The Vehige Family - Midwest Cattleman

Transcription

The Midwest Cattleman ·April 19, 2012 · P2
The Midwest Cattleman ·August 9, 2012 · P3
August 9, 2012 Volume 18 No. 6
Drought expanding rapidly,
now covers 63% of U.S.
By Angela Bowman
It was more of the same
triple-digit
temperatures
and moisture-starved reports from the Midwest last
week, prompting the USDA’s
Drought Monitor to show the
largest one-week jump in extreme drought growth during
the report’s 12-year history.
Nationally, drought conditions have grown for the 10th
consecutive week. More than 63 percent of the contiguous United States
is now considered in moderate to exceptional drought. Specifically, 1,369
counties across 31 states have been declared drought-disaster areas.
“We’ve seen tremendous intensification of drought through Illinois,
Iowa, Missouri, Indiana, Arkansas, Kansas and Nebraska, and into part
continued on page 10
Cattle-Fax: It’s not all doom
and gloom
By John Maday
While this year’s drought has profoundly affected the cattle outlook, Cattle-Fax
analyst Kevin Good presented some signs of hope recently during the Cattle Industry Summer Conference in Denver.
The drought, of course, spread this year to cover much of the Northern Plains
and Corn Belt, after parching the Southern Plains last year. Drought conditions
ranging from moderate, or D1 on the U.S. Drought Monitor, to D4 or exceptional
drought, now encompass an area containing 70 percent of the U.S. cow herd. Areas
under the most severe D3 and D4 categories account for about 28 percent of the
cow herd, which Good says is about equal to this time last year when the severe
conditions were centered over Texas. The 2011 drought resulted in liquidation of
about one million cows from three states.
Since June 1, the drought has caused a $159 increase in the cost of feed for
finishing a steer, a price reduction of $168 per head for 550-pound calves, $151
reduction for 750-pound yearlings, $107 per-head reduction for finished cattle and
$147 per head reduction for utility cows.
Good says climatologist Art Douglass, who advises Cattle Fax on weather trends,
believes the next few months will bring wetter con-
High cattle slaughter
distressing for
future of the
industry
House Votes to Extend Estate Tax
Relief Through 2013
The U.S. House of Representatives voted to extend the current tax code
for another year. This includes keeping the estate tax, known as the death
tax, at its current level of 35% for estates worth more than $5 million per
individual and $10 million per couple.
Tackling the death tax is the top priority for the National Cattlemen’s
Beef Association (NCBA), the oldest and largest beef industry organization in the United States. The death tax directly affects family-owned
small businesses, such as farms and ranches, because of the burden it
places on families hoping to pass their business on to the next generation.
Even though full repeal of the death tax is the top priority for NCBA,
Kent Bacus, associate director of legislative affairs, says the plan passed
by the House today is a step in the right direction.
“The good news is that the House-passed tax package provides a continuation of current estate tax relief through 2013. NCBA encourages both
the House and Senate to keep the estate tax provision in any final tax
package,” said Bacus.
If Congress fails to act by the end of 2012, the death tax will revert to a
$1 million exemption level at a 55% tax rate. “Most farmers and ranchers
would trip the $1 million threshold on land values alone. Land values are
through the roof and all of the assets it takes to operate a farm or ranch,
including livestock, farm machinery and more, would hit the majority of
farm and ranch families throughout the country,” said Bacus. “This is not
a tax on the wealthy. We must find permanent relief or risk taking land
out of production agriculture, threatening our ability to provide food for
U.S. consumers and abroad.”
The House is scheduled to discuss the future of comprehensive tax reform.
“If Congress is serious about comprehensive tax reform, it must provide
permanency in the tax code and provide permanent relief from the death
tax. Farmers and ranchers already face unpredictable conditions such as
the weather and input costs, but the tax code should not be an unpredictable situation they should face,” said Bacus. “Until full repeal of the death
tax can be achieved, at minimum, Congress should maintain the current
estate tax relief.”
NCBA
House bill prevents future child
labor rule changes
By Angela Bowman
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives barred any future safety
rule
changes for youth working on farms, effectively placing a “legal
Expanding drought conditions are
stamp”
on
the Department of Labor’s (DOL) decision to cancel previously
pushing more cows to slaughter, furproposed
rule
changes.
ther reducing the potential for US beef
Last
year,
the DOL announced proposed safety-driven changes to
production in the coming years. The
child
labor
laws,
directly impacting agriculture youth under the age of
official USDA cow slaughter statistics
16.
Among
the
proposed
changes were provisions that would have banned
are published with a two-week lag and still show cow slaughter levels
that are about 3% lower than a year ago. And yet, the preliminary daily
slaughter reports are flashing warning signs that do not bode well for the
Coming Sales-38
future of the US beef industry. Based on published USDA daily estimates,
Life is Simple-5
combined cow and bull slaughter is currently running at 148,000 head
per week, nearing the highs for the year and some 12% higher than the
Plain Talk-6
drought impacted numbers from a year ago. There was plenty of anecdotal
Market Report-8
evidence in early July that increasing drought pressure was forcing indiAgribusiness
vidual producers to liquidate. Based on the latest numbers, the liquidaDirectory-36
tion process is now in full swing.
One thing that is quickly obvious from looking at the drought maps
M
My parents
t ffarmed
d iin N
New
Mexico, near the Texas panhandle, in the late fifties and early
sixties. They farmed ‘real’ rowcrop both dry-land and with
some irrigation. It was ‘real’
row-crop because there were
no center-pivots there… just a
ditch, a piece of canvas, (don’t
forget the shovel) and some
aluminum siphon tubes that
helped the water flow up over
the side of the ditch, down the
row, to the far end of the field.
My Dad would take me along
to ‘change the water’ before I
could walk, and after I could
walk, I’m told I fell into the irrigation ditch on more than
one occasion… which explains
a few things. I was probably
four years old before I realized
that all Dads didn’t come with
a shovel in their hand.
Motors on the irrigation
pumps were rarely turned off
during the growing season; in
fact my Dad could, and often
did, change the oil in one while
it was still running. He would
‘change the water’ to another
part of the field when the field
was soaked to the far end of the
row… at all hours of the day or
night –there was no 9-5 hours.
By the time the field was all
watered, it was time to start
over again. He and my mother
both tell of the constant blowing wind that was usually filled
with sand. There was no AC in
the pickup truck or even in the
house. No tractors or combines
with cabs, no cell phones. We
did have a phone at home – it
‘cranked’ – our number was two
‘longs’ and a ‘short’.
If you know that region at all,
you know it was ‘ground zero’ in
the ‘thirties’ for an event called
the ‘dust bowl’ that lasted a de-
O’Riley Livestock’s
Hay Grinding Service
(618) 698-6117
Marissa, IL
cade. ‘The Worst Hard Time’,
is not only an accurate description of the event, but also the
title of a book about the period
which everyone should read at
least once -especially everyone
who makes their living in agriculture. ‘Hard times’ of any
kind can serve as a reminder
of just how fragile our world is
and how much we depend on
God’s nature for our livelihood
and everything that keeps us
alive.
Farmers today benefit a great
deal because of things learned
during the ‘dust bowl’ period.
Without that event, which was
largely aided by human ignorance and poor farming practices, we would not have the
understanding and emphasis
on soil and water management
that we have today. In effect,
‘our’ hard times are not as
likely to be nearly as severe…
because of the lessons learned
by others before us. No one
can say for sure, but I’m guessing that there will be lessons
learned this time around that
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will help future generations
as well. Those who have failed
to see the value of pasture rotation and management may
want to take another look at
it, as there are some folks that
have not yet fed any hay while
their neighbors have been feeding hay for weeks. The main
lesson I hope we can all learn
is… with God’s help, some planning and common sense… we
can get through this hard time!
At an early age, I learned how
important water is to things
that grow. I remember the crops
across the road where there was
no irrigation. My Dad recalls
that during those years they
had one good year out of every
seven. I thought of that several
times recently as I fed hay in
June, July and on into August.
Every time it comes to mind I
try to just stop and let it sink
in a bit. “One good year in seven.” I say to myself… “You don’t
know what ‘dry’ is... so quit your
complaining”!
KwC
green, I long for a conversation
with my dad to see if this summer is as bad. I’ve quit counting the number of days over
100 degrees and have tried
to forget how long it has been
since measureable rainfall. I
fed range cubes for a couple of
weeks before I decided to start
feeding the winter storehouse
of hay—in July. Surely, the
Copyright 2010,
Jerry Crownover
rains will come this fall.
In that summer of 1952,
Dad had finally made the
transition from farming with a
team of horses to doing so with
a new Ford tractor. To hear
him tell the story, the only
operations he got to perform
with that tractor for those
first three years were to plow
and plant the fertile river bot-
tom of the White River. There
would be no corn harvest except the withered stalks that
he would cut by hand and haul
the three miles to our upland
farm where they were fed to
the dozen milk cows that he
and Mom milked…by hand…
twice daily. They and my oldest
sister would process and bottle
continued on page 8
Capturing Value for 2 Decades!
Because I was born in 1952,
I have no recollection of the
severe drought and scorching temperatures of that year
and the two that followed, but
I heard my father talk about
them until the day he died.
Every time we’d experience a
sustained dry spell or a few
days of unusually high temperatures, Dad would always
say, “It’s bad, no doubt, but it’s
nothing like the summer of
1954.”
Here in the summer of 2012,
as I stare out across the brown
and parched land that should
at least contain a few shades of
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The Ever-Smaller Cattle Herd
By Ron Plain, Extension Economist, UMC
USDA’s July cattle inventory survey said the cattle herd is
smaller than the year before for
the sixth consecutive year. At
midyear there were 97.8 million
cattle in the country, down 2.2%
from a year ago and the smallest
inventory since the 1950s.
This year’s calf crop is predicted to total to 34.5 million head,
2.3% fewer than last year, down
for the 17th consecutive year, and
the smallest calf crop since 1949.
It appears that the 2013 calf crop
will be smaller again. The number
of cows on farms at the start of
July was down 2.2% from a year
earlier and the number of replacement heifers was down 1.2%.
In one sense, it is good that
the herd is declining since there
is precious little feed available.
The U.S. is experiencing the most
widespread drought since the
1950s. At the end of July, 48% of
the U.S. corn crop and 57% of the
nation’s pastures were in poor
or very poor condition. Missouri
is the most hard hit state in the
country. USDA said 83% of Missouri’s corn acres and 98% of Missouri pastures were in poor or very
poor condition at the end of July.
The hot, dry summer means
high crop prices. In July for the
first time ever, corn prices went
above $8 per bushel and soybeans
above $17 per bushel. Hay prices
for the first three months of the
haying season were above the record set in 2008. High feed prices
mean lower bids for feeder cattle.
Normally, yearling prices trend
higher from early spring until late
summer, but this year 750 pound
steers were selling for $155/cwt at
All cows are Not
the end of May and for $125/cwt at
the end of July.
Although farmers are being
hit hard now by the drought, the
full impact on consumers will not
be felt for years. Many cattlemen
have little choice but to continue
to cut their herds. Cattle can’t
eat what’s not there. This means
calves will leave the pastures for
the feedlots sooner and smaller
than normal. Look for a sharp
increase this fall in placement of
light weight calves into feed yards.
Cattle grow faster in feed yards
than on grass, so these cattle will
go to slaughter a bit sooner than
normal and will shift some beef
production from late in 2013 to
earlier in the year.
But, just selling calves early
will not be enough to balance the
feed supply for cattlemen. Many
farmers will also need to cull some
cows and replacement heifers. In
the short run, an increase in cow
slaughter in the second half of
2012 means more beef on the market this year. But, it also means a
smaller calf crop in 2013. Given
that steers and heifers are generally 18 months to 2 years of age
when slaughtered, a reduction in
the 2013 calf crop will mean reduced fed cattle slaughter in 2015.
One feed source that doesn’t
decline in a drought is silage and
baled corn stalks. With many
corn and soybean fields producing dismal yields this year, more
corn will be chopped for silage
and more corn and soybeans will
be baled for feed than in a normal
year. Since silage is very bulky, it
won’t be trucked a long distance
to be fed. Corn silage and baled
stalks can be an important substitute for hay and pasture for those
cattlemen in position to take advantage of it.
The U.S. cattle herd peaked at
140 million head in the summer
of 1975. We are now 30% below
that mark. That means there are
a lot fewer famers making a living
raising cattle than in the past. It
also means there is a lot less beef
available for Americans to eat. In
1976, the average American consumed 94.1 pounds of beef. USDA’s forecast for this year is 56.1
pounds of beef per person. Next
year, the average person is expected to consume roughly 54 pounds
of beef, down 40 pounds from 37
years earlier. Consumption will
almost certainly be down again in
2014.
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THE IMPACT OF HOT WEATHER
ON BULL FERTILITY
By Glenn Selk, OSU
Several research trials have
been conducted throughout
the years looking at the effect of high temperatures on
bull fertility. Certainly that
research has importance
to many Southern Plains
cattlemen in the summer of
2012. As far back as 1963,
researchers exposed bulls to
temperatures of 104 degrees
F. and 54% humidity for an 8
period and then allowed the
temperature to drop to 82 degrees F with 72% humidity
for the remainder of the 24
hour period. This temperature regimen was continued
for 7 days and was designed
to resemble natural conditions in the subtropics. They
found the high temperatures
resulted in major detrimental
effects on initial sperm motility, sperm concentration and
total numbers of sperm per
ejaculate.
In 1978, Oklahoma scientists (Meyerhoeffer, et al.)
placed bulls in controlled
environments of 95 degrees
F. for 8 hours and 87 de-
grees for the remaining 16
hours while similar bulls
were placed in environments
of 73 degrees constantly.
These treatments were applied to the bulls for 8 weeks
and then all bulls were allowed to be in the 73-degree
environment for another 8
weeks. During the treatment,
the heat stressed bulls had
average rectal temperatures
of 0.9 degrees F higher than
non-stressed bulls. The percentage of motile sperm cells
decreased significantly in the
stressed bulls by 2 weeks of
heat stress. Sperm motility
did NOT return to normal
values until 8 weeks after the
end of the heat stress. This
explains some of the reduction in fertility that is often
associated with summer and
early fall breedings. One cannot escape the conclusion that
high ambient temperatures
can result in detrimental effects on fertility by effects on
both the cow and the bull.
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MARKET REPORT
Live Cattle: Dang, it’s been a tough summer. Never mind the drought,
just look at the prices for the fat cattle this summer compared to this
spring. Wow....$130.00 back in March and now $113.00-$114.00.
We’re “really” losing money now with the current feed costs and the
initial cost of the feeder when we put him on feed. Big time losses.
OK....enough of reality.
Here’s what I’m “hoping” for.......fats back to $122.00....maybe even
$125-126.00 tops. We’re just going to have trouble going over these
levels due to consumer resistance. Wish I could paint a prettier picture because I know you guys need $135-$140.00 just to break even.
Like Will Rogers said, “ain’t gonna happen”. I see no reason to “look
to the government” for help either. My opinion is the government is
totally blind to the livestock problems created by the ethanol industry.
They don’t have a clue. I’m not looking for “common sense to prevail” either. The chosen leaders have proven they lack this one essential ingredient. I see the livestock industry on the brink of extinction.
The common man may soon totally omit meat from their diet. NO
ONE.....I repeat....NO ONE can take $8.00 corn and make a profit.
The cattle feeding industry will see changes absolutely none of us ever
thought possible.
Feeder Cattle: As predicted, we’ve seen a MAJOR swing in feeder
prices this summer. We’ve gone from $161.50 on the August feeder
futures down to $133.00....all within about 8 weeks. Right now my
crystal ball says the summer low is in and I’d look for a rebound in
prices......at minimum some stabilization should occur. Never before
in my life have I seen so much uncertainty on the part of feeder buyers. No one knows what to pay for feeders. The feeding industry is
in such disarray that it is impossible to have a handle on where prices
may go given the current situation with corn. I see an abundance of
light-weight feeders hitting the market soon due to drought. Usually,
droughts are generally located within confined regions. This year it is
“everywhere”. What will the cow calf man do....sell his calves early?
Will he liquidate his herd or just cut back? Will he opt to sell cows
and keep heifers in order to conserve feed? Time will answer all these
questions. Watching the feeder futures market has been a yoyo as well.
Limit down one day and limit up the next....literally. Now THAT is
uncertainty.
Life Is Simple
just a farmer against the elements.
Many times, Dad had related to me that things got so bad,
he would actually go out into
the woods with the chainsaw
and cut down a tree every day
just so the small herd of beef
cows would have something
green to consume. According to
his stories, by the end of that
summer of ‘54, the cows would
stampede toward the sound of
the saw and he would have to
cut it down fast, lest he be run
over by the animals or have the
continued from page 5
the milk to sell in town to keep
the farm afloat. They had to do
something; after all, they had a
new tractor to pay off.
As I make the daily drive
around my farms to check on
the deteriorating conditions, I
am keenly aware that my truck
is, at least, air-conditioned.
Dad’s wasn’t. I also realize that
the tractor I use to place round
bales out for the cows is also
air-conditioned. The harvested cornstalks that Dad fed to
his cows were cut with a hand
scythe, loaded onto a fourwheeled wagon, and hauled all
those miles in the unrelenting
sun and heat. And…there most
certainly wasn’t a nice, cool
house to come home to in order
to get a respite from the brutal conditions. We didn’t even
have electricity back then.
No, back then, there weren’t
politicians clamoring for your
vote by promising emergency
farm loans. There was no crop
insurance, disaster assistance,
or forgiving bankers. It was
tree fall on one as they waited
for their next meager meal.
So, whenever I’m feeling sorry for myself and start thinking things could never have
been this bad before or can’t
get any worse, I can hear the
words of my father telling me,
“Buck up, son, this ain’t nearly
as bad as 1954.” But, just to be
on the safe side, I’d better go
by the hardware store and get
myself a new chain for my saw.
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KY-31
University of Arkansas, Hope. Average of two years.
Drought
of Wyoming and South Dakota in
the last week,” Brian Fuchs, author
of the Drought Monitor, said in the
statement.
The Weather Channel noted that
the growth of extreme drought in
the country expanded this week by
219,000 miles, an area slightly larger than the states of California and
New York combined. The percentage
of the continental U.S. in severe to
exceptional drought set a new high
for the second week straight, increasing from 42.23 percent last
week to 45.57 this week.
Many states saw dramatic
changes in drought conditions. Illinois, now at 70 percent in extreme to
exceptional drought, climbed 62 percentage points from 8 percent last
week. Nebraska also showed a striking uptick in these brutal drought
conditions, jumping from 5 percent
to 64 percent.
The drought, the most severe
since the 1950s, is expected to cost
at least $12 billion.
“There does seem to be nearunanimous agreement from indus-
try experts that this year’s drought
losses will surpass the $12 billion
recorded in 2011,” meteorologist
Steve Bowen of Aon Benfield, a global reinsurance firm, told USA Today.
Currently, 29 percent of the Midwest is in extreme to exceptional
drought. Just 13 percent – mainly
in northern Wisconsin and eastern
Minnesota – are free from any sort
of dryness.
“Right now, it is difficult to say
whether we end up reaching the
loss levels of 1988 ($40 billion) and
1980 ($20 billion), given that it will
be several months for agricultural
industries to fully assess the total
extent of their losses,” Bowen said.
When these losses are adjusted
for inflation, the drought cost a
whopping $78 billion in 1988 and
$56 billion in 1980.
David Friedberg, founder and
CEO of the San Francisco-based
Climate Corporation, estimates
that yields for the 160-million
acres of corn and soybeans planted across the nation this year
will eventually be 30 percent lower than a typical weather year.
CattleNetwork.com
House Bill
these youth from operating powerdriven machines such as tractors
and tightened restrictions on working with livestock.
It also prohibited the hiring of
workers under 18 years of age for
jobs in grab elevators, silos and
stockyards.
Thousands of people – both for
and against the change – commented on the changes. Many of
the comments expressed concerns
about their effect on family-owned
farms and the future of farming.
In April the DOL announced that
it would not proceed with the rule
change and noted that the rules
would not be pursued for the duration of the Obama administration.
According to the Associated Press,
Rep. Tom Latham, R-Iowa, sponsored the bill to prevent any new
safety rule changes for youth. For
Latham, legal action was necessary
to ensure that federal bureaucrats
in the future would not make any
further attempts to change the
rules.
“The regulations imposed by the
Department of Labor went beyond
all common sense and would have
destroyed opportunities for youth
across the agricultural economy,”
Latham told the AP.
The rule specifically addressed
youth working on farms not owned
by their parents. Farm groups and
farm state lawmakers expressed
concerns that this ignored the realities of farm life, which would have
prohibited youth from working on
farms owned and operated by relatives and neighbors.
The bill was approved by voice
vote.
Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., was
the only lawmaker to oppose the
bill.
“It prevents a rule that has already been prevented by special interests,” Woolsey said, noting that
the DOL’s proposed rule change
would have increased protection in
an industry that is one of the most
hazardous for its young workers.
An identical legislation has been
introduced in the Senate by Sen.
John Thune, R-S.D.
CattleNetwork
High Cattle
Cattle-Fax
ditions to the southern third of the
U.S., while central and northern areas
will see some relief but not enough to
significantly benefit crops.
Dry conditions will drive yearlings
into feedyards earlier than usual this
summer, but high corn prices will keep
producers looking for alternatives for
growing calves, and calf placements
likely will be strung out over several
months. Good expects overall placements into feedyards to lag behind last
year’s for the next few months.
While cattle-on-feed inventories currently are up about 3 percent over a
year ago for 1,000-head-plus feedlots,
Good points out that inventories in
smaller feedlots are well below last
year. At the same time, feedlots are
keeping cattle longer and feeding them
to heavier weights, so actual harvest
numbers are likely to drop 3 to 4 percent below year-ago levels over the
next few months.
As for corn prices, Cattle Fax expects a range from $6.50 to $8.00 per
bushel for the foreseeable future. The
recent rise in prices has caused a pullback in ethanol production, ethanol
exports and corn exports, and Cattle
Fax expects corn prices to peak early,
and potentially drop back somewhat
by harvest time. They anticipate a high
price in the range of $8.25 to $8.50 per
bushel.
Cow slaughter is higher than expected this year, but will fall short of
last-year’s high levels by about 300,000
head. Cattle Fax expects cow slaughter
to decline another 570,000 head next
year and 630,000 head in 2014 when, if
weather allows, we could return to an
expansion phase.
CattleNetwork.com
of this year compared to last year
is how widespread the drought has
become and the dramatic impact
this is having on both pastures and
grain supplies. For the week ending July 24, the USDA crop progress survey indicated that 55% of
all pastures and ranges in the US
were in poor or very poor condition.
Last year, only 33% of pastures
and ranges were rated poor or
very poor. Indeed, last year it was
one region, the Southern Plains,
that felt the brunt of the drought
while this year there is a multitude of states stretching across the
central US all the way to the East
Coast. While the situation last year
was catastrophic for producers in
Texas and Oklahoma, at least they
did have the possibility of moving
cattle to regions that had relatively
good pastures and some avoided
the full impact of the drought. This
year, that may not be possible. We
calculate that currently some 58%
of the US beef cow inventory is located in states where over half of
pastures are in poor or very poor
condition. Last year, just 27% of
the beef cow inventory was located
in such states. In Missouri, a state
that as of January 1 had some 1.9
million beef cows, 74% of pastures
were rated in very poor condition
while another 22% were in poor
condition. This is even worse than
Texas at the peak of its drought
last year. Nebraska also has about
1.9 million beef cattle and last year
only 4% of pastures there were in
poor or very poor condition. This
July, 72% of pastures were in very
poor/poor state. Other states seeing
dramatic drought impacts: Kansas,
1.4 mil head and 84% v.poor/poor
rating, Oklahoma, 1.7 mil head,
and 52% v.poor/poor, Iowa, 895,000
head, and 79% v.poor/poor pastures, Colorado, 749,000 head and
79% v.poor/poor ratings. Weather
forecasts for the next three months
are not encouraging, calling for
below normal precipitation and
above normal temperatures. Furthermore, the expanding drought
conditions have the potential for a
catastrophic impact on the current
corn crop. Some recent estimates of
the corn crop in western Iowa, one
of the most productive corn areas
in the nation, indicate the potential
for a 30% decline in yields. As corn
prices move up, feeder values go
the other way, sharply reducing the
profit outlook for cow calf producers and thus fueling the impetus to
liquidate.
CME Group
Petition to waive U.S.
ethanol mandate
By Timothy Gardner
At least one of four states
hoping to ease requirements
on adding grain-based ethanol
to gasoline is expected to petition the federal government as
the worst drought in 50 years
threatens higher corn prices
and lowers margins for livestock producers.
Governors from states that
may petition the Environmental Protection Agency to
waive the mandate known as
the Renewable Fuel Standard,
or RFS, include Republicans
Nikki Haley of South Carolina, Dave Heineman of Nebraska, Rick Perry of Texas,
and Democrat Mike Beebe of
Arkansas, an ethanol industry
source said.
Matt DeCample, a spokesman
for Beebe, said the governor is
“working on getting the word
out to the EPA and others” that
the mandate is hurting ranchers
and poultry farmers with extra
costs, but he has not yet signed
on to a specific campaign to
petition the agency.
Meat groups including the
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the National Chicken Council and The National
Turkey Federation complain
the RFS threatens their profits
by boosting prices for livestock
feed, one of their top expenses.
The groups have said they
want governors from both ma-
jor political parties to push the
EPA for a waiver, to strengthen
their case.
“Another short corn crop
would be devastating to the
animal agriculture industry,
food manufacturers, food service providers and consumers,”
they said.
Two-thirds of the country is
suffering from moderate to exceptional drought with 40 percent of U.S. counties listed as
agricultural disaster areas, the
government has said.
The severity of the food price
impact on consumers is unclear.
The Department of Agriculture
forecast food prices would rise
as much as 3.5 percent this year
and another 3-4 percent next
year, outpacing other consumer
costs, as the drought destroys
crops and hits supplies. Still,
analysts do not expect the increase to have a lasting impact
on inflation.
The country produced 13.9
billion gallons of ethanol,
mostly made from corn, last
year. The RFS, which seeks to
reduce imports of foreign oil,
requires that 15 billion gallons of ethanol be blended into
gasoline in 2015, up from 13.2
billion this year. It requires the
15 billion gallon level until
2022. Former President George
W. Bush signed the RFS into
law in 2007. President Barack
Obama has embraced ethanol
ANIMAL AGRICULTURE
GROUPS PETITION EPA
FOR RFS WAIVER
A coalition of animal agriculture groups, including
NCBA, filed a petition last
week asking the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) to waive the federal
mandate for the production
of corn ethanol. The petition
requested a waiver “in whole
or in substantial part” for the
amount of fuel that must be
produced under the Renewable Fuels Standards (RFS)
for the remainder of this year
and the portion of 2013 that
is one year from the time the
waiver becomes effective.
The RFS requires 13.2
billion gallons of corn-based
ethanol be produced in 2012
and 13.8 billion gallons in
2013. This will require about
4.7 billion bushels and 4.9
billion bushels, respectively.
Some are estimating, due to
extreme drought, only 11.8
billion bushels of corn will be
harvested this year.
Members of the coalition
pointed out EPA has the authority to waive the annual
volume of renewable fuel
that must be produced if it
is causing severe economic
harm. The petition suggested
“it is abundantly clear that
sufficient harm is occurring
now and that economic conditions affecting grain supplies
and feed prices will worsen
in the months ahead.”
In addition to NCBA,
other groups signing the petition included the National
Pork Producers Council, National Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation,
American Sheep Industries
Association, American Meat
Institute, American Feed Industry Association and many
national and state dairy
groups.
KLA
COPING WITH A
RAIN-FREE ZONE
By Greg Henderson
Natural disasters just sap
the optimism out of everyone
they touch. But drought can be
especially cruel. It lingers for
months, sometimes years. And
recovery can take even longer.
America’s heartland has become a rain-free zone through
much of the summer of 2012,
with triple-digit temperatures
baking the green out of anything
a cow might eat. The National
Drought Monitor for the week of
July 26 showed the largest oneweek jump in extreme drought
growth during the report’s 12year history.
Nationally, drought conditions
increased for 10 consecutive
weeks, with more than 63 percent of the contiguous United
States considered in moderate
to exceptional drought. Specifically, 1,369 counties across
31 states have been declared
drought-disaster areas.
In a statement, Brian Fuchs,
author of the Drought Monitor, said, “We’ve seen tremendous intensification of drought
through Illinois, Iowa, Missouri,
Indiana, Arkansas, Kansas and
Nebraska, and into part of Wyoming and South Dakota in the
past week.”
That’s a pretty big swath
through corn country, but those
states also held about 10.6 million beef cows on Jan. 1 of this
year, or about one-third of the
nation’s total beef cow herd.
Meteorologists at The Weather Channel also noted that the
growth of extreme drought in
the United States expanded
during the fourth week of July
by 219,000 miles, an area slightly larger than the states of California and New York combined.
The enormity and severity of
this year’s drought is a devastating blow to America’s beef industry. We began the year with
the lowest inventory since 1952
at 90.8 million head, and the
calf crop over the past year has
been the lowest since 1950.
The year began with prices for
calves and feeder cattle surging
higher and ranchers optimistically planning to expand their
herds. That just can’t happen
now, and that concerns players
in all segments of our industry.
For instance, the July Cattle
on Feed report indicated that
occupancy rates have dropped
to about 64 percent. That means
36 percent of the feedyard pens
are empty. The drought is expected to force more cattle into
feedyards, but our total herd
will be even smaller when those
cattle go to market.
Analysts agree such a scenario will set up a scramble for
available feeder cattle. Good
for prices? Maybe, depending
on how high the drought drives
corn prices. And how much risk
cattle feeders are willing to take
following a summer in which
per-head losses have exceeded
$250.
CattleNetwork.com
Drought’s other damage:
Coping with disaster
stress
Since May, cow-by-cow
and acre-by-acre, drought
has stolen pieces of Karen
Haralson’s livelihood.
By July, the Pope County
cattle producer had to sell
half her herd. A seemingly
unending stretch of hot,
rainless days turned her
pastures to dust and tinder, rendering them unable
to support cattle.
“It’s looking like I’ll have
to sell more cows,” she said
last week. Even with offers
to sell hay to her at $45 a
bale, “I don’t have anything
to pay them with.”
Despite the strain, hope is
everything. “I jump up every day and pretend there’s
nothing wrong,” Haralson
said. “I know it’s going to
rain. It’s just a matter of
when. It always has. It’s
just a question of if it will
be soon enough.”
Factors beyond our control
For some, being in a business almost completely dependent on an uncontrollable factor – weather – is
just part of being in agriculture.
“Farmers have always
had a lot of stress and are
a very resilient group of
folks,” said Keith Perkins,
Lonoke
County
Lonoke C
ounty eextension
xten
agent for the University of
Arkansas System Division
of Agriculture.
Brent Griffin, Prairie
County extension staff
chair for the Division of Agriculture in row crop country, said that “stress from
our growers is evident, but
something that’s not spoken about openly.”
“It is stressful. The creek’s
dry, the ponds are going
dry and I’ve got part of my
cattle that are having to
be watered out of a faucet
with city water,” said Don
Rodgers, president of the
Crawford County Cattlemen’s Association.
Since drought took root
in the Arkansas River Valley a year ago, Rodgers
has had to whittle away
his herd through the sales
barns.
“I’ve been trying to build
a herd of red Angus, and
when you’re having to
sell the cows you’ve been
working on for 10 years,
it’s rough,” he said. “I’m 73
years old. You hate to start
over at this age.”
Rodgers said he hoped to
leave a legacy for his chilcontinued on page 20
HAY FEEDING COST CAN BE
SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED
By Dave Lalman, OSU
The
Southern
Great Plains region
was fortunate to
have a tremendous
wheat crop in 2012.
From that crop a
lot of cool season
annual forage was
harvested to help replenish the depleted
hay supply. However, after one of the hottest,
driest early and mid-summers
on record, dry conditions have
persisted throughout much of
the region. As a consequence
grass hay yields have been…
once again…in the 50 to 75%
range of long-term averages.
Can you say de ja vu? Certainly, pasture conditions are poor
throughout much of the region,
hay is very expensive and difficult to find, and feed prices are
extremely high. Cattle operations are once again forced to
liquidate animals or consider
feeding options. Like never before, producers should consider
methods to improve efficiency
of harvested forage use. Fortunately, a few relatively simple
concepts are available that
could make a dramatic impact.
In fact, when combined, these
strategies could cut the need
for hay by at least one third!
Limiting hay intake
Feed yards and backgrounding operations have taken
advantage of improved efficiencies associated with limit
continued on page21
PLAN AHEAD INSTEAD
OF REACTING;
SELL INFERTILE COWS
Emergency haying and
grazing on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres
now has been approved for
104 Kansas counties, according to the Kansas Farm
Service Agency (FSA). That
leaves only Marshall County ineligible for emergency
haying and grazing.
Emergency haying will be
allowed through August 15
in approved Kansas counties. Participants must leave
at least 50% of each field or
contiguous fields unhayed
for wildlife. Hay must be removed from the field within
30 days from the end of the
haying period and cannot be
sold.
Grazing will be allowed
through September 30. Par-
ticipants must leave at least
25% of each field or contiguous CRP fields ungrazed for
wildlife or graze at no more
than 75% of the stocking
rate.
Participants must accept a
10% reduction in the annual
rental payment for the actual acres hayed or grazed.
Producers without livestock
may rent or lease the haying or grazing privileges.
Haying and grazing is not
allowed on the same CRP
acreage.
Anyone planning to use
the emergency haying or
grazing provision must contact the local county FSA office in advance.
KLA
The Vehige Family
Growing Up on Gelbvieh
By Brenda Black
According to Tom
Vehige, T Bar S Cattle Co. is a “4-H project on steroids!” The
father of three says
he started showing
when he was eight
years old and never
stopped. These days,
the show sticks and halters
are handled by Justin (17),
Kyle (16) and Grace (13).
But the Gelbvieh herd is far
more than pretty show ring
winners. They are the Vehige
family’s life and love and the
promise of an agricultural
future richly rooted in the
purebred livestock business.
“We all discuss the breeding decisions,” says Tom.
“Bulls, genotype and phenotype are conversation topics
five nights a week at our dinner table.”
On a farm in Bonnots Mill,
MO, the Vehiges work together to manage 90 head of purebred Gelbvieh and Balancer
females. Since Tom works
in town as a Legends Bank
loan officer, he counts on the
rest of the family to pull their
weight back at the farm.
“Justin is up at 5:00 a.m.
every morning taking care
of the show stock,” he says.
“Kyle fixes fence daily and is
my primary hay mower and
raker. Grace helps feed and
chore. I haven’t broke a calf
to lead in five years. The kids
do it themselves.”
Mom Stacy adds how proud
she is of the extra effort each
of her children put into their
passion. “All three of my kids
work off the farm also. Justin
works for a local turkey farmer and Kyle works for a local
pallet company and Grace
babysits. Showing cattle is
not cheap and working off
the farm helps pay for it. As
a Mom that’s what makes a
difference around here. They
If it comes to the hard
choice between keep or sell,
Tom believes it will be twice
as difficult to get back in
than to hold on.
“Cow numbers continue to
shrink. A lot of people are
throwing in the towel. Those
cows aren’t going to grass.
They are gone. You just
don’t get in the cattle business overnight. If you sell in
this market, you are going
to take a beating. Your entry
wouldn’t do it if they didn’t cost to get back in might be
love it.”
three times the cost. If you
Justin attended A.I school can hang on and survive it –
two years ago so he and dad do it. Or you might not ever
share that duty in a herd that get back in.”
predominantly uses artificial
For Vehige, it’s important
breeding. Kyle and Grace to hang on for the family.
want to go to A.I. school too. “As a parent, I look at what
They might be needed when I am going to leave my kids
big brother heads off to col- – the environment, skill set,
lege soon. Stacy takes care of heritage. I hope my kids are
the clan and all the ranch pa- thinking the same things for
per work. “It truly is a family their children. The biggest
run operation,” says Vehige shame I see is family farms
proudly.
“I can’t think of a better way
to raise children,” he adds.
“We love it and we work at it.”
As a banker, Vehige understands the economic impact
of every good and bad decision they make as a team.
“And we’ve made both,” he
confesses.
In regards to drought this
year, they are thinking ahead
about tough decisions sure to
come.
“I manage my grass pretty
well and the cows are still out
there munching on what’s
left of the pickings. I haven’t
had to buy hay yet.”
leaving. If they continue dispersing, there are going to be
a lot of people who are vegetarians because they have
no choice. It takes real estate
to raise cattle.”
Along with the land, it
also takes resolve to raise
beef. And that is why Vehige
thinks positively. “I continuously try to look for the good
in everything,” he says. “I
could be out of feed or have
horrible pink eye infestation in my herd. But I don’t!
Good management, good genetics and good luck I guess.
It takes all three to have
success.”
If it gets worse, he has a
philosophy for that too: “Personally, I have my strategy
in place for the fall. We have
some older cows that are
genetically great, but if it
comes down to it, they’ll be
the first to go, because they
eat the most and we have
good, younger ones to replace them that have their
whole lives ahead of them.”
Developing such a deep
bench of genetics didn’t happen overnight. It started in
1990 and has been a mission
of the Vehiges day in and
out. “I like to think outside
the box,” Tom says. “I’m not
a follower. I like to produce
cattle that complement the
fads instead of trying to imitate them. That’s why we like
Gelbvieh’s growth, fertility
and docility. They are a great
breed to put on other breeds
to produce hybrid vigor and
make something better.”
T Bar S prides itself in
sticking with a lot of foundation bloodlines. Their
Gelbvieh cow families are
influenced by the bulls Sherman Tank, Royals Royce and
Polled Summit. On the Angus side they’ve used New
Trend 317, Traveler 6807,
Newsline and other familiar
sires.
“Depending on the application, we pick the bull,” Vehige says. “We used Gambles
Hot Rod because he was a
stout made, big-boned, pretty bull. I had a black, horned
Floto daughter. She was big
and powerful and ugly. The
ET mating between these
two produced two bulls and
four females. The bulls went
on to be sires for two purebred breeders and the females are on our farm. In
2012 we exhibited the National Champion Balancer
Bull at the Junior Nationals
and the Champion Cow/Calf
CROSSBREEDING It’s Not Something
New
The 1980s and 1990s gave producers high cost interest on borrowed money. Interest rates of
18 to 22 percent were charged
to producers for operating notes
written by lenders. Land prices
were working higher as was the
price of fuel and fertilizers. The
cost to replace tractors, vehicles
and other agricultural equipment was also going higher. It
was a high cost environment in
which to operate, with profit for
most operations difficult to obtain. Producers were being driven out of business at one of the
highest rates in history due to
lack of profitability. Ranches and
farms that had been in families
for generations were going on
the auction block. It was an extremely difficult time for most
in the cattle business as well as
all of production agriculture. In
agriculture and beef production
today, we continue to be in a high
Callaway
Livestock
Center, Inc.
input cost environment.
Producer seminars and meetings held during these years
presented information regarding management practices that
would assist in becoming a
“low-cost producer”. A low-cost
producer was one that made
decisions so every investment
and management practice had
an immediate and significant
return on every dollar spent. It
had to drive profitability within
the operation.
The discussions by presenters during these years covered
practices that had a significant
effect on profitability to producers. Grazing management and
use of forages. Cross-fencing of
pastures to allow a producer to
get more head days from their
existing land base. Making improvements to water resources
so more cattle could be grazed.
Intensive grazing and rotational grazing systems. The use
of crossbreeding and the use of
breed complementarity were
first and foremost at meetings
for beef producers.
Research conducted at major
universities and the Meat Animal Research Center in Clay
Center, Neb., was proving the
advantages of a crossbreeding
system. Utilizing heterosis to
lower costs of production while
Triple K Gelbvieh
Al, Mary & Nick Knapp
Bonner Springs, KS
913-219-6613
www.triplekgelbvieh.com
Thanksgiving – It’s not a holiday it’s
a way of life! At Triple K we have a lot
to be thankful for: great cattle, great
friends, we live in a great nation that
allows us to do what we love, and a
God that loves us.
We should be
Thanksliving!
Thanks to the buyers of Triple K
Genetics in 2012 and prior.
Special Thanks to:
t
t
t
t
t
t
t
t
James Hedstrom – Abliene, KS
Joe Beltz – Mountain View, MO
Jimmy Crowthers – Gypsum, KS
Jeff Smith – Harmon, OK
Jay Copeland – Riley, KS
David Wion – Canton, OK
Dennis Weaver, DMV – Blue Springs, MO
Kevin Minihan – Blaine,, KS
Thanks to Shearer’s for allowing us to
co-sell in the “Going to Grass Sale” always
the first Saturday in April.
On I-70, 4 miles east of
Kingdom City, MO on outer road
573-642-7486
Feeder Sale
Monday
12:30 p.m.
1st Thursday Night
of Each Month
6:00 p.m.
Special Cow Sale
BEA
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Passion
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May the Passion Live on!
2011
20
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National
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Bull &
Breeders Choice Futurity Champion
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Post Rock Cattle Co,.
David Means
573-642-9753
Jack Harrison
573-386-2138
John P. Harrison
573-386-5150
David Bell
660-327-5633
Semen Available on
Passion, February 2013.
Semen is Available
on Goldfinger.
Contact Triple K for info.
CIRS
C
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Goldf inger 112LW
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Co-owned with Hightower Cattle Co. and
Circle S Ranch..
Crossbreeding
meeting consumer demands was
front and center. Names such as
Gregory, Cundiff, Brinks, Taylor
and Gosey led the charge and
were icons in educating producers on the use and benefits of
crossbreeding. Ranching operations such as the King Ranch,
Spade Ranch, Leachman Cattle
Company, R.A. Brown Ranch,
Deseret Ranches to name just
a few were on the forefront of
the practice and embraced the
science. These are just a few of
the very best the industry had
to offer from the academic and
production segments who believed the practice and science
of crossbreeding was a key factor in the ability for producers to
become low-cost producers while
still meeting and exceeding the
demands of consumers.
Scott Greiner, a beef extension specialist at Virginia Tech
University in Crossbreeding-It’s
Cool Again says, “Commercial
cow-calf producers are faced
with optimizing a number of
economically important traits,
while simultaneously reducing
costs of production in order to remain competitive. Traits such as
reproduction, growth, maternal
ability, and end product merit all
influence productivity and profitability of the beef enterprise.
Implementation of technologies
and systems that both reduce
costs and enhance productivity
are key. One of the oldest and
most fundamental principles
that have a positive influence
on accomplishing these goals is
crossbreeding.”
Greiner goes on to say, “The primary advantages of crossbreeding beef cattle are heterosis and
breed complementarity. The
power of crossbreeding results
from the advantages of the crossbred cow, due to her advantages
in fertility, weaning weights, and
longevity. In fact, 60 percent of
the advantage of crossbreeding
is realized through the crossbred
cow. In addition, individual heterosis exhibited in the calf results in increased livability coupled with an increase in growth
rate. Breed complementarity
provides the opportunity to capture the strengths of various
breeds, and enables selection of
individual animals within those
breeds for specific purposes.”
Commercial producers look to
crossbreeding to increase wean-
ing weight, add cow longevity
and decrease their cost of production. Hybrid cattle provide
the simplest and most effective
way to achieve heterosis, which
translates into enhanced calf
survival, breeding ability during
drought conditions, efficiency
on grass and in the lot, carcass
yield, and quality grade.
The enhanced reproductive
performance of the hybrid cow
is what has allowed commercial
producers the benefits of being
profitable when those not running them are not. The crossbred cow will out-perform the
straight-bred cow in tough conditions and harsh environments
day in and day out by getting
rebred and by bringing in more
pounds of calf. Heterosis will always give you a boost in fertility
and calf survivability. Feeders
will tell you that crossbred cattle
are almost always more healthy,
more productive and will perform better in ranch and feedlot settings than their purebred
counterparts.
It’s cowboy proven in pastures
by men and women who wear
sweated out Stetson hats and
leather gloves with wire torn
holes in them whose profitability
is a pregnant cow each year and
pounds over the scale. It’s seen
in feedyards by pen riders who
wear yellow rain slickers and
pull sick cattle in a driving rain.
Packers rely on it for a product
that meets both consumer demands while giving them the
most efficient product to harvest
in regard to retail product and
cutability. It’s been proven by
people in the academic world as
the best way of adding production efficiency and profit into an
operation. Hybrid seedstock are
genetically measured through
the creation of multi-breed
EPDs and genomics by breed associations who register them not
unlike purebred seedstock. Commercial producers have seen the
benefits of a well-planned crossbreeding system since the 1960s.
Crossbreeding. It’s not new to
profit-minded commercial cattlemen or feeders.
Frank Padilla is the director of breed
promotion for the American Gelbvieh
Association. Padilla has 20 plus years
of experience as a rancher and feeder in
Western Nebraska. He can be reached at
303-465-2333 or [email protected].
Let’s Make Beef Together!
GELBVIEH.
THE VERSATILE CONTINENTAL BREED.
Balancer®
Purebred
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Working hard to create superior beef genetics to make your program standout.
the job in real world conditions and in Missouri that’s fescue pastures. Bulls that mus-
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Conveniently located in Central Missouri!
Visitors Welcome!
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Member
Maurice, Mark & Marlon Stuecken
Creating Superior Beef Genetics
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The Vehige Family
Pair. That pair was a daughter of that flush of Hot Rod
and Floto’s daughter.”
Vehige goes one step further, literally, when it comes
to setting T Bar S Gelbvieh
cattle genetically apart. “Our
claim to fame would be structural integrity.”
T Bar S Cattle Co. sits nestled in the hills where the
Osage River dumps into the
Missouri. “We grow them on
rocks and hillsides,” Vehige
explains. “If they don’t have
good legs, big feet and strong
hips, they don’t survive.
They have to be easy fleshing
and honest. We love the show
ring, but we exhibit breeding
stock, not show stock. Our
slogan for years has been:
‘Breeding for homozygous
good cattle.’ We don’t chase
trends.”
Vehige says, “A lot of people
will claim if it is not homo
polled they won’t use it, or
if it is not homo black, they
won’t use it. If it doesn’t
have tenderness of 9 or 10,
they won’t use them. I like
to have a conscious awareness of all the facets from
marbling to carcass to tenderness to milk, but I don’t
chase one fad singularly. Our
cattle are balanced. Grandpa
taught me when I was about
8 that you can give up two
to three quality traits to win
one if you don’t keep balance.”
The Vehiges know about
balance in all areas of life.
They have to in order to keep
up with the family schedule.
When the kids aren’t pitching in at home, chances are
they are taking the bull by
the horns in some other agricultural endeavor. Justin is
president of the Junior Heart
of America Gelbvieh Associa-
tion and currently sits on the
American Gelbvieh Junior
Board of Directors and is a
past senior ambassador for
AGA. He is his FFA Chapter’s president and the Area
VP. Both Justin and Kyle
serve on the Missouri Junior Cattlemen’s Association
Board and Kyle also holds
an FFA Chapter office. All
three of the kids have been
A Factory Built on Tenderness, Growth & Milk!
At Rogers Valley Farm, we look at
our cows as our factory. Today, for
a factory to succeed, it needs to be
efficient with the latest technology.
We approach our cow selection the
same way. She needs to raise a calf
every year on the forage provided.
To improve our herd, we place an
emphasis on timely data collection.
We use EPDs, ultrasound data
plus DNA technology to measure
the economically important traits
of tenderness, feed efficiency and
reproduction.
Our dams and herdsires are selected for their
tenderness genetics as well as growth and
reproduction. With our genetics, you can add
tenderness without losing performance.
For information on our bull and young female
offerings or to purchase semen from our tenderness
sires, call Ronald Rogers at 660-375-7266.
KHR 47R
Chairman of the Board
One breeder referred to him as the big butt
bull when looking at our calf crop.
Stay Ahead of the Cur ve on Tenderness
Vi i our website
Visit
b i for
f more information
i f
i and
d data
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on
all our bulls.
www.RogersVFG.com
Ronald & Kathryne Rogers
0/"OX-ENDON-/s%MAILROGERS?VALLEY?FARM?FEEDLOT HOTMAILCOMssCELL
Gelbvieh Maternal Advantages
By Kara Walser, American
Gelbvieh Association
Gelbvieh cows prove to be
a wise choice for those in the
commercial crossbreeding industry today. It is no secret
that reproductive females
must have moderate mature
weights, be highly fertile, have
sound feet and legs, quiet dispositions, calve easily and
produce calves with low birth
weights that have tremendous
growth.
Meat Animal Research Center (MARC) data shows the
Gelbvieh breed has reduced
mature cow size, has the lowest birth weights of the four
major Continental breeds and
still maintains the earliest age
at puberty.
Moderating birth weight and
increasing calving ease has
been a focus of
Gelbvieh seedstock breeders
for the past 20
years.
The
American Gelbvieh
Association genetic
trends for birth
weight
and
calving
ease
EPDs show just
that – lower birth weights and
higher calving ease making the
Gelbvieh-influenced female a
top choice for commercial cattlemen.
The Gelbvieh breed has two
EPDs to measure calving ease:
calving ease direct (CE) and
calving ease daughters (CED).
The CE EPD represents the
direct influence a sire has on
calving ease. The CED EPD is
similar to a maternal calving
ease measure where it represents the calving ease a sire
transmits to his daughters.
Both EPDs are expressed as
ratios, with a higher ratio being more favorable.
“The genetic trends show
the birth weight EPD has been
lowered by almost two points
within the Gelbvieh breed. The
calving ease direct EPD has
improved by five points,” says
Susan Willmon, breed improve-
ment director for the American
Gelbvieh Association.
Female stayability is economically beneficial to cowcalf producers. Through aggressive selection pressure by
Gelbvieh breeders and the resource of stayability EPDs, the
breed has improved the ability
of Gelbvieh females to stay in
the herd longer.
A study conducted by Colorado State University researchers looked at stayability of 3,
4, 5, and 6-year-old cows using data from the American
Gelbvieh Association, American Simmental Association
and Red Angus Association
of America. In evaluating the
heritability of stayability, the
researchers observed that Gelbvieh females had a higher
success rate of stayability over
the Simmental and Red Angus
breeds.
The Vehige Family
selected as National Junior
Ambassadors for AGA. And
Grace is one of only two in
the Gelbvieh Association
to be named an All-Around
Champion two years in a
row at the Junior Nationals
as a result of extensive work
and practice. Dad serves on
the HAGA Board of Directors and is co-advisor for the
HAGA juniors and Stacy is
the local 4-H Club leader.
Vehige sees all of their family’s involvement with youth
agriculture groups, and in
particular the Gelbvieh Association, as beneficial on
many levels. “Who they are
in these activities is a perfect
complement to what they are
in life,” he explains. “We got
our kids active when they
were 6,7, 8 years old. The
chain of events when active
in these youth organizations
opens more doors than you
can shake a stick at. Making connections and meeting
people is possible in the Gelbvieh Association. Its advantage is its smaller size. The
kids are known by key leaders. When I walk through the
barn at a junior nationals, I
know 90% of the kids; by
week’s end, I’ll know 100%.”
Young Gelbvieh breeders
like the Vehiges are learning
that they contribute to the
beef industry in real world
ways through breed association activities and day-today work on the farm. In a
recent video clip featuring
young beef producers who
attended a Missouri Junior
Cattlemen’s
Association
Leadership conference, Justin states proudly: “I’m 17
years old and I make a difference in the world. I feed
people and there is no better
feeling than that I help people.” To view the entire video
“MJCA-Proud & Privileged,”
go to http://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=aJaIMbv5f0w
&feature=share
At T Bar S Cattle Co., growing up on Gelbvieh comes
naturally. And
Tom and Stacy
Vehige intend
for their family to continue
working together in winning
ways to keep
Gelbvieh cattle
in the family for
years to come.
“In the beginning, we chose
Gelbvieh to cross with British breeds to have a desirable product that weighs
good and looks good so we’d
get paid good,” Vehige concludes. “It made perfect business sense. It worked well in
1990 and still does in 2012.”
GELBVIEH.
THE VERSATILE CONTINENTAL BREED.
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'OTOwww.gelbvieh.org TOLEARNMOREABOUTTHEVERSATILITYOFTRAITS'ELBVIEHAND"ALANCER®
GENETICSBRINGTOYOURBREEDINGPROGRAM
For Gelbvieh Breeders in Missouri contact:
Heart of America Gelbvieh Association
Bob Hart, Secretary/Treasurer
(816) 225-8530
[email protected]
Call or e-mail
for your FREE
HAGA Breeders Directory
www.MissouriGelbvieh.com
co
om
WWWGELBVIEHORGs
Petition
Drought
as part of his “all of the above”
energy strategy.
The meat groups support bills
on Capitol Hill to do away with
the RFS or have it automatically adjusted when corn supplies tighten. The bills face uphill battles as ethanol remains
popular for the jobs it brings in
many agricultural states.
Petitioning the EPA could also
prove hard. In 2008, another
drought year, Perry asked the
agency to waive half of that
year’s mandate of 9 billion gallons of ethanol to be mixed into
fuel.
The EPA turned the request
down saying economic damage
would have to be severe. In addition, the EPA signaled future
petitions would have to demonstrate that implementation of
the mandate itself was causing
the economic harm, not just
contributing to it.
Earlier this month, Perry’s office said he was not consider-
ing petitioning the EPA for a
waiver, but he would monitor
the situation.
An EPA spokeswoman said
the agency had not received
any waiver petitions. If the EPA
does get a request, it could take
months for it to decide, as a
public comment period and assembling a case for or against
any petition take time.
Even if the EPA granted a
waiver, it is not certain that
would have a big impact on
corn prices. Bruce Babcock, an
agricultural economist at Iowa
State University of Iowa, said
removing the mandate may
only cut corn prices about 28
cents per bushel, or about 4.6
percent, due to flexibilities in
the RFS. Those include the
ability for fuel blenders to tap
an overhang of ethanol stocks
from last year.
Reuters
dren and grandchildren.
“I have a son who’s getting ready to retire in California, and he’s going to
come back and take over
the farm and I’m trying
to get it in good shape for
him to make a living, but
he may have to start from
scratch.”
Whether stress affects
Standing
Apart
from the Herd Can Be
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& Bull Sa
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us positively or negatively
depends on our resources,
said James Marshall, associate professor for the University of Arkansas System
Division of Agriculture.
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Hay Feeding
feeding growing cattle for
many years. This strategy
could be used to substantially
reduce hay use in cow/calf operations as well. By limiting
forage intake, forage digestibility should increase and
waste should go down. Minnesota and Illinois researchers limited the amount of time
cows had access to hay. When
cows were allowed access to
hay for six hours, hay intake
was reduced by an average of
22% over three experiments.
Hay waste was reduced with
restricted access in two of the
three experiments and cow
weight gain declined with restricted access in all three experiments. Cows with restricted access gained weight in all
three of the experiments, even
though they did not gain as
much as cows with free-choice
access. This suggests that initial cow body condition and
hay quality may be important
factors in successful implementation of this strategy. For
example, if cows are in poor
body condition initially, or if
hay quality is extremely low,
cow performance, newborn calf
health and reproductive efficiency could be compromised.
Estimating free-choice intake and determining the
degree of restriction below
free-choice intake are critical factors in using the limit
feeding strategy. The National
Research Council publishes
equations to estimate forage
intake and these equations are
incorporated into many cow/
calf nutrition evaluation software programs. For example,
OSU Cowculator uses cow size,
stage of production, milk yield
and forage quality to estimate
dry matter intake. Cowculator (and many other nutrition evaluation programs) can
also be used to estimate performance of cows with varying degrees of hay restriction.
Cowculator is available at beefextension.com. Limit feeding
is not recommended for first
calf heifers or thin, older cows.
Gelbvieh Maternal
The AGA’s stayability EPD
predicts the genetic difference,
in terms of percent probability, that a bull’s daughters will
stay productive within a herd
to at least six years of age given she has calved once. This is
one of the best measures currently available to produce females with reproductive longevity.
Gelbvieh females are proven
to reduce their mature cow
size as they age. The average
5-year-old Gelbvieh female
weighs in at 1,382 pounds,
compared to Limousin at
1,460 pounds, Simmental and
Charolais at 1,475 pounds and
Hereford, Angus and Red Angus hovering around the 1,500
pounds mark.
“Today’s MARC data shows a
Gelbvieh female that has reduced her mature size – the
only breed from Cycle II to
Cycle VII research to reduce
mature size, which included
British breeds,” says Frank
Padilla, director of breed promotion, American Gelbvieh
Association.
Smaller mature size makes
for a more efficient cow. Gelbvieh females excel at milk
production and will wean off
a heavy calf. This is beneficial
when feeder calf markets are
demanding feeder calves with
Continental breed influence
that have the potential to hit
the Quality and Yield Grades.
On average, the Gelbvieh
breed has gained approximately 70 pounds in weaning weight and 175 pounds in
yearling weight on purebred
bulls since 1982. Gelbvieh cattle have remained moderate
in size, reach puberty sooner,
have exceptional milk production and have good dispositions, making them easier to
handle. With all this, Gelbvieh
females are a natural choice to
implement into a crossbreeding program.
We carry much more than what is
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By John F. Grimes, OSU
Extension Beef Coordinator
It appears that a large portion of the country is undergoing some degree of
abnormally dry weather.
Whether your particular location qualifies as “droughtstricken” I suppose depends
on your individual perspective or a classification by the
U.S. Drought Monitor, http://
droughtmonitor.unl.edu/.
The fact is that beef producers are facing some tough
management decisions as a
result of the dry conditions.
Probably the highest priority management decision
facing beef producers in a
drought is feed allocation.
In a normal year, pasture
growth typically slows this
time of year with cool-season
grasses. The typical pasture
in many areas shows little
to no pasture growth at this
time. Cow-calf pairs are rapidly moving towards a deficit
situation in terms of feed resources. A typical response
would be to offer supplemental hay or grain to cows to
help them maintain acceptable production. Feeding hay
is a viable option if you have
available supplies. Dry conditions throughout the Corn
Belt have made feeding corn
or other by-products to cows
a costlier option.
If you are purchasing grain
to supplement your herd, it
always seemed to make more
sense to feed a growing calf
rather than a mature cow to
compensate for feed shortages. The typical historic re-
sponse would be to offer creep
feed to calves to reduce some
of the nutritional demands
of the lactating cow. While
creep feeding may make us
feel better about how we are
treating our cows and calves,
research has shown us that
creep feeding is an inefficient use of expensive feed
resources.
Numerous research trials
have shown the feed conversion rate for creep feeding
at approximately 8-9 lbs.
of creep feed for a pound of
gain. The practice of early
weaning of calves (any time
after 60-75 days of age) offers
a more efficient use of our
feed dollars. Research trials
at Ohio State’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center consistently
show feed conversion rates
of 4-5 lbs. of feed for a pound
of gain associated with higher energy diets fed to early
weaned calves up to 205 days
of age. Even with rising feed
costs, profitable gains can be
associated with early weaning given the current outlook
for feeder calf prices. The other major benefit with early
weaning is the fact that dry
cows will consume at least
20-25% less feed than a lactating cow, which can help
stretch feed resources.
There are challenges associated with early weaning.
Close attention must be paid
to the feeding program as the
young calves have special nutritional needs and a proper
diet must be provided. It is
necessary that the producer
provides a sound health program. Consult with your local
veterinarian to address respiratory, clostridial, and other issues. However, the most
common excuse that I hear
against early weaning is the
need to have an extra pasture
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Beef Demand is Still the Key
By Derrell S. Peel,
OSU Extension Livestock
Marketing Specialist
The continued worsening of
the drought has cattle markets on the defensive in just
about every respect. Loss
of forage and reduced hay
production is causing early
feeder cattle sales and additional cow culling. The signs
of additional beef herd liquidation are everywhere; the
mid-year total cattle inventory is down 2 percent while
the beef cow herd is down
3 percent. Though beef cow
slaughter is down over nine
percent from last year, cow
culling still exceeds heifer
placement and the herd continues to decline. The July 1
beef heifer inventory is just
even with last year, which
indicates no significant expansion and the replacement
heifers may yet be liquidated
if the drought worsens. The
July Cattle on Feed report
included a scant two percent
decrease in placements in
June, which is really a 2.8
percent increase in placements when adjusted for the
one less business day this
June. Placements of cattle
less than 600 pounds was
equal to last year’s drought
enhanced level and suggests
more drought forced placements this year.
The market price impacts
of this year’s drought have
developed quickly and have
been much more severe this
year compared to last. Partly that is because of a more
widespread drought with
fewer regional options, partly
because of the dramatic impacts of the drought on corn
prices but also because of significant erosion in beef values in the past month. Choice
boxed beef decreased eight
percent in the past month, led
by a nearly 17 percent drop in
wholesale Ribeye prices and
an 11 percent drop in wholesale Loin values. A weaker
U.S. macroeconomic outlook
combined with weaker beef
exports is contributing to
persistent sluggish growth in
beef demand.
Not withstanding the impact
of the drought on the timing
of cattle sales and on corn
prices, it should be remembered that beef supply fundamentals remain tight. This
should help limit drought impacts now and increase price
recovery prospects later. Of
course it depends on how long
the drought remains and how
severe conditions get. The
estimated 2012 calf crop is
down two percent and July 1
estimated feeder supplies are
down 3.2 percent from last
year. At some point after the
worst of the drought impacts
pass, tight supplies will push
cattle prices back higher but
it depends on beef demand.
The extent to which high
corn prices will limit feeder
cattle prices in the coming
months will depend on beef
demand and its impact on fed
cattle prices. Right now it is
the drought that dominates
cattle markets but later it
will be beef demand, both
domestic and international,
that will be the key to cattle
prices.
Consider Early Weaning
as Drought Continues
Expanding drought conditions
are once again leading many
cattle producers to manage for
diminished pastures and a lack
of harvested forages.
“Those producers who still own
spring-calving cows that are
nursing calves should consider
the option of early weaning,”
said Glenn Selk, Oklahoma
State University Cooperative
Extension emeritus livestock
specialist. “The purpose of early
weaning is to give the cows the
best opportunity to maintain
body condition going into winter.”
South Dakota State University scientists examined this
scenario using mature cows and
comparing the effect of weaning
date on performance of the beef
cows. They weaned half of the
cows at the time of the first cool
spell on Sept. 14, and weaned
the other half at the more traditional time of Oct. 23. The scientists then monitored body con-
dition
and rebreeding
performance of
the cows.
“Be
aware
that this
study included
two different nut r i t i o n a l levels: A low group
to mimic an early winter or a
dry summer and a moderate
group to mimic more ideal summer and early winter seasons,”
Selk said. “The data for the low
group reflects the expected performance of cows in drought
conditions similar to what we
have been seeing.”
The data indicates that 40
days earlier weaning allow cows
to maintain a better body condition score going into winter.
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Wean Calves Early
To Reduce Pasture
Demands
Cow-calf producers should consider
weaning calves now to help reduce
the demand on pastures and get
cows in better condition prior to winter, according to Denise Schwab, beef
specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. “Calves
as young as 90 days old can successfully be weaned, however most early
weaning programs focus on calves
100-120 days of age,” Schwab said.
“Early weaning has advantages for
both the calf and the cow.”
Removing calves reduces the nutrient requirements on the cow by
30 to 50 percent, allowing the cows
to maintain their body condition on
less feed. If cows aren’t already cycling, early weaning can make them
return to estrus sooner and improve
pregnancy rates. Cows also have
more time to increase their body
condition prior to the cold winter
weather.
“Early-weaned calves are no more
prone to health, nutritional or environmental problems than calves
in conventional weaning programs,”
Schwab said. “Calves weaned early
and started on a high concentrate
ration may have higher marbling at
harvest.”
Early weaning does require good
weaning management. Producers
need to focus on their facilities, nutrition, health and management
with young calves.
Early weaning requires a welldrained, excellent fenced lot with
at least 100 square feet per head at
·
weaning time, and 400 square feet
per head after the weaning period
has ended.
Bunks and water tanks should
have an 18-inch throat height.
· It helps to wet down dusty lots prior to weaning and during the days
that the calves are walking the fences to reduce the dust irritation to the
respiratory tract.
Butting feed bunks against the
fence line will help reduce the
amount of fence walking calves do.
Remember to start calves on feed
slowly and spread the feed out so all
calves can eat at the same time.
Adequate clean, fresh water is also
critical for success.
Schwab encourages monitoring
young weaned calves closely and
checking temperatures of lethargic
ones as needed. Early diagnosis of
sickness and treatment is important
to reduce serious health problems.
Calves should be vaccinated at least
14 days prior to weaning to allow
time for immunities to develop. Fly
control is also important.
Feeding early-weaned calves
Young calves can handle a simple
diet provided it is of high quality and
palatable. Hay alone is not adequate
to meet their nutrient requirements.
Light calves weighing 200-300
pounds need a ration that contains
14 to17 percent crude protein and 70
to 80 percent total digestible nutrients. Within seven to 10 days after
weaning, calves should be consuming 2.5 to 3 percent of their body
weight daily. But remember, keep
them slightly hungry so sickness is
easier to detect at feeding time.
Creep feeding the calves for a couple weeks prior to weaning will help
with the transition to dry feed.
Iowa Beef Center
·
·
·
·
Early weaning, DDGS feed could
cut costs for cattle producers
If the drought forces producers to feed a larger portion of distillers dried grains
with solubles, cattle can
maintain gains and improve
meat quality if the animals
are weaned early, a Purdue University scientist has
shown.
The finding, reported at the
American Society of Animal
Science Midwest Meetings in
Des Moines, Iowa, could allow some producers to save
on rising feed costs in the
face of this year’s drought.
Distillers dried grains with
solubles, or DDGS, are the
leftovers from corn ethanol
production. DDGS generally
cost about 10 percent less
than corn feed.
“You can essentially use a
cheaper feed for a portion of
the time and maintain high
rates of gain, while improving the quality of the meat,”
said Jon Schoonmaker, an
assistant professor of animal sciences. “It decreases
fat thickness, but doesn’t decrease marbling score.”
Schoonmaker tested cattle
weaned at 100 days instead of
a more traditional 200 days.
Those early weaned cattle
were fed diets with no DDGS
or one with DDGS content
of 30 percent or 60 percent
for 99 days, after which they
were fed a standard diet with
no DDGS.
At 30 percent of the diet,
there was no difference in
weight or meat quality. At
60 percent, fat thickness decreased, and marbling, the
dispersion of fat within the
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meat, was unaffected. But
carcass weight was down
about 2.5 percent. Average
daily gain and intake were
similar among all three treatments.
Schoonmaker said he was
looking at methods to increase DDGS in calf diets
because available forage in
pastures can limit cow productivity. As cows nurse, they
and their calves need to eat
more grass.
He said cattle producers
may be reluctant to wean
early because of the rising
price of feed, but may have
little choice as dry conditions
deplete grasses. DDGS may
offer a less expensive option.
“They’re thinking corn prices will be extremely high this
fall, but if they think of dis-
Bogie Pump, Inc.
Moberly, Mo 65270
phone: 660-263-3700
tiller’s grains inclusion at 60
percent of the diet, they could
save some money,” Schoonmaker said.
Cattle fed DDGS also excrete
more nitrogen, which can be
an environmental concern.
But Schoonmaker’s findings
showed that early weaned
cattle may excrete less nitrogen when fed a high DDGS
diet.
“Young calves utilize protein
more efficiently, and they
may be using more of that
nitrogen for growth,” Schoonmaker said.
Purdue University Extension
FORAGE IS KEY
K
TO CALF PRICE OUTLOO
As of the end of
July, USDA-NASS
reported 57% of the
U.S. pasture and
range as poor or very
poor (the two worst
categories and essentially requiring sig-nificant supplementall
feed or worse). At thee
same time last year,
r,
the massive Southern
rn
Plains centered drought
resulted in a national poor
and very poor rating of
about 35%. Widespread deterioration in crop and pasture conditions made 2012
the worst U.S. drought since
1988.
With the 2012 drought, national average corn yield estimates have been reduced
$182.00 per cwt. in May to term are: 1) the amount
about $145.50 in July. By of drought damaged corn
the end of July, year-on-year harvested for forage (green
gains in calf and yearling chop, silage, baled); 2) deprices had disappeared.
velopment of Southern
The rate of decline in calf Plains wheat and small
and yearling prices has re- grains pastures (moisture
cently moderated and a few availability, planting progmarkets reported slight ress and temperatures);
upticks last week. The fun- and 3) prospects for fall/
damental sign-posts that winter forages in winter
the decline in calf prices grazing areas, like parts of
has ended will be forage California.
related. Of course, the anRegionally and even naswer this year depends on tionally it is possible for
almost weekly. Re- Mother Nature. Three ar- lightweight calf prices to
cent industry estimates had eas to watch over the nearcontinued on page 33
corn yielding 20% below a
year ago and heading lower.
So, as the second quarter of
t'FBUVSJOHASTAR-VAC1SPHSBN
the year progressed drought
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turned from eroding to
t%7"VDUJPO4FSWJDFGPSDPOWFOJFOU
hammering calf prices. On
POMJOFWJFXJOHCJEEJOH
a monthly average basis
Vienna, Mo 65582
4FMMJOH"MM$MBTTFTPG$BUUMF8FEOFTEBZ!BN
)XZ8FTUt.JMFT4PVUIPG+FČFSTPO$JUZ
the 500-to 600-pound steer
For more information: Jerry Welschmeyer– 573-308-6656
calf price in the Southern
t%BWJE1BUUPOot Office – 573-422-3305
7JTJUPVSXFCTJUFBUXXXTDSsviennaDPNtPS&NBJMVTBU4PVUI$FOUSBM!TPDLFUOFU
Plains crumbled from about
No More
or drylot to wean cattle with
good fence, easy access to water, and feed bunks. Now is
not the time for excuses!
Let’s look at a typical scenario. For this example, we
will look at a 20 head cow
herd feeding $400/ton creep
feed. We will compare early
weaning at 100 days of age
compared to the typical 200
days of age. Assuming the
feed conversion rates listed
above, it would cost $.80/
pound cost of gain for early
weaned calves compared to
$1.60/pound cost of gain with
creep feeding. Yes, you will
feed more total feed per day
to the early-weaned calf than
the normal weaned calf but
these pounds will be achieved
at a profitable level. Earlyweaned calves can gain approximately 3 pounds /day
during this 100-day period so
there is a real opportunity for
PASTURES
GONE....
If Your
Feeding or
Reseeding
Give Us a
Call!
profit. Don’t forget about the
20-25% reduction in nutrient demands of the dry cow,
which adds up to real savings
whether you are in a pasture
only situation or you are feeding hay.
This example is a bit of an
over-simplification of a complex issue that involves other
costs and management considerations. However, I believe it is a big mistake not
to consider early weaning if
your primary reason is a lack
of facilities. Reinvest some of
the potential profit from improved calf efficiency and reduced cow maintenance costs
to improve your facilities. A
10,000 sq. ft. containment lot
would give the average producer in this state a great
deal flexibility in regards
to management of the calf
crop in any year, let alone a
difficult year such as 2012.
A feeder calf weighing 600
pounds would require approximately 225 sq. ft. of lot
space so a 10,000 sq. ft. lot
would hold over 40 calves.
Price quotes obtained from
an established fence builder
indicated that woven wire
fencing with barbed wire on
the inside of the fence would
cost approximately $3.00 per
linear foot. A 10,000 sq. ft.
containment lot (100 ft. by
100 ft.) would cost roughly $1,200 to build. A water
source, gates, and feed bunks
would be additional expenses. However, these expenses
are a longer-term investment
that can be spread out over
several years. The containment lot can certainly be justified to allow the producer to
early wean the calf crop when
conditions warrant, improve
weaning and preconditioning
practices in a normal year,
used as an occasional calving
pen or extra feeding pen, etc.
Any producer must aggressively manage expenses if
they want an opportunity to
make a profit. I consider an extra containment lot as a necessary cost of doing business
for the aggressive producer.
Producers often leave calves
on the cow during a drought,
sell calves directly off the
cow without a weaning or
preconditioning program, or
sell calves prematurely when
better calf marketing options
are on the horizon. If any of
these scenarios occur because
you don’t have a place to put
them, it seems like a poor excuse for a missed opportunity
to potentially improve the
bottom line.
OSU
ction
e
t
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r
p
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n
y
Livestock ma
s
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s
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By Stu Ellis
Cattle may be showing
the effect of the drought,
not necessarily by poor
weight gain and performance, but with mortality by what they are
eating. The drought has
proven to be detrimental
not only to field crops and pasture, but to livestock whose food
choices have been compromised,
and some of those choices have
caused death.
The drought is bringing some
unusual problems to the forefront for livestock producers,
says Kansas State University
veterinarian Larry Hollis. He
says weedy plants may have
more drought tolerance and will
out-compete desirable grasses
and begin their proliferation.
He also says when the desirable
species of grasses have been
consumed they have failed to re-
grow in the drought and only the
weedy species are left in a green
state. Hollis says both of these
scenarios can become a problem
if the weedy plants contain any
toxic components. He says when
pastures are not properly managed or forage is short, livestock
are left with little choice but to
consume toxic plants. And he
says they will eat toxic plants if
starved.
Loco Weed
Also at Kansas State, another
veterinarian, Gregg Hanzlicek,
was asked to solve the death of
several calves on a ranch that had
suffered from the drought. He
said the area had been through
2-3 years of drought conditions,
but the herd was well-managed
and there was plenty
of milk for the calves.
Hanzlicek said there
was little grass for grazing and the calves were
grazing on multiple
weeds. One was found to
be toxic and cause chronic liver toxicity, with the
calves being found to
have died from liver toxicity. He said in drought
conditions, animals will
graze on plants they usually don’t under normal conditions. Hanzlicek recommended
the producer move the cattle off
the pasture and wean the calves
early. And he acknowledged
that drought situations sometimes prevent that alternative,
but to supplement their feed every other day to keep them full
and prevent grazing on plants
they normally avoid.
Rational Approach
Such feed planning and management is more critical this
year than in the past, says
Dennis Stein http://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/pub/
fg/news/2012/FeedPlanning/ at
Michigan State University. He
says with the low hay carryout
from 2011 and the severe reduction in available forage in 2012,
farms should work to estimate
their total feed needs through
the remainder of the growing
season. He recommends development of a feed inventory,
which will account for the feed
stored on the farm, multiplied by
the density of the various types
of stored feed. He recommended
a handbook that will determine
quantities of feed based on volume measurements. He also
referred livestock producers to a
feed inventory spreadsheet that
will calculate nutrition, but volume measurements will have to
be made.
CattleNetwork.com
JUG Livestock Waterers
WesLynn Enterprises
27th Annual “2012” Labor Day Weekend
Annual 3-Day Labor Day Consignment Auction
Sept. 1-2-3 - Starting at 7:00 AM Saturday
Starting at 8:00 AM Sunday & Monday
Selling at Kingsville Livestock Auction Center
Located 45 mi. SE of Kansas City, Mo on 58 Hwy. east at
Modern Kingsville Livestock Auction Center at Kingsville, MO
Selling Saturday, Sept. 1
Lumber, Fencing, Gates, Tools, Shop Equip. Glassware, Trailers of
New Tools, Household & Misc. Items
Performance Tested for over 25 years
Clean Fresh Water Every Time
Open Bowl Design
Draw Tube for Natural Drinking Action
Feed Trap Keeps Feed out of Water Reservoir
No Flap, Disks or Balls for animal to move
www.weslynn.net
Ph: 515-961-0725
Selling Sunday, Sept. 2
Cars, Trucks, Boats, Campers, RV’s, Tillers, Lawn Mowers,
4 Weelers, Guns, Good Quality Antiques
Selling Monday, Sept. 5
Construction Equip, Bobcats, Tractors, Combines, Grain Trucks, Semi’s, Hay,
Lvstk & Farm Equip, Blades, Mowers, Fencing,
“Diamond W” Wheel Corrals
Watch
W
t h for
f our lots
l t in
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C t l Mo
M Polled
P ll d Hereford
H f d Sale
S l
& West Central Show-Me Select Heifer Sale
Call early for advertising - Accepting quality items only Consignments will be accepted Aug 29th-31st. 8am-7pm
Gates Will Be Closed & Locked 6pm Friday Evening Due to Saturday Early Start - NO Exceptions!
All Consigners & Buyers Welcome
Call 816-597-3331 Office
Rick or Jeremy Anstine
816-258-3421 • 816-716-9288
Website: www.anstineauctions.com • email: [email protected]
Houstonia, MO 65333
J.D.: 660-568-3559 * Kevin: 660-568-3582
Robert: 660-568-3381 * Michael:660-568-3400
sted
ance Te s
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Female
Bulls & ale
For S
Treaty
Private
USE DEDICATED TANKS FOR HAULING
LIVESTOCK WATER
Tanks that are used to
haul nitrogen-based fertilizer should not be used
to transport any type of
drinking water supply for
animals. Steve Ensley, of
Iowa State University’s
Veterinary
Diagnostic
and Production Animal
Medicine
Department,
said once a tank has been
used to haul fertilizer, it’s
very difficult, if not impossible, to remove all of
the nitrogen sources from
that tank.
“Any nitrogen sources
remaining in the tank can
potentially cause nitrate
toxicosis in ruminants,”
Ensley said. “During
drought many forages become elevated in nitrate
concentration so you
don’t want to compound
any issues with feed and
water nitrate concentrations because they are
additive. We strongly recommend that you haul
drinking water only in
tanks that are dedicated
to that purpose.”
The ISU Veterinary
Diagnostic
Laboratory
offers water quality testing. For more information on that and all the
tests offered, see the lab’s
website: http://vetmed.
iastate.edu/diagnosticlab/fee-schedule/chemistry-/-toxicology#water.
Iowa Beef Center
Your
e
b
d
l
u
o
C
Ad
!
e
r
e
H
LOW-STRESS CATTLE HANDLING MAKES GOOD SENSE
By Michelle Proctor and
Craig Payne, DVM
University of Missouri
Low-stress cattle handling is an economically
sound business decision, as
well as an animal welfare
issue. Aggressive handling
of cattle can result in bruising and damage which lowers carcass value in addition to causing stress which
can impact the animal’s
overall health.
Aggressive handling can
also lead to facility damage
and require more handlers/
employees to move cattle
thereby increasing costs.
In this article, University of Missouri Extension,
Commercial
Agriculture
Program,
veterinarian
Craig Payne and senior information specialist Michelle Proctor, examine the
argument for low-stress
handling and why it is important for the cattle industry to focus on sound
stockmanship. In addition,
the article will examine the
practical application of lowstress handling techniques
developed by industry leaders such as Ron Gill, Rick
Machen, Tom Nofsinger,
Curt Pate, Paul Rapnicki,
Temple Grandin and Bud
Williams.
Importance of low-stress
handling, public perception
and animal well-being in
“Cattle Handling Pointers,”
written by Ron Gill and
Rick Mache, professor and
extension livestock specialists at Texas A&M, along
with Curt Pate, rancher,
well known animal “whisperer,” and spokesman for
the Beef Checkoff Program,
the authors call for a return
to sound stockmanship.
Gill, Machen and Pate
contend that unfavorable
press in recent years, as a
result of poor handling and
sometimes outright abusive
treatment of animals, can
be avoided by educating
and training those involved
in the livestock industry.
Pate has used his personal
experience in horsemanship
and cattle handling to incorporate effective stockmanship principles to support a
“for profit” mindset. He understands and promotes the
increased economic benefits
of handling livestock correctly. Equally important, as
livestock production comes
under increased scrutiny, is
Pate’s understanding of the
impact that improved handling practices can have.
Public perception is paramount to the survival and
sustainability of the beef
and dairy industries. Consumers remain interested
in food safety and wholesomeness, but are currently as much concerned with
where and how their food
is produced. Consumers
are more acceptant of lowstress handling techniques
-- working calmly, without
shouting, whistling, poking
or prodding cattle -- when
compared to aggressive
handling.
In addition to improving public perception of the
cattle industry, low- stress
handling provides a direct
benefit to the producer. Improved handling alleviates
unnecessary stress (and
stress’s inherent health
risks) to the animal and allows the producer to move
cattle more efficiently and
effectively. That means time
and time means money.
Proper stockmanship will
reduce injury to handlers
as well as to livestock. That
also saves money. In the end,
the benefits of low-stress
handling are increased efficiency, increased weight
gain without additional inputs, less money spent for
medication and treatments
and less money spent on
facilities. The authors also
point out quality of life enhancement for owners/producers: profitability, sustaining family operations,
and enjoyment of the dairy
and ranching lifestyle.
To successfully understand low-stress animal
handling, it is important to
understand animal behavior: what an animal sees.
what the animal “thinks”
and why the animal reacts
in a specific manner. Of
Range Ready Bulls
Available this Fall
t 10, 20-month-old bulls in production sale
Oct. 6
t Additional selection of 12 to 20 month old bulls
available at the ranch
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JOURNAGAN RANCH
Rt. 1, Box 85G
Mountain Grove, MO 65711
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Marty Lueck, Manager
(417) 948-2669
(417) 838-1482 (Cell)
Tough decisions but cattle
must pay for themselves
The weather continues to make
life interesting. I am tempted to
say the weather makes life difficult. If that were true, life always
would be difficult because, as long
as the Earth spins and continues
its rotation around the sun, the
weather never will be uninteresting or constant.
In fact, if the weather quit changing, that would mean the Earth
stopped rotating. At that point, we
could rightly say that life is difficult.
Sorry if a bit of reality is hard to
swallow, but farming and ranching
have been and will continue to be
a game of chess between Mother
Nature and a producer.
Because Mother Nature is unwilling to take any advice, all the
preparation and planning rests on
the shoulders of the producer.
Currently, the drought or excessively dry weather card has been
played. Although the scene is very
similar to previous droughts, driving across lifeless, parched land is
discouraging.
As summer comes to a close, the
first step is to establish an inventory of our cattle, remaining pasture availability, carryover hay and
potential hay production.
The ability to survive will be
measured by a producer’s ability to
balance cattle inventory with feed
inventory. Given that feed purchases may need to be made, each
purchase comes with an obligation
to commit money with the expectation that those funds will be paid
back in future cattle revenues.
This is step one and is the most
important point to the whole discussion of buying feed or selling
Buffalo Livestock Market
By Kris Ringwall,
North Dakota State University
cows. If no short- or long-term profit can be penciled in, then step two
needs to happen. That is tough but
life is tough, and living in denial
only makes life tougher.
Regardless, the summer growing
season is departing and fall decisions will need to be made.
Step two is to evaluate and adjust
cattle inventories. In other words,
now is the time to cull those extra
market cows and bulls. The culling
needs to be deep. However, culling
deep is not a new concept to seasoned cattle producers.
Times change and, with that
change, stocking rates and feed
resources change as well. As a reminder, those changes in inventory should start with a no-excuse
mind-set. All open or structurally
unsound cows need to go.
Even though the cows were evalu-
Consider
More of the early weaned cows
should be cycling at the start of
6KHHS
the breeding season, conceive
Watch our
early in the breeding season
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sale live on the
and should wean heavier, older
Internet at
www.dvauctions.com
calves the following year.
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age or low-quality grass hay,
thereby allowing more body condition to remain on young cows
before frost
arrives,” Selk
Video of
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said.
sale heifers
if
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available this
this fall
fall
He added
195 NE Highway
ghw
wa CC * Leeton, MO 64761 * 660-525-4692
that
this
www.crooksfarm.com
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Alvin
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Crooks,
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Doug Crooks, Howard
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SimAngus HEIFERS
techniques
Nov. 24
Kingsville, MO
should be a
West Central
cost effective
Show-Me-Select
Replacement
way to slow
Heifer Sale
the decline
&
in rebreedDec. 1
ing
rates
Fruitland
AI bred
Show-Me-Select
of
droughtto
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stressed,
SAV
Heifer Sale
spring-calvBismarck
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Crooks
Farm
offers
growthy,
ing cows.
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feminine and functional females
ed D
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Of course,
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“Give me a call about net wrap and twine
destined to be
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taking care
specials we have through the end of the year. “
productive cows in YOUR herd
--Doug Crooks
of the early6SHFLDO
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ated last spring, now is the time
to pregnancy check and evaluate
for summer injuries that only will
become major as time goes on. In
addition, look for cows that are dry,
even though they were sent to pasture with a calf at side.
Calves have a way of finding milk,
even if their own mother was not
the source, so poor mothers must
go. Wild mothers also must go.
weaned calves becomes another
challenge that must be met, if
the calves are not sold immediately.
“If properly vaccinated, the
early-weaned calves will be
ready for any of the special value-added calf sales that require
45-day weaned-calves,” Selk
said. “Fence-line weaning would
be a recommended practice for
these light calves. If a producer
chooses to wean in hot weather,
ample supplies of fresh water
must be provided on both sides
of the fence.”
Feeding programs for light,
early-weaned calves need to be
carefully planned and implemented. Suggested rations for
these calves can be found in
the OSU Extension Fact Sheet
ANSI 3031, “Nutrition and
Management
Considerations
for
Preconditioning
Home
Raised Beef Calves,” available
online at http://osufacts.okstate.
edu via the OSU Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural
Resources.
Oklahoma State University
HAVE A PLAN IN PLACE TO LIMIT EFFECTS OF FLIES
By Dr. Brandi Bourg
Karisch, Mississippi State
University
As temperatures start to
rise, and we enter the heat
of late summer, it is important to review your strategy
to control and limit the negative effects of flies on the
herd. Although the horn fly
is a relatively small pest, it
can eat a big hole in an operation’s profits. Considering just one pest, the horn
fly, previous estimates have
production losses estimated
over $730 million for the
beef industry. These production losses come from a
variety of factors, such as
blood loss, toxicity, and diseases. These will ultimately
result in production losses
seen in the form of reduced
performance, reduced feed
efficiency, and reduced milk
production. Average daily
gains in stocker cattle have
been estimated to be reduced by over 13 percent
with high infestations of
horn flies. Ultimately, these
losses add up to reduced
profits for beef producers,
and with the large losses in
mind prevention strategies
become very valuable.
There are many options
available for fly control, and
the best method may vary
from one producer to the
next. Many factors should
be considered when choosing which method will work
best for an operation. While
price is often the first factor
considered,
effectiveness,
ease of use, and reapplication rates must also be considered. When considering
the value of control, it is im-
portant to consider threshold fly levels. There are two
threshold levels to consider,
the threshold where treatment is required and the
economic threshold, or the
number of horn flies per
animal at which value of
damage is equal to the cost
of control. These two thresholds differ greatly. Fifty flies
are typically the level where
treatment is considered required, whereas the economic threshold is 200 flies
per cow.
The life cycle of the horn
fly is important to understand. The horn fly is a blood
feeder that lives on the
back, belly, and legs of the
host. The life cycle begins
when the female fly leaves
the host animal for only a
few seconds to lay eggs in
fresh manure. The eggs then
hatch in one to two days
into larvae. The larvae will
feed and grow in the manure for three to five days,
before changing into pupae
in the manure or soil for six
to eight days. The adult fly
will then emerge and begin
feeding on the nearest host
animal. Although the life of
the female fly is only two to
four weeks, she spends day
and night feeding on blood
from the host animal. Flies
feed for 10 to 25 minutes at
a time, and may feed up to
40 times per day. Fly control
methods target the life cycle
of the fly at various stages.
Fly control options take on
a variety of forms, including self-application devices, pour-ons, ear tags, and
feed through. Within each
of these classes, there are a
wide range of choices avail-
able with differing insecticides, costs, and effectiveness associated with each. It
is first important to understand the major differences
associated with each form.
Self-application devices are
typically either back rubs
or dust bags. Each device is
treated, or “charged” with
an insecticide diluted in oil,
and placed n a high traffic
area of the pasture. There
are several benefits to these
types of systems. The majority of these benefits are
associated with self-treatment, in that cattle experience little stress and there
are minimal labor inputs
involved in the application
process. However, the disadvantages associated with
these devices are also associated with their self-treatment nature. A non-uniform
treatment may be observed,
and some animals may refuse to pass through these
devices and would therefore
be untreated. Also there is
the question of when to recharge these devices.
Fly tags, or ear tags impregnated with an insecticide, are another option
for fly control. The tags are
typically recommended to
be placed two per animal,
with the recommendation to
re-tag when fly counts begin
to rise at a rapid rate. Benefits of this option include a
relative ease of use, and low
labor and stress when incorporated into routine working times. One major disadvantage is that resistance
can develop with improper
use, which occurs when the
type of insecticide in the
tags is not rotated. For pro-
ducers without access to a
good set of working facilities, this method may not be
an option.
Pour-on or spray-on insecticides are another option
for fly control. These products require direct application, and many are labeled
to treat both internal and
external parasites. There
are several benefits to using
this application technique.
First, the direct application
assures that every animal
is treated. When used properly, sprays and pour-ons
are highly effective, and offer the ability to combine
fly control with internal
parasite treatment. The disadvantages of using sprays
and pour-on treatments are
an increased stress on animals due to the application
process, and also may not be
an option for producers who
do not have access to an area
to pen and/or work cattle. As
also noted with fly tags, resistance may be a problem if
insecticides are not properly
rotated, and one insecticide
is used continuously.
The newest method of
fly control involves feed
through products. With this
method, an insecticide designed to prevent larvae
from reaching maturity is
mixed into a feed or mineral
source for the cattle to consume, and typically works
best if it is fed before the
adult flies begin to emerge.
The major benefits of the
feed through option are attributed to its application
method. Since the fly control is present in the feed
or mineral cattle would alcontinued on page 34
Low Stress
course individual animals
have personalities, quirks
and traits, but herd animal
behavior shares some basic
causes and underlying motivations.
“The behavior of an animal is a product of biological variables such as species history and genetic
make-up, and environmental variables like past and
present experiences,” says
Paul Rapnicki, DVM, MBA,
clinical professor of dairy
production and veterinary
population medicine at the
University of Minnesota.
Rapnicki recommends that
cattle handlers communicate with a cow through
her five senses: taste, smell,
hearing (low and high frequencies), sight (the primary sense for grazing animals, though they have very
poor depth perception), and
touch. Touch encompasses
pressure, pain, warmth and
cold.
Handlers need to understand the definition of
words used to affect animal behavior. Stressor is an
event threatening or potentially threatening an animal. Stress response is the
body’s response to stress.
“It evolves as an adaptive response but the consequences of the response
FORAGE
can be maladaptive,” says
Rapnicki. “There is a cost to
mounting a stress response.
Stress doesn’t make you
sick, but it can cause a condition where you are receptive to illnesses, where the
immune system does not
work as well.”
Stress responses are
measured in the neuroendocrine system (HPA), the
autonomic nervous system,
the immune system and
by behavior. Learning to
recognize and manipulate
stress inspired behavior in
animals is paramount to
successful stockmanship.
Low-stress handlers incorporate the flight zone
(the circle of safety around
an animal) and the pressure area (outside the flight
zone but close enough to
cause some pressure). A
key point is to “Be honest
with cattle,” Rapnicki emphasizes. “Always let them
see where we are. A cow
cannot see behind her so do
not stress her by standing
behind. The best place is by
her side.”
A cow’s ear and eye move in
tandem. “Pressure animals
where they can see you,”
advises Rapnicki. “Only
one person at a time should
pressure.” Cows walk at a
bottom quickly if the forage
situation improves. But an
actual rebound in calf prices could take a while. High
cost-of-gains will make cattle feeders more interested
in yearlings than freshly
weaned animals. On a per
cwt. basis, this fall Southern Plains calves could
bring a very small premium
compared to yearlings. In
2012’s fourth quarter, 500to 600-pound steers are currently forecast by the LMIC
to average 5% to 7% below
a year ago. In the Southern
Plains that means average quality steer calf prices
(500- to 600-pound) in the
$140’s per cwt. For the year,
calf prices are projected to
average 9% to 10% over
2011’s.
Looking ahead to calendar
year 2013, calf and yearling
price patterns could unfold quite differently than
this year’s. If more normal
weather occurs in 2013, prices of calves and yearlings
are expected to be highest
in the second half of the
year. For the first two quarters of 2013, calf and yearling prices are forecast to be
below 2012’s. With increasingly tight cattle supplies,
normal weather the second
half of the year could bring
prices above 2012’s. In fact,
calf prices in the fall quarter of the year are expected
to be well above 2012’s and
could easily eclipse 2011’s
record high.
CattleNetwork.com
SELLING ALL CLASSES
OF LIVESTOCK
EVERY THURDAY AT 11:00
SPECIAL COW SALE
1ST SATURDAY
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1ST & 3RD THURSDAY
Conveniently located on 71 Hwy. 4 mi.
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MO-KAN LIVESTOCK MARKET, INC • RR 2 BOX 152 - BUTLER, MO. 64730
OWNERS
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816-590-6187
Jim Hertzog
816-289-3011
Todd Hertzog
816-813-1767
Office 660-679-6535 • 800-887-8156
visit our website @ www.mokanlivestock.com
À}>Ê>iÊi`Ã
URBANA FARMERS EXCHANGE
FOR ALL YOUR WW EQUIPMENT NEEDS
UÊÎÊÞi>ÀÊÜ>ÀÀ>ÌÞtÊqÊ/Ê-/Ê Ê/Ê 1-/,9t
UÊ£ÓÊ}«Êi}iÊ`ÀÛiÊÞ`À>ÕVÃÊÀÊiiVÌÀVÊìÃ
UÊ
iÃÊV«iÌiÊqÊÀi>`ÞÊÌÊÜÀÊvÀÊÞÕ°
UÊÃÊÕÀÊVÕÃÌiÀÃÊ>LÕÌÊÀ}>Êì«i`>LÌÞ
UÊ/iÊÃÌÊÛ>ÕiÊ>`ÊLiÃÌÊÃiÀÛViÊvÀÊÞÕÀÊiÞt
CONTACT CLINT KELLEY OR KELLY GLOR
417-993-4622 OR 1-800-9825-5423
HIGHWAY 65 & OAK ST. URBANA,MO 65767
CALL FOR A DEALER NEAR YOU –
KROGMANN MFG.
->LiÌ>]Ê-ÊUÊToll Free
1-877-745-3783
www.krogmannmfg.com
Low Stress
speed of two miles per hour,
people walk at about three
to four miles a hour. Walking along side (with) animals will slow them down.
Walking in the opposite direction will speed them up.
have developed four basic
principles of cattle behavior.
Cattle want to see you.
Cattle can see everywhere
but directly behind them or
a small blind spot in front
of them. Movement toward
the blind spot behind them
causes an animal to turn
their head to keep you in
their line of sight. This can
be used to your advantage
to change the direction of
cattle or to your detriment
if you are trying to drive
cattle straight. When working from behind, it is important to keep moving side to
side to prevent cattle from
turning in an effort to keep
you in their line of sight.
Cattle want to go around.
Armed with this tip, position yourself such that
when they do go around you,
they are pointed directly at
the gate or destination you
had in mind. They’ll think
it was their idea to go there.
Cattle want to be with
and will go to other cattle.
A herding instinct is natural among “prey animals.”
There is safety in numbers
and they know it. Stockmen
can take advantage of this
natural instinct by working
from the front of cattle. If
you start at the front, those
in the back will follow. This
is also why you should never leave one animal alone
in a pen.
Cattle can think of only
one thing at a time.
If cattle are thinking about
anything other than what
they are being asked to do,
you will need to change
their mind first before putting pressure on them. Fear
is the biggest distraction.
Any perception that the
handler is a predator must
be avoided.
also recommend moving in
triangles. Moving in the animal’s flight zone will create or correct movement.
Retreating from the flight
zone will slow or stop movement. Cattle are not mind
readers. You have to teach,
condition
and
prepare
them. You may not have
time to re-educate your entire herd, but quality time
spent with replacement
heifers will pay dividends
for years to come. Spend
time with heifers in both
the pasture and the pens.
The days of “whoop and
holler” cattle handling need
to pass, say Gill, Machen
and Pate. Shouting, poking and prodding cattle is
unnecessary. Actually, such
handler behavior is counterproductive and will distract the cattle from what
you really want them to do.
Numerous others will handle your cattle after they
have left your care. Make
sure your cattle (calves) are
started correctly.
The trio stresses that
although beef consumers
remain interested in food
safety and wholesomeness,
they are more concerned
than before about where
and how their food is produced. And that includes
how the animals are treated.
Have a Plan
ready be consuming, there
is little extra labor or stress
involved for the cattle. Some
disadvantages of this option include consumption,
the product is not effective
if cattle do not consume it in
adequate amounts, and fly
transfer, if cattle are near
other animals not treated
for flies, and it is likely that
adult flies will transfer to
the treated herd. It is important to remember that
these feed through products
reduce fly counts by interrupting the life cycle of the
fly not by killing adult flies.
With so many options
available for fly control, and
so many different products
available within each option, the task of choosing
the right method for your
operation may seem daunting. It is important to con-
sider the labor involved
and inputs needed for each
method, and choose the
method which best suits
your operation. With any
method chosen, it is also important to remember to rotate the active ingredients
in your chosen method, to
prevent flies from developing a resistance to a particular insecticide and decreasing its effectiveness. Lastly,
remember that the benefits
seen when cattle are treated
for horn flies when fly loads
have reached a critical level
will far outweigh the costs
associated with that control.
Cattle Today
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Keep up-to-date on industry trends,
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The
TheMidwest
MidwestCattleman
Cattleman·August
·April 19,
9, 2012 · P36
Midwest Seedstock
& Agri business
Angus
Directory
Beefmaster
Charolais Cont.
KB Farms
Registered Charolais Bulls
~ Registered Beefmasters ~
Bulls & Females For Sale
Limousin Cont.
Polled • Gentle • Low Birth weights
Spillars Charolais
660-433-5962
620-252-9002
REGISTERED
ANGUS
BULLS FOR SALE
CWC, Inc.
Bill & Marta Osborn
Steve & Jeanie Osborn
5633 Farm Road 1012
Purdy, Missouri 65734
www.cwcangus.com
BERACHIAH BEEFMASTERS
Gelbvieh
GELBVIEH
Breeding Age Bulls • Replacement Heifers
Markes Family Farms
Waukomis, OK
Breeding Polled Beefmasters since 1982
Performance Data - EPD’s
BULLS
BULLS
Gentle - Halter Broke
FOR
FOR
SALE! Lawrence Shuey • Cassville, MO SALE!
580-554-2307
Red Poll
Your Ad
Could Be Here!
Red Angus
417- 826-5881
417-489-5440
417-850-4749
Sound Genetics
Reasonable
Expectations
Selling Top Quality Genetics Year Round
Bulls & Females Blacks & Reds
PAUL & RHONDA WALLEN
Lockwood, MO (417)424-3204 (417)808-0296
www.wallenprairieranch.com
417-944-2219
KENNY & JANYCE HINKLE
RT. 6 • BOX 69, NEVADA, MISSOURI 64772
BULLS, FEMALES &
EMBRYOS FOR SALE
[email protected]
Predictable Genetics
Bull & Female Sale
Sat. March 12 2011
Mill Brae Ranch
Maple Hill, KS
Your Ad Could
Be Here!
VAUGHN BEEFMASTERS
Beefmaster Bulls For Sale
3FE#MBDL1PMMFE)PSOFE-PX#JSUIXFJHIUT
XFIBWF&1%hTBOETDBOEBUBPOBMMPGPVSCVMMT
Contact John Long at 417-254-4911
7BVHIO'BNJMZ'BSNTt.PVOU7FSOPO.0
Braunvieh
Hereford
Annual Sale 4th Monday in March
Braunvieh & Angus/Braunvieh
Hybrid Seedstock
Over 15 years Grouping
and Marketing our
customer’s feeder calves
Ron McBee
221 State Hwy H • Fayette, MO 65248
(573) 228 2517
Email: [email protected]
• Website: McBeeCattleCompany.com
Large Selection Red Angus Bulls,
Yearlings - 2 Yrs.
Ken Keesaman H:816-675-2503
C:816-390-4988
Kody Keesaman H:816-675-2281
C:816-724-1432
Osborn, MO 64474
email: [email protected]
Jan: 785-482-3383
Arden: 785-482-3398
Box 8 – Dwight, Ks 66849
Cell – 785-466-1422
www.oleenbrothers.com
Charolais
[email protected]
Limousin
620-824-6492
Charolais Bulls
Growthy - Good Disposition
Great EPD’s
Bebout Charolais
417-273-4279
McMillin Charolais
17
Top Quality Bulls for Sale
Ready for your herd
Registered – Polled – Easy Calving –
Great Dispositions
Delivery is available
Call Lyle & Jill McMillin
(660) 668-2230
Muscle – Growth – Efficiency
• Polled Red & Black• Hi-Performance
• Gentle Disposition• Maternal Ability
• Calving Ease
#1 Cross for Angus Cows
Stan & Emily
660-766-2636
816-284-0510
Schrock
Cattle Company
Rt 2 Box 27 Greentop, MO
LIMOUSIN C ATTLE
Bulls - Black & Reds
Bred Heifers & Open Heifer
Double J Ranch • Mindenmines, MO
Ron & Will James
417-842-3353
Salers
Rockin R Ranch
Gary Richter
Guthrie Center, IA 50115
Misc.
Misc.
Misc.
those FAMOUS custom printed chore gloves
Seedstock for Sale
Igenity Profiling
all sale cattle
Salers
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Kaps, Koats & Knit Gloves
1-800-235-6140
www.plainjans.com
order
today!
Livestock Waste Management & Removal
Cell: 641-757-1291
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.iowasalers.com
Rockin R Ranch page
Simmental
Old
Old Missouri
Missouri Ruralists
Ruralists &
& Drovers
Drovers
1940’s,
1940 s, 1950’s
1950 s and
1960
1940’s,
1950’s
and 1960’s
1960’s
Old
Old Sale
Sale Catalogs
Catalogs ~~
Angus,
Hereford, Polled
Polled
Angus, Hereford,
Hereford, and Shorthorn
Charles Reid
22501 Thorngrove Rd • Peculiar, MO 64078
816-758-6562
Quality Simmental cattle to grow on.
Fullbloods, Full Fleckvieh and Fleckvieh
influenced Fullbloods and Purebreeds.
Semen, embryos and foundation
stock available at the ranch.
P.O. Box 3832 • Joplin, MO 64803
Phone and Fax: 316-856-2338
Email: [email protected]
Web Page: http//www.steaksalive.com
Shorthorn
“Quality in every Weigh”
Polled Shorthorn Cattle
Top Genetics available for
your selection
Hugh Moore Jr. & Sons
31056 Old Fidelity Rd.
Jerseyville, IL 62052
(Located 40 miles North of St. Louis)
618-729-4448
www.mooreshorthorn.com
Polled Shorthorn Bulls
~ Practical genetics and environment ~
For profit minded cattlemen.
Robert Sneed • Sedalia, MO
660-826-1718
Allendale Inc.
Randall Kollmeyer
The Research Firm
Risk Management Advisor
204 Roe Street • Pilot Grove, MO 65276
660-834-5625 • Fax 660 834-5628
www.allendale-inc.com • Email: [email protected]
Cattleman’s
Livestock Service
Fence Building and Repair
Corral building, pasture clearing, bulldozer,
back hoe services, livestock care and barn building
Manure Hauling, Spreading &
Loading— Stables, Holding
Pens, Feedlots, Hay Feeder, Etc.
Ron Peine-Owner/Operator
Greeley, KS
913-636-1099 Cell
785-867-3670 Home
FOR SALE
Black, Polled Yearling Bulls
selected for Performance,
Disposition & Easy Calving
(785)214-9532
Smithville, MO
All work done by
Cattlemen for Cattleman
816-517-9484
Show Me Fence Tools
Texas
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View demo
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Contact Warren Love,
417-646-2320
[email protected]
Bulls & Bred Heifers
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Mayview,
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660-237-4988
www.meadowlanefarm.com
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Sept 2 Red Sunday, Lacygne, KS
Oct 21 * Weiker Angus Ranch, Fayette, MO 660-248-3765
Sept 3 Eby Ranch & Guests, Emporia, KS
Oct 21
Z7 Bar Ranch, Pawhuska, OK
Sept 3 Autumn in the Ozarks Charolais Sale, Strafford, MO
Oct 27
Aschermann Charolais Goin’Green Fall Bull Sale, Carthage, MO
Sept 8 * Don Thomas & Sons Brangus Sale, Madison, MO 660-263-4560
Oct 27 * East Central MO Angus Assoc. Sale, Cuba, MO 417-860-1624
Sept 9 * Abrakadabra Cattle Co 1st Hereford Prod Sale, Columbia, MO 573-441-9951
Oct 27 Mead Angus Farm Fall Production Sale, Versailles, MO
Sept 15 Seedstock Plus Showcase Sale VII, Kingsville, MO
Oct 27 Gerloff Bull Fest, Bland, MO
Sept 15 * Waukaru Cow Power Female Production Sale, Rensselaer, IN
Oct 27 * Flying H Genetics 8th Grown On Grass Bull Sale, Carthage, MO 417-309-0062
Sept 15 KCS Angus Ranch, Novinger, MO
Oct 27 * HAGA Gelbvieh Female Sale, Springfield, MO 641-473-2489
Sept 21 Galaxy Beef LLC Angus, Graham, MO
Oct 27
Justamere Ranch Complete Dispersal, Springfield, MO
Sept 21-22 Quest for Excellence XIII Fleckvieh Simmental Sale, Russellville, AR
Oct 27
OK Red Angus Red Dirt Roundup, Canton, OK
Sept 22 Sanders Ranch Head of the Class Simmental Sale, Louisburg, KS
Oct 31
Fink Beef Genetics Annual Bull Sale, Randolph, KS
Sept 22 Kirkes Black Angus Ranch, Talihina, OK
Nov 2-3
Genetrust @ Chimney Rock Bull & Female Sale, Concord, AR
Sept 23 Grindstone Creek Farms “Genetics by Design” Sale, Sturgeon, MO
Nov 3
Four State Shorthorn Sale, Diamond, MO
Sept 23 Focused on the Fundamentals Limousin Female Sale, Nevada, MO
Nov 3
Irvine Ranch Annual Production Sale, Manhattan, KS
Sept 24 Gardiner Angus Ranch 8th Annual Bull Sale, Ashland, KS
Nov 3 * Professional Beef Genetics, Montrose, MO
Sept 29 Hinkle’s Prime Cut Angus, Nevada, MO
Nov 4
Baker Angus Farm, Butler, MO
Sept 30 Ozark Hills Angus, Jefferson City, MO
Nov 10
Missouri Charolais Breeders Fall Female & Bull Sale, Bois D’Arc, MO
Sept 30 Red Legends & Black Diamonds, Marietta, OK
Nov 10
Ratcliff Ranch, Vinita, OK
Oct 1 Express Ranches Bull Sale, Yukon, OK
Nov 11
Arkansas Angus Sale, Fort Smith, AR
Oct 5 * Halfmann Red Angus Bull Sale, Miles, TX 325-468-5391
Nov 15
Terry Little Retirement Dispersion, Monticello, MO
Oct 6 JAC’s Ranch Sale, Bentonville, AR
Nov 16
Southwest MO Show-Me-Select Heifer Sale, Joplin, MO
Oct 6 Grindstone Creek by Genetic Design, Sturgeon, MO
Nov 17
Dalebanks Angus Bull Sale, Eureka, KS
Oct 6 * Hartland Farms Ozark Pride Gelbvieh Prod. Sale, Stella, MO 334-695-1371
Nov 17
Hudspeth Farms & Guests The Gathering Sale, Harrison, AR
Oct 6 * Journagan Genetically Yours, Springfield, MO 417-838-1482
Nov 17
Missouri State Simmental Sale, Springfield, MO
Oct 10 * RA Brown 38th Annual Bull, Female & Quarter Horse Sale, Throckmorton, TX
Nov 17
NE Arkansas Angus Assoc. Sale, Charlotte, AR
Oct 13 Wallace Cattle Co & Guests, Stotts City, MO
Nov 17 * Sydenstricker Genetics, Mexico, MO 573-581-1225
Oct 13 * Judd Ranch 22nd Annual Cow Power Sale, Pomona, KS 785-566-8371
Nov 24
13th Annual KGA Pick of the Herd Sale, Salina, KS
Oct 13
Blackjack Angus, Seminole, OK
Nov 24
Butch Meier Angus, Jackson, MO
Oct 13
Buford Ranches Bull Sale, Welch, OK
Nov 24 * West Central Show-Me-Select Heifer Sale, Kingsville, MO 816-258-3421
Oct 14
Finley Bros. Cattle Co, Wyandotte, OK
Dec 1 * Southeast MO Show-Me-Select Heifer Sale, Fruitland, MO 573-243-3581
Oct 20 * Circle A Angus Ranch Bull Sale, Iberia, MO 1-800-CIRCLE A
Dec 1
Wright Charolais 2nd Annual Female Sale, Chillicothe, MO
Oct 20
Dec 7
Missouri Angus Advantage +Plus, Marshall, MO
Dec 8
Ridder Farms 2nd Annual The Showgirls Sale, Hermann, MO
Heart of the Ozarks Angus Assoc. Sale, West Plains, MO
Oct 20 * Meadow Lane Farms, Mayview, MO 660-237-4988
Oct 20
Seedstock Plus Fall Bull & Female Sale, Joplin, MO
Oct 21
McCurry Bros. Angus, Burrton, KS
ADD
Pounds
Insect Resitance
Disease Resitance
Heat Tolerance
And keep ‘em black!
Davin & Gail Vaughn
14459 Lawrence 2090
Mt. Vernon, MO 65712
417-793-1830 Ranch
Semen for Sale
$10/Straw * Certificates $25 each
Thhe
T
he W
Woord
ord
rd’s
’s Out
ut Deessiiggn
I want to thank
all buyers and bidders who
made last season’s sales our
biggest success yet.
We sold cattle to 21 breeders
in 10 states.
Bob Hart, Hart Farm
Buyers’ List
Scott Bradoc
Marmarth, ND
Mary Francis Daugherty
Cumberland City, TN
John Emerson
Cape Fair, MO
David Fickess
Cowgill, MO
H4 Ranch
Days Creek, OR
Howard & Sandra Hart
Osceola, MO
JS Farms
Harmon, OK
Chandler Ladner
Argonia, KS
Marley Family Farms
Elkins, AR
Norm Pensoneau
MLM Gelbvieh
Superior, NE
Kenneth Nolting
Versailles, MO
Juventino Ramives
Kansas City, KS
A powerful young Roscoe son nursing his donor dam, Miss Holly.
A Program Built on Maternal Power
In early 1996, we met with our accountant
females to improve our herd.
about starting a small purebred operation. A Because our numbers are small, in order
successful Charolais breeder himself, Jack for a female to be considered she must first
offered one piece of advice. Get the best
meet four criteria:
females you can afford because
1. gentle disposition;
In 2012,
your cows are the foundation of
2. easy calving;
Roscoe
your breeding program.
3. good growth; and
Today, we are still following
Jack’s advice. Although most of
our successful females go back
to the genetics of those original
foundation females, we continue
to carefully select outstanding
sons served
as herdsires
in eight
purebred
herds in six
states.
Tim Reed
Vinita, OK
River Bend Ranch
Days Creek, OR
Rocker B Ranch
Insianola, IA
4. impressive looks.
Then we study the pedigree to
ensure the genetics will improve
the product we produce – the best
red genetics our breed has to offer.
As our breeding program goes
forward, more emphasis is being
placed on improving carcass merit
while maintaining the maternal
power our program is known for.
If you’re looking for seedstock that
will bring added muscle, pounds
and eye appeal to your breeding
program, we urge you to check out
our reds. For more information, give
us a call.
Brad Snyder
Saint Marys, IA
Bruce Speer
Herman, MN
VanWinkle Farms
Neosho, MO
Tony Washeck
Monett, MO
Evan Williams
Farmington, MO
Michael York
Carthage, MO
HFGC HART 35W34
HFGC HF Roscoe 34P59 ET X HFGC Lilly Langtry 35S86
Purchased by Norm Pensoneau & MLM Gelbvieh
Ì>VÌÊLÊ>ÀÌÊvÀÊÀiÊvÀ>Ì°Ên£È®ÊÓÓxnxÎäÊUÊL>ÀÌJ>ÀÌv>À°iÌ
SMALL HERD
POWERFUL GENETICS

The Vehige Family - Midwest Cattleman

Transcription

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