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OSU Extension - Fairfield County
831 College Ave., Suite D, Lancaster, OH 43130
Phone: 740.653.5419
and the
BEEF Cattle questions may be directed to the OSU Extension BEEF Team through Stephen Boyles or Stan Smith, Editor
Previous issues of the BEEF Cattle letter
Issue # 298
July 17, 2002
The 'D . . . . . .' Word Is Back . . . Again! - Stan Smith, PA, Fairfield County OSU Extension
Despite suffering through 10 weeks of wet weather in the spring that many are describing as "the worst planting season since '81," the 'D' word (drought) has now returned to many local conversations. After the wet spring destroyed first cutting hay quality, delayed (or eliminated) corn and bean planting, and caused pastures to suffer from much trampling, current 'drought like' conditions over much of Ohio are continuing to stymie plant growth. A friend from near Hicksville in northwestern Ohio told me that he recently harvested less than 300 pounds per acre from a second cutting of alfalfa. Just southeast of Columbus, we've received 1/2 inch of rainfall over the past 4+ weeks and haven't mowed anything but buckhorn in our lawns during that time. While the Palmer Drought Index doesn't yet show us in a drought, the fired out corn, cracks in the ground, and the weather we've had in recent weeks is certainly showing the symptoms of one.
The point is, it's time to begin considering the alternatives for managing low quality, and low yields of feed stuffs. That includes grazed, harvested, and purchased feeds. Currently wheat midds, wet brewers grain, and even shelled corn are affordable alternatives as purchased feeds. All that being said, take a look now at your forage and feed resources, and give some thought to alternatives that will hold you until cooler temperatures and precipitation returns.
Nitrogen Timing Means Everything to Stockpiling - Clif Little, Extension Agent, Agriculture/Natural Resources
Detailed farm record analysis have shown reducing winter feed costs can have a dramatic impact on farm profitability. Stockpiling is one method to reduce the need for purchased feed and/or forage and at the same time improve forage quality.
Stockpiling is simply timing the last harvest or grazing to approximately July 31st. Select a field to be used for late season grazing, i.e. access to water, high, dry, south/southeastern-facing slope and apply fifty units of actual nitrogen per acre to the orchardgrass or fescue pasture. If the weather cooperates, the practice can produce an extra two thousand pounds of forage to be grazed. The forage response to the nitrogen application is in part due to the period of time the grass will have to grow after the nitrogen application.
Studies conducted at the Eastern Ohio Resource Development Center in Belle Valley and on-farm in Guernsey County have revealed the best time to apply the fifty units of nitrogen to be near August 1st. If it rains within a few days of a nitrogen application made at this time it is reasonable to expect a forage response. When the nitrogen is applied later in the year, September and October, the yield response can be lower than the August application. Consider this example: If hay is worth $35/ton, how much forage must I produce to pay for the stockpiling cost? If it costs $25/acre to apply fifty units of nitrogen, the tonnage times $35/ton = $25/acre times = .714 tons or 1428 lbs. You need to grow 1428 lbs. of forage to cover the cost of your fertilizer to make this practice economical. If you are renting the ground this figure could be higher. To make stockpiling pay and to save on feed cost we need the yield response in our forage.
Plan your stockpiling strategy well. Be prepared to apply the nitrogen sometime in August and prior to a rain shower, when possible. Set the area aside and allow it to grow until needed this winter or fall.
Consider Ammonium Nitrate for Stockpiling - Stan Smith
One of the challenges when applying supplemental nitrogen this time of year is volatilization. Surface volatilization of nitrogen occurs when urea forms of N break down and form ammonia gases while there is little soil water available to absorb them. Obviously, in recent weeks, much of Ohio's pasture fits this description - dry! This condition is compounded further when urea forms of N are placed in the field but not in direct contact with the soil.
The rate of surface volatilization depends on moisture level, temperature and surface pH of the soil. If the soil surface is moist, the water evaporates into the air and the ammonia released from the urea is picked up in the water vapor and lost. When the urea contacts dry soil surfaces, less urea-N is lost. On the other hand, temperatures greater than 50oF and pH's greater than 6.5 significantly increase the rate of urea conversion to ammonia gases. If the surface of the soil has been limed within the past three months with two tons or more of limestone per acre, do not apply urea-based fertilizers unless they can be incorporated into the soil immediately after application.
To stop ammonia volatilization from urea, the urea must be tied up by the soil. To get the urea in direct contact with the soil it must rain enough to wash the urea from the residue or the urea-based fertilizer must be placed in direct contact with soil by tillage, banding or dribbling. This is typically not feasible when fertilizing pastures in the heat of summer.
If the residue is light, 0.25 to 0.5 inch of rain is enough to dissolve the urea and wash it into the soil. If the residue is heavy, 0.5 inch or greater of rainfall is required. In the absence of rainfall, urea (45-46%) converts to nitrate N fairly fast, usually in less than two weeks in the spring and summer time. Twenty-eight percent nitrogen solution is made up of urea and ammonium nitrate. The urea portion is subject to the same loss mechanisms as urea.
Ammonium sulfate (21%) is a nitrogen source with little or no surface volatilization loss when applied to most soils and ammonium sulfate is a good source of sulfur when it is needed. It's disadvantage is that it is the most acidifying form of N fertilizer requiring approximately 2 to 3 times as much lime to neutralize the same amount of acidity as formed by other common N carriers.
As you plan towards a timely application of nitrogen in the next few weeks, ammonium nitrate may be the best choice of N since it does not volatilize under these current conditions. Ammonium nitrate (34%) is 50% ammonium N and 50% nitrate N when applied to the soil. The ammonium N quickly converts to nitrate N. For soil subject to leaching or denitrification, ammonium nitrate would not be preferred. However, since ammonium nitrate has no urea in it, it becomes an excellent choice for surface applications on pastures where volatilization of urea is expected due to heat and lack of timely rainfall.
Ammonium nitrate is not abundantly available this time of year throughout much of Ohio. In an effort to provide this much preferred source of nitrogen to graziers, some Ohio County Extension offices coordinate volume orders of the product. Don Davis, ag agent in Hocking County is one that provides this service. Bulk orders of ammonium nitrate currently range from $175 to $182 per ton. Bagged product is $235 per ton. For more details about fertilizing pasture with ammonium nitrate, or pooling orders for purchase, you may call Davis at 740.385.3222 or your local agriculture Extension agent.
Eastern Ohio Grassland Program - Oct. 10-11, 2002
This fall-scheduled workshop is a unique "hands-on" grassland workshop designed for producers and resource managers. The program begins Thursday, October 10th and ends Friday afternoon, October 11th. A comprehensive series of tours, lectures and presentations from university, NRCS, industry and livestock grazers has been scheduled. At the time of training, registered participants will receive resource materials to supplement the presented information. Space is limited to the first 40 registrants. To register contact Clif Little at 740-432-9300.
Five State Beef Initiative Certification Meetings Offered
Genetic improvement, resource management, reproduction, health management, and marketing are all vital keys to the sustainability of the beef cattle industry well beyond the "good times" we are presently enjoying. Yet, to pull all these essentials together, data management becomes the connecting link that allows for coordination of all these components of a well-managed beef cattle operation. Regardless your position in the beef cattle industry, as the saying goes, "You can't manage what you don't measure."
In 1996, a group of industry leaders from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Michigan met in Indianapolis to explore ways to positively affect change for the beef cattle industry. From that meeting, the Five State Beef Initiative (FSBI) was created. From its inception, the FSBI has become a cooperative effort of land grant universities, state departments of agriculture, cattlemen's associations, livestock marketing organizations, and Farm Bureau.
One of the missions of the FSBI is to train and "certify" cattlemen in each of the critical components of beef cattle management described above, while providing a forum that allows for the efficient collection and management of essential data. Cattlemen now have the opportunity to participate in this comprehensive beef cattle management training and certification process.
Meetings to meet these certification requirements will be held in Appalachian Gateway Center at Southern State Community College in Fincastle. The three components require completion of an FSBI program, an Ohio Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program and an Ohio Livestock Environmental Assurance Program (LEAP). The FSBI/BQA meeting will be held on July 24, 6:30 p.m. and LEAP on July 31, 6:30 p.m. These sessions will have the three components producers need to become fully certified under the Five State Beef Initiative.
Source and process verified feeder calf sales using the FSBI guidelines are being organized in the five states. In Ohio, United Producers, Inc. has set two such sales for fall: November 20, 2002 in Hillsboro and January 22, 2003 in Gallipolis. Producers that are FSBI certified will have the opportunity to track their cattle and obtain information with those costs being covered by the program for this year. For more details about FSBI, contact Ohio FSBI coordinator Amy Radunz.
Basic Corral Design - Loading Area - (Part 4) - Steve Boyles, OSU Extension Beef Specialist and Jeff Fisher, OSU Extension Agent
An inexpensive working facility can be built in the corner of an existing barn or lot. Regardless of size or type of operations, there are six basic sections in a well-designed working facility: Holding pens, Alley from pens to working area, Crowding pen/tub, Working alley, Restraining area/squeeze chute, and Loading area. This week's conclusion to the Corral Design Series focuses on the loading area.
LOADING CHUTE: Cattle can be loaded on stock trailers from the working chute. If pick-ups are used, a loading chute is required. Make sure the height of the chute fits your truck and that you can back the truck squarely against the chute. If you use more than one type of truck, build an adjustable loading chute. Do not exceed 3 1/2 inches of rise per foot of length. A flooring of packed earth or gravel provides the best footing but is not adjustable. On wooden floored chutes, use cleats that are one inch to two inches in height. Space cleats six inches to eight inches apart from edge to edge. Build loading chutes 30 inches wide for cow-calf operations.
A drive through area can be useful for pickup trucks with stock trailers. A short, stand alone fence can be placed on the opposite sidee of the pass-through area and corral. A grate can then be placed on the on one side and thus a small pen is created. Typically, stock trailer gates are hinged on the right site of the trailer.
You can check with your local county extension office for corral designs. The most likely source for many plans may be Midwest Plans Services (1-800-562-3618 or www.mwpshq.org). Dr. Temple Grandin also maintains some excellent materials on corral design and animal behavior (http://www.grandin.com). Thomas Bean has an excellent OSU Extension factsheet on 'Working Safely With Livestock' located at http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ohioline/aex-fact/0990.html or your local OSU Extension Office.
Corral and Working Facility Dimensionsa
| To 600 lb | 800-1200 lb | >1200 and Cow-calf | |
| Pen Space (sq ft/head) | 14 | 17 | 20 |
| Crowding Tub (sq ft/head) | 6 | 10 | 12 |
| Working chute - vertical sides | |||
| Width (inches) | 18 | 20-24 | 26-30 |
| Minimum Length (feet) | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Working Chute - sloping sides | |||
| Width at Bottom (inches) | 13 | 15 | 16 |
| Width at Top (inches) | 20 | 24 | 28 |
| Minimum Length (feet) | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Working Chute Fence | |||
| Height - minimum | 45 | 50 | 60 |
| Depth of Posts - minimum | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| Corral Fence Height | 60 | 60 | 60 |
| Depth of Posts - minimum | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| Loading chute | |||
| Width (inches) | 26 | 26 | 26-30 |
| Length (minimum feet) | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Rise, in./ft | 3 1/2 | 3 1/2 | 3 1/2 |
ACorral and Working Facilities for Beef Cattle. GPE-5002
The cattle markets are starting to show some life again. Boxed beef values for the Choice grades dipped to the $107 area last week and may be at or near a short term bottom. Early trade in futures on Monday was lower, reflecting disappointment that cattle sold at $63 in the direct trade areas late last week. But prices could be at $63 or better this week as trade starts to develop with packers showing some early-week willingness to buy at prices of $64 on some better sets of cattle. Monday's close on the August live cattle was near the high for the day and above the resistance below $65.50 across the early May high. The Cattle on Feed report is expected to show placements well below last year's levels. The negative is still the slaughter weights with levels running above last year's already high levels. The next resistance on the August is the early April highs above $66.50, and I expect to see the market there within the next few days. Cattle owners can sell this market on a scale-up basis if the August offers acceptable profits over the breakeven prices that are well below last year's cattle in mid July. A steep but usable trend line can be drawn across the early June lows and last week's low near $63.50, and a close below this trend line will be a sell signal when this current thrust runs into selling pressure at higher prices. Longer term, I expect to see this market work higher but it may not come on the August contract.
August feeder cattle are not as strong, getting hurt from the higher corn prices in early-week trade. Last week's high is near $79, and I would quit waiting for a test of the earlier $80 level in this market and sell a rally toward $79. If the weather stays on the dry and hot side, higher corn prices could continue to hurt the feeder cattle market even though the supply-side fundamentals for feeder cattle are positive and expected to get more positive as we move through the rest of the year. Consider selling the fall and winter futures when the August challenges the $79 level
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
