Farm Facts for Fairfield County

for December 21, 2001; also seen on Fridays in the Lancaster Eagle Gazette

We're beginning to hear about a few grain storage quality concerns - primarily in corn - in the Licking/Fairfield County area. With the weather Ohio has experienced over the past few weeks, it could become a common concern with grain that may not have been dried to adequate levels this Fall. Also, grain that was not clean going in could develop some 'hot spots.'

Often times, if we're planning to move grain shortly after the first of the year, some of us rely heavily on cool weather to prevent mold development, and do not dry the grain sufficiently to prevent such problems. Typically, we try to have grain cooled down to 35-40 degrees by this time for storage. This year's extremely warm Fall weather may not be allowing that strategy to work.

If you haven't checked the bins lately, it might be worth the time check the grain for odor, moisture, or elevated temperatures.

New On-Farm Fertilizer Storage Regulations

On November 12, 2001 new fertilizer storage regulations went into effect that will be enforced starting January 1, 2002. The key information is that these regulations will pertain to on-farm fertilizer storage tanks over 5,000 gallons that store fertilizer for more than 30 days.

Tanks that are currently in place must have secondary containment by January 1, 2007. All new farm fertilizer storage tanks over 5,000 gallons must be built with secondary containment. Secondary containment must be 110% of the volume of the largest tank. Other specifications also apply.

We will provide more details regarding this new regulation during Private Pesticide Recertification meetings this winter. The first one will be next Friday, December 28 in the Ag Center.

Key to Profitability in Beef Cow-Calf Operation is Grazing

If you were asked what the single most important management factor affecting profitability in a commercial beef cow-calf operation is, would you respond: A) Calf Sale Price; B) Weaning Weight; C) Feed Cost; or D) Herd Reproductive Performance? The answer is feed cost. A recently completed analysis of 225 SPA Beef Cow Business Records completed on herds in Illinois and Iowa from 1996 through 1999 showed feed cost was the overriding factor determining profitability, explaining over 55% of the herd-to-herd variation.

Why is it that feed cost becomes such a determinate of profitability? The main reason is the tremendous variation seen between operations. These 225 herd analyses had an average annual feed cost of $205, with a range from $54 to over $530. Producers fail to recognize that feed costs include not only the costs of mineral, protein, and supplemental feed, but also pasture and hay costs. These include land costs, machinery expenses, fertilizer, seed, and others.

Feed costs will generally make up about 60% of total annual cow cost, making it a critical factor to monitor. Analysis of SPA data show that cost control, not amount of production, separates profitable commercial herds from unprofitable operations.

Feeding hay to beef cattle is expensive. Harvested feed makes up a large percentage of the total feed costs, so anytime we can reduce harvesting feed, and let the animal do the harvesting, we can lower feed costs. The average cost of hay per ton for SPA cooperators was $60 per ton with some as high as $110 per ton for harvested hay.

Reducing the cost of feeding during the winter is key to lowering production costs and increasing farm profits. One popular method of reducing hay feeding is to utilize stockpiled tall fescue. Stockpiled tall fescue is a more economical feed source than hay. An alternative to feeding hay or stockpiled tall fescue is to graze winter annual forages. Winter annual forages have two main advantages. First, the forage quality is generally higher than stockpiled tall fescue or grass hay. Lactating cows can perform satisfactorily on these pastures with little or no supplementation.

Ed Ballard, Animal Systems Educator at the University of Illinois Effingham Center is in the third year of a winter annual grazing program for beef cows where the cows graze a combination of turnips, spring oats and corn stalks or spring oats, cereal rye and corn stalks. The cows graze from November 1st until March 7th each winter. The cows on the turnips, spring oats and corn stalks have average daily gains of 1.11 lbs/day, at a cost of 55 cents per day. Cows grazing spring oats, cereal rye and corn stalks have average daily gains of .93 lb/day with an average cost of 49 cents per day. These figures include seed costs, fertilizer, machinery costs, propane to heat water, and a little supplemented hay. The average producer's hay feeding daily costs will vary from $1.25 per day to $2.50 depending on the quality of hay fed. Most producers will feed hay for 120 to 150 days. If we figure 55 cents per day for turnips/spring oats-corn stalks for 120 days we are talking about a cost of $66 per cow, whereas if we fed hay for 120 days at $1.25 per day, we are talking about a cost per cow of $150.00; or it would cost us $84 per cow more to feed hay for 120 days versus grazing.

Ballard sees similar types of cost and performance from stocker cattle on winter annuals. Working with a producer in Illinois using cereal rye, Ballard reports that calves had average daily gains of 2.65 pounds per day at costs per pound of gain at 15 cents per pound. In addition, winter annuals can be used as ground cover on row-crop farms to reduce soil and wind erosion, and improve soil organic matter.

Ballard is now looking at using annual and perennial ryegrass for winter grazing in a comparison with the winter annuals crop. Several Illinois producers are making aerial application of turnips, cereal rye, spring oats or ryegrass into standing crops to use for fall grazing. Cost for this type of program is around $25 to $30 per acre. The grazing periods range from late October to mid May the following spring. This is a relatively cheap way to winter cows in comparison to feeding harvested feed.

Winter annuals in combination with crop residues and stockpiled grass can be a very economical way to winter beef cows and improve the profitability of the beef herd.

Visit Ed Ballard's "Stockpiling Research" During Grazing Trip

Ohio's cattlemen have the opportunity to visit with Ed Ballard during the Five State Grazing Conference in Rind Lake, Illinois. The Fairfield Soil and Water District, OSU Extension and NRCS are cooperating to sponsor a bus trip to the one-day conference. Focus of the program will be on the economic and management advantages of controlled grazing of livestock. Specifically, topics of discussion will include Principles and Practices of Grazing, Positive impact of Grazing, and the Opportunities for Extending the Grazing Season. Speakers will include Jim Gerrish, R.L. Dalrymple, Bob Hendershot, Garry Lacefield and others. A Trade Show will also be featured at the conference.

Trip details have not been finalized, but the tentative plans are to leave Cambridge early on January 23, 2002 and return late on January 25, 2002. Participants will be picked up at various points along I-70.

A visit to the Dudley Farm at the University of Illinois is also being planned as a portion of the trip. As mentioned in the previous article, Ballard runs a small group of cows at the Dudley Research Farm that are grazed most of the winter on alternative crops seeded into corn stalks. Also, they have a unique winter watering system.

Plans are to get the transportation and conference registration fees paid for through various grants with participants being responsible for their own food and a portion of the lodging. If you are interested in this trip please contact Fairfield Soil and Water (740.653.5320) and you will receive the registration forms and more details as they become available.

For a listing of upcoming programs, meetings and events, visit the AG CALENDAR

Previous Issues of Farm Facts

updated on December 19, 2001 by Stan Smith

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Keith L. Smith, Director, Ohio State University Extension.
TDD # 1 (800) 589-8292 (Ohio only) or (614) 292-1868