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Make Plans Now for
Fall and Winter Pastures •
Use of Solar Energy: What Are the Possibilities for Your Farm? •
Anaplasmosis •
Proper Summer Care for Youth Livestock Projects: Water
•
Getting the Word Out
Make Plans Now for Fall and Winter
Pastures
Dr. John Jennings, Professor
'Tis the season to start planning for fall and winter pastures.
Really? Even though this is the middle of summer hay harvest, hay
feeding season will arrive before you know it. Economically, the
later hay feeding season begins, the better. Hay production costs
are around $25 per bale (4x5 round bale). So when you are harvesting
hay, make sure the forage quality of the hay is worthy of that
expense. Every day of hay feeding costs about $1.20 to $1.50 per
cow. Grazing stockpiled forage during fall and winter is much less
expensive.
Arkansas producers using stockpiled forages saved an average of
$20/animal unit compared to feeding hay in demonstrations including
over 100 farms. Bermudagrass and bahiagrass can be stockpiled for
grazing from October into December, and fescue can be stockpiled for
grazing from December through February. Forage quality of stockpiled
bermudagrass pasture can be 15 to 20 percent crude protein in
October and November, even after frost. Stockpiled fescue can be
over 20 percent crude protein in December.
At this point, you might be thinking, "This is summer, so why
worry about fall and winter pastures now?" Well, the simple answer
is that pasture plans need to be made the season before that grass
will be growing, or maybe earlier. Plans need to be made by August 1
to get the pastures in the right condition and practices in place to
help ensure good fall forage growth.
The steps for growing a good stockpiled pasture are simple but
important. For stockpiling bermudagrass or bahiagrass, clip or
graze the pasture to a 2- to 3-inch height in early August and then
apply 50 to 60 pounds N per acre. Let the forage grow until mid- or
late October before grazing. Waiting until September to apply
fertilizer can reduce potential forage yield by 60 to 80 percent, so
don't delay fertilizer application.
For stockpiling fescue, clip or graze the pasture to a 3- to
4-inch height by September 1 and apply 50 to 60 pounds N per acre in
early September. Let the forage grow until December before grazing.
Waiting until October to fertilize for stockpiled fescue can
dramatically reduce yield potential. In one trial,
October-fertilized fescue produced the same yield as the
unfertilized check treatment. Typical stockpiled forage yields
average about 2,000 pounds dry matter per acre but ranges from 1,200
pounds to over 6,000 pounds and varies by the amount of rainfall.
Brushhogging pastures intended for stockpiling is okay if the
grass is mowed short enough. Typically, the stubble after
brushhogging is left 6 to 8 inches tall, and much of the old summer
forage residue is left standing. New stockpiled growth comes up
around this old stubble, but in many demonstrations, cattle refused
the stockpiled forage below the top of the old forage. So if you brushhog a pasture to 6 inches, the cattle won't graze closer than 6
inches when you turn them into the stockpiled pasture.
Fertilizer is key to making stockpiling work for two reasons. The
primary reason is for forage yield. Unfertilized fields seldom
produce good fall yield. The secondary reason is forage quality. We
conducted a demonstration at the Livestock and Forestry Branch
station at Batesville to compare fertilized vs. unfertilized
stockpiled forage. One fescue field had abundant summer growth and
was left as is. Another fescue field was grazed off in late August
then fertilized in September to encourage high-quality fall forage
growth. In January, forage tests revealed that the unfertilized
fescue was 7.9 percent CP and 56 percent TDN, while the fertilized
fescue was 11 percent CP and 66 percent TDN. The lower-quality field
would have been adequate for dry mature cows but not for the
fall-calving cows we had in the demonstration project.
Applying fertilizer in hot weather is not as risky as many people
believe. Ammonium nitrate fertilizer does not volatilize, so there
are no losses when applied under most conditions of late summer.
Urea fertilizer can volatilize when surface applied to summer
pasture, but the total N loss is much less than you might expect.
Many studies show virtually no difference between N sources for
bermudagrass yield when the fertilizer was applied within a few days
before rainfall. Even when losses are measured, the total yield
difference is often less than 20% compared to ammonium nitrate.
So while you are sweating in the hay field this summer, think
about how you can graze stockpiled pasture in the winter and feed
less hay. If you need less hay, you can bale it earlier so it will
be higher quality and cows will not need supplemental feed.
Use of Solar Energy: What Are
Possibilities for Your Farm?
Dr. Dirk Philipp, Assistant Professor
For thousands of years, farmers have used solar energy to produce
food. It turns out that solar energy can be put to work for other
purposes as well, for example, generating electricity and supplying
hot water for farm and home.
Generating electricity via photovoltaic panels and heating water
with specially built components are probably the most feasible uses
of solar power available to farmers today. Let's first have a look
at how water heating systems work. These systems commonly include
storage tanks and solar collectors. The actual sun or heat
collectors are weatherproof boxes in which water or other
circulating liquids are heated via solar absorber plates.
Water heating systems are considered either active or passive; an
active system consists of circulating pumps and controls, while
passive systems don't have these components. Active water heating
systems can be again divided into direct or indirect circulation
systems. Direct systems circulate tap water through heat collectors;
these are suited for climates with rare freezes. For colder
climates, engineers developed the indirect system which circulates a
non-freezing transfer fluid through a heat exchanger.
Passive systems are not as efficient as active ones, but passive
systems are usually less expensive, more reliable and may last
longer due to their simpler construction. These systems come in two
basic configurations called integral collector-storage passive
systems and thermosiphon systems. Integrated collector-storage
designs work well for households with large daytime hot water needs
but are not well suited for areas with prolonged cold freezes. In
thermosiphon systems, the sun collectors are installed below the
storage tank and are placed on or beneath the roof to protect it
from freezing.
Besides heating water, generating electricity is another good
opportunity to take advantage of solar power. The Arkansas Energy
Office provides rebates for small-scale photovoltaic systems placed
exclusively on residential rooftops that might be of special
interest for people living in remote areas. However, photovoltaic
solar power can be used for farm applications as well, most
importantly to pump water for providing cattle with water from
streams, ponds or wells.
A solar-powered water pumping system is made up of two
components, the photovoltaic panel and a direct current (DC) pump.
The panels are made of solar cells; the smallest units consist of
semiconductor material that produces DC electricity. From there, the
current is directly supplied to the pump or stored in batteries. The
amount of current depends on sunlight intensity, but voltage
generated depends on the specifications of the panels, which can be
wired together either in parallel or series to achieve the desired
voltage or current outputs. The water pumps are specifically
designed to use the relatively low power provided by solar panels.
Therefore, pumps for livestock applications are low-volume with
yields of about 2 to 4 gallons of water per minute. Low pumping
volumes keep system costs down by efficiently using available
daylight periods to charge batteries. Positive displacement pumps
are used often where water has to be lifted, while centrifugal pumps
are used for higher-volume systems that do not require extended
lifts.
When setting up a configuration, producers have the choice
between battery- and direct-coupled pumping systems. As the terms
indicate, the latter don't require batteries, but this configuration
has to be sized carefully. Holding tanks used with this system need
to store extra water to offset increased pumping during sunny days.
Several days of storage may be required, but smaller watering tanks
can be fed by a larger storage tank. However, evaporation losses can
occur and water may freeze in tanks.
A solar-powered watering system is not cheap, but costs depend on
many factors including system configuration, cattle water
requirements, pump design and pumping elevation, among others. If
you plan to either heat water or generate electricity with solar
power on your property, do as much research and information
gathering as possible, compare prices and reputation of supplier
companies or manufacturers and contact your local extension office
for further help.
Anaplasmosis
Dr. Tom Troxel, Professor
Anaplasmosis is an infectious disease in cattle that infects red
blood cells. It is transmitted from animal to animal by biting flies
(horseflies, stable flies), ticks and contaminated needles or
surgical instruments (dehorners, castration instruments, tattoo
instruments).
This disease is typically age related. Calves less than one year
of age usually show no symptoms of this disease and are considered
mild. Cattle 12 to 24 months of age can show acute signs of the
disease, but it is rarely fatal. However, animals two years and
older will show acute signs of the disease, and mortality rates may
be as great as 50 percent if animals are left untreated. Some cattle
that do survive without treatment may become carrier animals for
this disease. They will serve as a reservoir and be an underlying
source of infection for other susceptible cattle in the herd.
Animals in the carrier phase usually show no clinical signs and
rarely become ill a second time with the disease.
Outbreaks generally occur in late summer and early fall. The
incubation period is from 21 to 45 days, with an average length of
30 days. Once the red blood cells initially become infected, the
organism replicates itself in order to infect more red blood cells.
During this period, the infected animal shows little or no signs of
illness. At some point, the infected animal's immune system begins
to respond and attempts to attack the invader. When this occurs, the
immune system destroys the pathogen but also destroys the infected
red blood cells. As a result, the signs of clinical anemia will
appear.
Early clinical signs include a rectal temperature of 104°F to
107°F, a decrease in appetite, pale mucous membranes, lethargy, a
decrease in milk production and weakness. As the disease progresses,
other signs may be noted such as weight loss, yellowed mucous
membranes, constipation, excitation, abortion and death. Death is
due to a large number of red blood cells being lost. This inhibits
the animal's ability to provide adequate oxygen to the tissues, and
death occurs due to anoxia (suffocation).
Diagnosis
Diagnosis for anaplasmosis can be made from consistent clinical
signs as well as blood staining techniques. When blood from an
infected animal is stained and viewed under the microscope, one can
often find the parasite in the red blood cells. However, blood from
a carrier animal will usually not have a high enough concentration
of the parasite to make staining a good identification technique.
Treatment
Tetracyclines are the favored antibiotic treatment for outbreaks
of anaplasmosis in cattle. Antibiotic protocols include oxytetracycline (100 mg/ml) given at 11 mg/kg of body weight daily
for 5 days, or long-acting oxytetracycline (200 mg/ml) dosed at 20
mg/kg of body weight every 3 days for two treatments.
It is important to consider the amount of stress placed on an
animal with anaplasmosis. Because of their reduced ability for
sufficient oxygenation, when treatment is administered, try to keep
handling, transport and stress to a minimum. Over-handling may
result in death. Carrier animals can be treated with long-acting oxytetracycline (200 mg/ml) given at 20 mg/kg of body weight every 3
days for four successive treatments. If there are any questions
about anaplasmosis treatment, contact your veterinarian.
Prevention
Prevention can incorporate many factors. Insect control can be
difficult, but pesticide applications to the herd may limit the
number of potential vectors. Feeding chlortetracycline year round or
during the vector season in medicated feed, mineral mix or feed
blocks can also be effective in preventing outbreaks.
It also is important to be mindful of contaminated needles or
instruments. When performing herd work, change needles often (every
10 to 12 head), and keep castration knives, dehorners or tattoo
instruments in disinfectant between uses. Vaccines are also
available on the market to help with the control and prevention of
this disease.
Proper Summer Care for Youth
Livestock Projects: Water
Steven M. Jones, Associate Professor
As summer begins with its many activities such as
camps, vacations and summer sports leagues, we find ourselves quite
busy. As the temperatures continue to rise, water becomes very
critical for all our animals and pets. Water for 4-H project animals
is extremely important. If they are unable to get a good cool drink
during certain periods on hot days, they will not grow to their
potential. The result will be underweight animals at show time.
Periodically, we all need to look at our own situation and evaluate
the need for change in the way we care for our projects.
If you are watering in a trough, pigs often will lie in the
trough to cool off and will splash most of the water out. Other
times they may play with the water trough and tip it over and spill
it. The best solution for this is to have a water trough that pigs
cannot lie in or tip over. These can be made from one half of a
barrel by putting a wide-based leg system under it so it is
difficult to turn over. Place rods across the top so pigs cannot get
in the trough but are still able to get their snouts in to drink. A
trough made in this manner and placed in an area that will be shady
all day keeps clean, relatively cool water available at all times.
Quite often we use nipple waterers to water pigs. It is
imperative to check the water flow to make sure water is flowing at
the proper rate. Nipple waterers can be used with large diameter PVC
pipe as a reservoir to be filled once or twice a day. In this
situation, gravity may not provide enough pressure for adequate flow
of water. You can correct this problem by opening the back of the
nipple and drilling a small hole in the plastic control to allow for
more water flow.
Other water problems often occur in open stock tanks for sheep,
goats or cattle. Too often we forget to look at the water where you
only need to water once every few days. Try to use a small water
tank and add fresh water every day. Also, remember to clean the tank
frequently to prevent growth of algae and bacteria, which may be
hazardous to your animals. Keep the area around the tank dry and
easily accessible to the livestock. Location of the stock tank is
very important. Tanks that are exposed to sunlight will heat the
water to a temperature that reduces or stops water consumption by
the animals. Stock tanks should always be placed in the shade. Look
around at your pens and see that your animals have easy access to
clean fresh water 24 hours a day.
Water is a basic nutrient to provide proper digestion, basal
metabolism and cooling during the summer. Related to water and
cooling is proper protection from the elements. Your animals need to
be able to get out of the sun and get somewhere cool and shady. Good
ventilation is needed for prevention of respiratory diseases as well
as for cooling. Many times your pen prevents them from finding that
nice comfortable, shady and ventilated spot, so you may need to
build a shelter that provides those elements.
The next time you go to your pen to feed and water your animals,
take a few minutes to look around and see if you may be overlooking
something that might be detrimental to your animal's welfare. Think
about living in your animal's pen and any situation that may present
problems for your animal. As your animal's caretaker, it is your
responsibility to provide the best care possible.
Getting the Word Out
Dr. Brett Barham, Associate Professor
Most of the time I will use this space to talk about management
practices that can make improvements in your operation, but I'm
going to deviate a little for this month, so stick with me. It is
becoming increasingly common to see news reports that seem to paint
beef cattle production in a negative light. I'm sure most producers
even cringe at the sight of a crippled cow being shoved around with
a forklift at a packing plant – most consumers now think this is a
common practice. It is increasingly important for everyone in the
industry to "do the right thing" in all aspects of beef production;
this includes Beef Quality Assurance and animal welfare
considerations. All producers should work on becoming BQA-certified
to show consumers that we care about the product we produce. All it
takes is one incidence of poor decision making to damage the
reputation of all beef producers. To get BQA-certified, visit with
your county agent to get the process started.
Another thing to help you become more aware of the issues that
affect our industry is to go online and earn a Master of Beef
Advocacy (MBA) degree. This is a program brought to you by the Beef
Checkoff and is free of charge (sign up at
http://www.mybeefcheckoff.com).
The MBA program is a six-course online "degree" that will educate
producers on the issues we face and how to handle them. It will also
train producers on how to "get the word out" on all the things we do
right.
I would also encourage all producers to study the opposition to
beef production. Go visit some web sites and see the ideas that
organizations such as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)
have about modern beef production. For people on FaceBook or
Twitter, there are excellent places to plug into to learn what
people think of our industry and provide some input on your
experiences. Some good FaceBook pages include HumaneWatch (www.facebook.com/humanewatch)
and AgChat (www.facebook.com/agchat).
You may also find some in-state FaceBook pages helpful, such as our
300-Day Grazing page (www.facebook.com/300daysofgrazing),
Arkansas Farm Bureau (www.facebook.com/arkansasfarmbureau)
and the Arkansas Beef Council. Twitter users can plug into various
chats, such as #agchat, #meatcamp or #steak, or follow topics like #bigag
or #factoryfarms to watch and see what others are talking about.
Social media is becoming a very powerful tool; just ask YellowTail
wines and Pilot Travel Centers. Once it was revealed that both
YellowTail and Pilot Travel Centers were donating money to the HSUS,
FaceBook and Twitter were lit up with producers explaining to the
business that HSUS is against animal agriculture and that they would
not support their company until they stopped supporting HSUS. It did
not take long for the point to be made.
It is important to know that agriculture has not always been
proactive in addressing challenges from critics, but in the age of
the internet, it is very important that people tell (and show) what
you do to produce beef. Consumers want to trust their food and are
very willing to trust farmers and ranchers, but we have to show them
that the footage of the cow being pushed by the forklift is not how
the majority of beef cattle are treated. If all the consumers see is
one side, they assume it must be correct and take it as fact. Don't
be afraid to sign up for the MBA program and learn the effective way
to tell your story. If you don't feel comfortable speaking out,
that's fine. Just work on producing beef in a way that you would not
be ashamed if someone was videotaping you while working cows,
because someone might be!
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