeria can also cause abortions. This is most common in sheep and goats and may be more common than the brain infections in those species. The bacteria are shed in the aborted fetus, placenta, and discharges. Occasionally, listeria may cause outbreaks where both abortions and the signs of brain infection occur (in different animals), but this is not common.

Unfortunately, these bacteria can also cause infections in people, especially pregnant women, elderly people, and the immunocompromised. Unpasteurized milk, or inadequately pasteurized milk, and contact with aborted fetuses or discharges are potential natural sources of the bacteria for people. Producers should practice good personal hygiene, especially around aborting animals, and should not consume unpasteurized dairy products.

There is no vaccine and treatments for infected animals are usually only moderately successful. The bottom line for effective prevention of losses in animals is to practice good sanitation, make the best quality silage possible ensuring adequately low pH for proper preservation, and with baleage, be sure that the plastic remains sealed.

What to do with wet hay? - Marvin Hall, Penn State University, Forage Management, Crop and Soil Sciences

With the rains Pennsylvania began getting last week, there was some hay put up a little on the wet side without preservatives. Combine that with high humidity weather for the past week and you've got a situation that can lead to a couple of different problems.

First, the excess moisture creates an environment inside the bale for fungi and bacteria to grow. These microbes produce excessive heat which causes the hay to get very hot. This heating process leads to the breakdown of protein and thus reduces the quality of the hay. Molds and fungus that are produced are in fact sometimes harmful to the animals that are being fed this heat damaged hay and sometimes they can be fatal especially if fed to equine.

Another problem arising from the baling of high moisture hay is barn fires. If hay with too high of moisture is stored inside, a fire could ensue within a week to six weeks of storage. If you are the least bit concerned that you baled your hay with too high a moisture (20% or greater for small rectangular bales and 16% for large rectangular or round bales), it is a good idea to monitor the temperatures inside the storage facility.

Good ventilation is extremely important in any hay storage structure no matter what the condition of your hay is when storing.

Frequency of temperature monitoring in hay

120 degrees or below	no concern
130 to 140	monitor daily
140 to 150	monitor twice daily
150 to 160	monitor every two hours (begin moving hay out of structure)
160 to 175	call fire department, have them onsite before moving hay
Keep monitoring temperatures until the hay is below 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

Hay preservatives are an option to reduce risk of mold and fire when baling hay slightly above the recommended moisture level. The most commonly hay preservatives are organic acid and the most common and most effective of the organic acids has been propionic acid. Some commercial products also contain a small percentage of acetic acid. However, acetic acid is less effective as a hay preservative.

Not all organic acids or commercial organic acid products are created equal. Product effectiveness, cost per pound of acid, or concentration of active ingredient varies among the different products sold. Some products only contain 15% propionic acid. Typically, the most cost-effective products are those with the highest concentration of propionic acid.

Bale moisture is the primary factor determining effective application rates. An easy method to determine effective preservation rate (actual pounds of propionic acid per dry matter ton) is to take the moisture percentage of the hay and subtract 10. For example, hay baled at 25% moisture requires about 15 pounds of acid per ton of dry matter (25% moisture - 10 = 15 lbs acid required per ton).

Recommended application rates assume a hay product that is uniform in moisture. If some bales or parts of bales are significantly higher in moisture than the field average, application rates will need to be adjusted upward to insure effective preservation of the entire hay lot.

To be effective, preservative must be uniformly distributed on the hay crop as it enters the baling chamber. This often means that multiple application nozzles are needed on the baler. Some hay producers dilute the propionic acid product with water and then increase flow rates through the application equipment to improve coverage on the crop.

Unfortunately, the preservation effect initially gained from using organic acids is not long-term in nature. With time, the acid will dissipate from the hay. This can result in mold formation after 4 to 6 months of storage if enough moisture is still present to support such growth. Using an organic acid preservative will not necessarily improve storage characteristics such as long-term dry matter loss or hay color.

Storing Alfalfa as Round Bale Silage: Frequently Asked Questions - Dr. David C. Ditsch and Dennis Hancock, University of Kentucky

Hay is the most popular method for storing alfalfa because it stores well for long periods and is better suited to cash sale and transportation than silage. However, many producers have recognized the potential of baled silage to reduce the losses associated with harvesting and storing forage as compared to conventional hay making methods (Table 1). Hopefully, the answers to these most commonly asked questions will improve your odds of success when making high quality round bale silage using long (unchopped) alfalfa crops.

Table 1. Losses Associated with Hay and Silage Production.

Activity	Hay	Silage
Field Curing	25%	6%
Harvesting	15%	6%
Storage	35%	5%
Feeding	30%	8%

1) What will I need? The minimum requirements are a mower, rake, baler, tractor of sufficient horsepower to make and carry silage bales safely, bale handling equipment, and a wrapper.

2) What should I use to mow? Many mower types can used to successfully, however, mower-conditioners are the most popular and easiest to use for baled silage. This is mainly due to faster wilting and evenly formed swaths. Raking can be avoided if a narrow swath is formed.

3) When do I cut? For good yields and optimum quality, legumes should be cut at one quarter bloom and grasses at the late boot stage. Small grain crops should be cut just before the boot stage for best results.

4) When should I bale? The optimum moisture range for baled silage is 50-65%. Forage containing less than 40% or above 65% moistures should not be baled for silage in order to avoid excessive molding or spoilage.

5) How should I make the bales? Make bales tight and uniform. Plastic twine is recommended, but net-wrap or non-treated sisal twine can be used. Oils and rodenticides in treated twine often degrade the plastic film and can result in large storage losses.

6) How soon should I wrap the bales? Time between baling and wrapping should be as short as possible (<8 hrs). Delays (>8 hrs) may lower forage quality due to microbial activity and excessive heating while the bale is exposed to oxygen.

7) Where should I wrap? Wrap bales at the storage site to avoid unnecessary handling and the risk of damaging the plastic film. All tears and small holes in the bale's plastic should be repaired immediately with tape treated with UV inhibitor.

8) What kind of plastic film should be used? White plastic film containing UV inhibitor is recommended in Kentucky.

9) How much plastic needs to be applied? A minimum of four layers of plastic film should be applied to each bale to seal off oxygen and allow bales to vent off excess carbon dioxide as fermentation begins.

10) Is baled silage higher in quality? The feed value of baled silage will be no better than the quality of the forage at the beginning, and can be worse if the bale was too wet and/or spoilage has occurred.

Summary: Round bale silage offers a convenient and inexpensive way for Kentucky farmers to salvage their high quality alfalfa crops that might otherwise be lost due to poor hay curing conditions and reduce leaf losses associated with tedding, raking, baling, storing and feeding of hay.

Alfalfa Insects - Ron Hammond, Bruce Eisley, OSU Entomologists

We have arrived at a turning point in alfalfa production, when first cuttings have been done or will be in the near future, and our concerns turn from alfalfa weevil to potato leafhoppers. Although weevils are not being reported in high numbers across the state, we have received a few reports of large populations. If you have recently had your first cutting, you should observe the regrowth for any signs of continue weevil feeding if they were present in your field. You should then begin your sampling for potato leafhopper. Leafhoppers have arrived in Ohio and will be moving to alfalfa shortly if not there already. For growers who have yet made their first cutting and alfalfa weevil is continuing to increase in size and feeding, we would recommend first determining if the alfalfa can be harvested rather than making an insecticide application. Recommendations call for consideration of harvesting when alfalfa is between 12 and 16 inches tall, and harvesting if weevils need control but the alfalfa is over 16 inches.

Deworm Strategically - John Hall, Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Tech

Old habits are hard to break! At some time, most of us got into the habit of deworming cows and calves at the pre-breeding or turnout working. However, research from Virginia Tech and other universities have demonstrated this is the wrong time to deworm. Internal parasite populations are low in the spring and continue to increase into early summer. For maximum bang for the buck, you need to hold off deworming until late June or early July. Then you should deworm calves at the proper interval. Depending on the product used it can be every three to 10 weeks or no additional dewormings.

In addition, cows are the wrong animals to deworm. You should buy dewormer, but you should spend your deworming dollars on calves and 2 and 3 year-old cows. Mature cows build immunity to worms, so populations of worms are low in cows. These low levels of parasites usually don't make an economic impact on the cows productivity. Cows will still shed some eggs, and these eggs will infest calves. However, deworming the cows to prevent the shedding of these eggs is not an economical solution. If calves are dewormed strategically according to the product directions, the few eggs that cows shed will not have an impact on the calves.

Does Deworming Pay? - Stan Smith, PA, OSU Extension, Fairfield County

Often times, research projects have indicated that dewormed heifers and control heifers show little difference in "average" weights at the end of the trial periods. In fact, this is the case with a study conducted by OSU Beef Specialist Stephen Boyles in 1992. But . . . the dewormed heifers were more uniform in weight at the end of the trial. Boyles points out that when we say that we want our heifers to be 65% of their mature body weight to cycle, we must assume we mean we want them "all" to be 65% of their mature body weight. A deworming program can help accomplish that. In fact, research some years ago at Kansas State University showed that dewormed replacement heifers had a 17.8% improvement in the number of heifers cycling at the start of breeding season.

While research on deworming brood cows has also been variable, most trials indicate a benefit. Not only can benefit be gained by improving the body condition of the cows, but, most trails seem to indicate a 10-15 pound increase in calf weaning weights when pastured cows are dewormed.

And, most all research indicates there is a benefit to keeping pastured feeder cattle free of parasites.

It's rapidly approaching the time when the first "strategically" timed deworming should occur on pastured cattle. There are a number of different products available on the market to accomplish this. Some take the form of feed pellets, some are pour-ons, drenches are available, injections can still be purchased and some are in the form of lick blocks. Find one that suits the management style of your operation and plan to use it.

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

LIVE CATTLE in Chicago (CME) closed up $0.10/cwt on the JUNE'06LC at $77.325/cwt. The AUG'06LC futures finished up $0.10/cwt from Friday's close at $78.675/cwt. Floor sources reported no incentive to buy or sell the market. Estimated live cattle volume on the CME was estimated at 21,470 contracts as compared to Friday's volume of 32,291 lots. USDA's Cattle on Feed Report seemed to have hardly any influence on Monday's markets even though it showed a record large May 1 feedlot supply. This level has not been seen since 1996 when placed at 11.56 million head. Floor sources said late in the day that these large supplies have been factored into this market. Speculative selling, funds lifting short positions, and spreading supported prices at times. U.S. Plains feedlots cash cattle sold Friday at $79-$79.5/cwt, up $1/cwt from last week. Demand is seen as waning in the coming days as seasonal demand winds down and slaughter houses shorten kill schedules ahead of the upcoming holiday. Wholesale beef should be mostly lower this week. USDA reported the choice cutout down $1.18/cwt from Friday at $143.64/cwt. According to HedgersEdge.com, the average beef plant margin for Monday was estimated up $0.20/cwt on Monday from Friday's $61.45/cwt at $61.65/cwt and compared to $64.30/cwt one week ago. USDA placed Monday's cattle slaughter at 125,000 head, 3,000 more than last week and 8,000 head more than one year ago. Cash sellers and hedgers should consider forward pricing some 3rd quarter sales.

FEEDER CATTLE at the CME ended up $0.325/cwt in the MAY'06FC contract closing at $103.375/cwt and the AUG'06FC closed up $0.475/cwt at $106.70/cwt. Prices were nearly neutral in movement from last Monday. Feeders were supported at the beginning from lower corn prices on the CBOT then held onto gains despite a rally in corn. Several traders noted no market enthusiasm on the floor. Feeder cattle futures remained at a premium to the index. The latest CME feeder cattle index for May 18 was down $0.13/cwt at $101.29/cwt. The seven-day feeder cattle index using the cash settlement of CME feeder contracts ended Friday, May 19 was:

Cash sellers should still consider being forward priced to protect some 3rd quarter marketings. Hedgers could think about some protection but could hold to a "wait-and-see" attitude while staying ready to take action.

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.

All educational programs conducted by Ohio State University Extension are available to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, gender, age, disability or Vietnam-era veteran status. Keith L. Smith, Associate Vice President for Ag. Admin. and Director, OSU Extension. TDD No. 800-589-8292 (Ohio only) or 614-292-1868

Fairfield County Agriculture and Natural Resources