the tarentaise talk - American Tarentaise Association

AMERICAN TARENTAISE ASSOCIATION
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THE TARE
Volume 4 Issue 2
July, 2009
PRESIDENT’S PONDERINGS
The ATA Summer Board Meeting was held in Mandan, North
Dakota at the Best Western
Seven Seas Hotel on Friday,
June 19. The meeting was
hosted by the North Dakota
Tarentaise Association. These
folks deserve great recognition and a huge ―Thank you‖
from all of the board members
and their spouses for the wonderful organization, hospitality
and camaraderie.
The board room was stocked
with homemade cookies of
many varieties. The facilities
were excellent. We had visitors to the board meeting including four Hall of Fame
award winners from years past
–Chris Klein, Dennis Puppe ,
Gary Klein, and H.Q. ―Doc‖
Tucker. After the meeting,
board members and their
spouses were treated to the
Professional Bull Riding (PBR)
show on Friday night, June 19.
Transportation was furnished,
along with narrated tours of
the city.
On Saturday, we were all
treated and transported to Fort
Lincoln State Park, site of the
encampment of General Custer. There were reenactments
of military skirmishes, a campground with authentic food
being prepared, historical
buildings to visit, a demonstration of old time medical treatments, and a camp ground at a
recreated Indian Village.
There was even a musical
troupe from the Theodore
Roosevelt State Park at Medora
performing on the camp
ground.
In conjunction with the Summer Board Meeting, a banquet
was held on Saturday night
honoring the induction of Neil
Zimmerman into the ATA Hall
of Fame. Since the location
was convenient for a lot of
previous and current members
of the ATA, a North Dakota
Tarentaise Association reunion
was held. Members, retired
and active, from the US and
Canada, came to honor Neil
and to get together and discuss old times. The gathering
was very well attended.
Gary Klein, Joel and Connie
Fisher, and Annette Curl were
the most obvious organizers of
the festivities, but I’m sure
they had a lot of help. Thank
you all again for the wonderful
programs you provided.
Board meeting business includes the fact that the 2009
Sire Summary information has
been tabulated. Production of
Inside this issue:
Photos
2
Rancher of the Quarter
3
Braesch Wedding
5
Tarentaise Future Shows
9
Pneunomina in Summer
10
Lead poisoning of Cattle
12
Rural Broadband
13
ATA
Board of Directors
Pres
Maureen Mack Kullman
the actual summary with analysis of trends and explanations
of how to use the summary,
along with should be on the
web site by the end of summer.
Vice-Pres.
The ATA office frequently gets
requests from producers to
help them find Tarentaise
breeders with whom they have
dealt with in the past. Old
membership lists are going to
be used to contact everyone
who has or has had Tarentaise
cattle or semen, so that we can
refer people to Tarentaise
owners in their region. In
talking with some of the people who attended the North
Dakota reunion,
Member
Brian Ledahl
Member
Leonard Sheriff
Member
Sam Whelan
Bill Armbrust
Treas
Andrew King
Sec
Brian Davenport
Member
Jamey Altman
Member
Les Haight
OFFICE MANAGER
Sandy Brummund
9150 N. 216th St,
Elkhorn, NE 68022
Phone 402-639-9808
Web site
www.americantarentaise.org
Email
(President con’t on pg 11)
[email protected]
PAGE 2
THE TARENTAISE TALK
PHOTOS
Summer ATA Board of Directors Meeting, Mandan, ND June 20, 2009
Joel Fischer(G)
Gary Klein(G) Les Haight
Christ Klein (G) Brian Ledahl
Steve Welberg(G)
Sam Whelan
Maureen Mack
Brian Davenport
Leonard Sheriff
Andrew King
George Dean(G)
Doc Tucker(G)
VOLUME 4 ISSUE 2
PAGE 3
RANCHER OF THE QUARTER
D & D TARENTAISE & ANGUS CATTLE COMPANY
Duane Braesch and his son Dan
bought their first head of commercial cattle
in 1976. In 1988, local feed salesman Tom
Schweers introduced Dan and
Duane to Gordy Fordyce, who
discussed the benefits of Tarentaise. Use of Tarentaise
genetics, along with the expansion of their herd, appealed to Dan and Duane.
Thus, D & D Cattle Company
was
formed
outside
of
Omaha, Nebraska with the
purchase of D & D’s first Tarentaise herd bull, which was
used on the commercial cow
herd. After seeing the first set
of calves and the uniformity of
them coming from cows of
various breeds, it was decided to use Tarentaise bulls
exclusively on the herd and
retain the ½ blood females
for replacements. The value of the Tarentaise influence was realized at this point
[maternal traits] when the calves from
these females were born. In 1993, D & D
Cattle ventured into the purebred business
with the purchase of 10 registered Tarentaise cows. The bulls from these cows were
marketed through Fordyce and the Hat
Ranch. As the years went on, Dan and
Duane concentrated on bringing more
registered purebred Tarentaise and Angus
cattle into the herd. The cows were wintered at Duane’s home, and were taken to
pasture near Herman, NE during the summer.
D & D Cattle Company now consists of Duane and Helen Braesch and Dan,
Marilee, Courtney, and Michaela Braesch.
In 2001, Dan and his wife Marilee, and their
two girls Courtney and Michaela, moved to
a farmstead adjacent to the pasture in Herman, NE, which is located about thirty
miles north of Omaha, and took the herd
with. Here, they are better able to
manage and care for the herd. In
addition to the purebred Tarentaise and Angus cattle, a purebred
Red Angus herd is being established. The herd numbers are
steadily inclining to about 200 head
of breeding animals. D & D also
has row crops along with fivehundred acres of hay ground.
Replacement heifers at D
& D are synchronized with MGA,
AI’d, and sent to a separate pasture
from the cows with a calving ease Red Angus bull. The cows are AI’d in late April
and early May using CIDRs to synchronize
them. The cows are then sent to pasture on
a rotational grazing program.
The cows are moved from cool
season to warm season grasses which consist of…..The cows are split into three
groups according to breed, and have a
herd bull rotation to complement heterzygosity. Calves are only creep fed a couple
of weeks prior to weaning in
order to acquaint them with
grain and produce more accurate production data from the
herd. The calves are weaned
in September and started on a
growing ration of corn oats
and a protein supplement,
along with free choice hay.
Steers and any purebreds that
are culled are sent to Venners
feedlot in Arcadia, IA to
gather carcass information.
The bulls that are kept back
are carefully evaluated at least
four times; at weaning, late
fall, after the first of the year,
and finally in April, until only
the best bulls are left to be
sold. Approximately fifteen
bulls are sold by private treaty every year.
The top F1 females are retained, bred, and
then sold as commercial replacements.
Approximately twenty purebred heifers
are also kept to go back in the herd. The
replacement heifers are also evaluated at
weaning and then a few months after, before being selected to stay in the herd.
(D & D con’t on pg 14)
THE TARENTAISE TALK
PAGE 4
STORING LARGE ROUND BALES
Cow/Calf Corner
May 29, 2009
Glenn Selk, OSU Extension Specialist; Excerpts from Dr. Clyde Lane, Univ. of Tennessee
University of Tennessee animal scientists conducted a trial to compare different methods of
storing large round bales of grass hay. The hay
was cut and baled in June in Moore County,
Tennessee. The bales were weighed at the time
of harvest and storage. Then they were weighed
again the following January at the time of winter
feeding. The following table lists the type of
storage and the resulting percentage hay loss.
Obviously, it would be ideal to store the hay
inside, but that will not often be practical. The
next best option is when the hay is stored on
something that gets the hay off of the ground
under a rain shedding cover. Source: Dr. Clyde
Lane, University of Tennessee Department of
Animal Science.
BeefTalk: Small Cattle Need Muscle
Kris Ringwall, Beef Specialist, NDSU Extension Service
Do you know your cows? Do you have medium-framed, medium-sized cows or
smaller-framed, medium-sized cows or
smaller-framed, small-sized cows?
The answers to these questions will impact
management decisions. The Dickinson
Research Extension Center has sorted the
main brood cows into two distinct types of
cows.
The first set of cows averaged just more
than 1,400 pounds at spring turnout on
crested wheatgrass. They are part of a
study involving cropping rotations and
range systems harvested by grazing cowcalf pairs and early weaned calves. The
second set of cows averaged 1,060 pounds
when turned on crested wheatgrass this
spring. The cows are utilized in the center's
native range systems. The calves traditionally are weaned in the fall, backgrounded
and finished.
The hair pulling arrived when the bull pen
was evaluated. The bulls in the pen were
designed to breed at least medium-
framed, medium-sized cows. In other
bulls still available.
words, they all looked good for 1,400-
The center put together a group of bulls
that had an average EPD of minus 3.1 for
BW, 24 for WW, 48.7 for YW and 0.22 for
REA. These bulls offered reduced birth
weight, acceptable growth and very excellent rib eye area.
pound cows.
The Red Angus bulls had average expected progeny difference (EPD) for birth
weight (BW) of 1.9, weaning weight (WW)
of 35.8, yearling weight (YW) of 59.8 and
.09 for rib eye area (REA). These numbers
put the bulls in the upper 50 percent of the
breed. The exception was birth weight,
where the bulls ranked in the lower 25
percent of the breed.
These are not heifer bulls. They would
work well on the larger cows, but not on
the smaller-framed, lighter cows. There
was too much birth weight and not a really
good indicator of the calf's mature
size.
If the only bulls utilized in the breeding
program produce the medium-framed,
medium- sized cows, the ability to maintain
a smaller, mature-sized cow is compromised. However, there were some good
The point is that normally one would be a
bit taken aback on the growth numbers
because the bulls rank in the lower end of
the Red Angus breed for weaning and
yearling growth, but let's repeat the rib
eye area EPD of .22. Note that these bulls
are in the upper 20 percent of the Red Angus breed. The center does not want to
breed smaller cattle that have no muscle.
These bulls should maintain a smaller
weight cow and keep or improve rib eye
area. The beef business must remain a beef
business, not a small-cow business.
( Small Cattle con’t on pg 8)
VOLUME 4 ISSUE 2
PAGE 5
T h i s Ye a r Te s t t h e S u m m e r A n n u a l Fo r a ge B e f o r e
Yo u C u t !
Glenn Selk, OSU Extension Cattle Reproduction Specialist
Hot, dry summer weather brings about
heat and drought stress on summer annuals. Stressed plants such as the summer
annuals in the sorghum family can occasionally accumulate dangerous concentrations of nitrates. These high nitrate plants,
either standing in the field, or fed as hay,
can cause abortion in pregnant cattle, or
death if consumed in great enough quantities. Nitrates do not dissipate from suncured hay (in contrast to prussic acid),
therefore once the hay is cut, the nitrate
levels remain constant. Consequently,
producers should test summer annual hay
fields before they cut them for hay. Stop by
any OSU County Extension office for testing
details. Testing before cutting gives producers an additional option of waiting and
allowing for the nitrate to lower in concentration before harvesting the hay. The major sources of nitrate toxicity in the South
and Southwest will be summer annual sorghum type plants, including sudan hybrids,
sorgo-sudans, sorghum-sudans, millets, and
Johnsongrass. Other plants also may accumulate nitrates.
Some of the management techniques to reduce the risk of nitrate toxicity (Note: the risk
of this poisoning cannot be totally eliminated), include:
1) Test the crop before you harvest it. IF it
has an elevated concentration of nitrates, you
still have the option of waiting for normal
plant metabolism to bring the concentration
back to a safe level. And experience tells us
that we cannot estimate nitrate content just by
looking at the field.
2) Raise the cutter bar when harvesting the
hay. Nitrates are in greatest concentration in
the lower stem. Raising the cutter bar may
reduce the tonnage, but cutting more tons of a
toxic material has no particular value.
3) Know the extent of nitrate accumulation in
the hay. If you still have doubt about the
Master Cattleman Summit
The popular Master Cattleman Summit will
be held on the Oklahoma State University
Campus August 13-14, 2009. ―Hand-on‖
activities at the Animal Science Building
and at the OSU’s Range Cow Research
Center will focus on forage production and
availability, determining appropriate
stocking rates, forage management, risk
management and minimizing input costs.
Courtney Braesch and Jacob Sukalski were
united in marriage on June 20, 2009 at St.
John's Lutheran Church in Bennington, NE.
Courtney is the daughter of Dan & Marilee
Braesch of Herman, NE. Jacob is the son of
Lawrence & Diane Sukalski of Fairmont, MN.
The couple are graduates of South Dakota
State University. Jacob is employed by Dow
Agrisciences and is a District Mycogen Seed
sales manager. Courtney is currently seeking employment in the Fairmont, MN area
where the couple is living.
4) Allow cattle to become adapted to nitrate in the hay. By feeding small amounts
of the forage sorghum along with other
feeds such as grass hay or grains, cattle
begin to adapt to the nitrates in the feed
and develop a capability to "digest" the
nitrate with less danger. Producers should
avoid the temptation of feeding the high
nitrate forage for the first time after a snow
or ice storm. Cattle will be stressed, hungry, and unadapted to the nitrates. They
will consume unusually large amounts of
the forage and be in high risk for nitrate
toxicity.
http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/
dsweb/Get/Document-1996/F2903web.pdf
Dave Lalman, OSU Beef Nutritionist
Chip Ramsey, AgReserves, Inc. will be a
featured speaker, discussing keys to profitability on the extensive cow-calf operations
that he manages. Dr. Todd Thrift will also
be a featured speaker on the topic of simple crossbreeding systems to maximize
profitability of commercial beef cow enterprises. You will also have the opportunity
to choose among interesting concurrent
BRAESCH — SUKALSKI WEDDING
quality of the hay, send a forage sample to
a reputable laboratory for analysis, to get
an estimate of the nitrate concentration.
This will give some guidelines as to the
extent of dilution that may be necessary to
more safely feed the hay.
sessions to help you make better management decisions.
Please mark your calendars and register
soon, as registration is limited to the 180
registrants. To register, go to
http://orangehub.okstate.edu. The registration fee is just $30 per person. Additional registration information can be obtained by calling Agricultural Conferences
Services at 405-744-6489.
PAGE 6
THE TARENTAISE TALK
Amer ican Tarentaise Association Honors Neil
Zimmerman With Induction Into ATA Hall of Fame
On the 20th of June, 2009, the American
Tarentaise Association and the North Dakota Tarentaise Association honored one of
their own by inducting Neil Zimmerman of
Minot, ND into the ATA Hall of Fame at the
Seven Seas Inn, in Mandan, ND.
Around 90 people traveled to Mandan for
this event. The ATA was officially represented with 7 members of the Board of
Directors present as were 6 current members of the ATA Hall of Fame. Friends of
Neil’s came from as far as Virginia and
Georgia in the east, Oregon and Idaho in
the west, Arizona in the southwest, several
provinces in Canada to the north and several stops in between.
The reunion of old friends, members and
past members of TND over the two days
was fantastic and full of shared memories.
Tours were made to Dr. Kevin Frank’s very
fine Tarentaise herd , Ft. Lincoln, General
Custer’s last command and from where he
left on his ill fated battle of the Little Big
Horn. The ATA directors and families
along with several others attended a PBR
Bull Rodeo on Friday evening which was
very enjoyable.
Julie Ellingson, head of the North Dakota
Stockman’s Association was on hand and
spent time with the ATA Board of Directors
and visiting with her good friend, Neil Zimmerman.
Annette Curl, daughter of long time ATA
and TND member, Joel Erickson, with the
help of Connie Fischer, put together a varied two days of activity and fun for the visitors along with a very memorable banquet.
Neil Zimmerman and family
Neil Zimmerman’s dedication to a breed of cattle he so loves has endeared him to the members and friends of the American Tarentaise Assoiciation. Neil began this life on Oct. 18, 1936 in Rugby, ND, the son of Francis and Mildred Zimmerman. He grew up on a farm north of Anamoose,
ND and went to a country school thru the 8th grade and graduated from Anamoose High School. The went to work for the North Dakota Highway
Department, starting as a surveyor and leaving after 8 years as a project engineer. Neil then went to work for a construction company as a foreman and after 16 years, left as vice president and general manager. He started his own construction company in 1981.
A year later , in 1982, Neil married Arvadell Lang Davidson , who would be a big helper in the future for Neil’s cattle involvement. They moved
to a farmstead east of Minot, ND. It was there that they started raising livestock and in 1983 and 1984, Neil went to three sales which were the
TND state sale, C-C Ranch sale and the joint sale of Romanoski, Seagren and Knutsen. At the last sale, Neil bought 2 Knutsen heifers and from
then on, Neil says his hobby got carried away. Sometimes the construction company took a back seat to the Tarentaise.
Neil joined the Tarentaise of North Dakota Association at this time and it wasn’t long until the membership saw the leadership of Neil and elected
him to serve as a director in 1986 and later as president in 1992 and 1993 and again in 1997 plus a 3 year stint in 2003, 2004 and 2005.
During the 80’s. Neil’s numbers of Tarentaise cattle continued to grow by keeping his own heifers and buying more at production sales. He then
decided it was time to start selling and realized that advertising would be important along with participating in breed shows. The first time Neil
went to show cattle at the NILE show in Billings, MT, he decided he could do his own clipping and get the cattle ready to show at home before he
left. The more he worked on the clipping, the worse they looked. About this same time, Gary Klein called and said that something had come up
and he couldn’t go and asked if Neil would take some of Gary’s cattle and he would send his foreman, Arlen Shape, along to help. Neil says that
was great news to him. When they got to Billings, Arlen started working on Neil’s show cattle but just couldn’t correct the previous mistakes in
Neil’s clipping. That’s when Neil decided if he was going to continue showing that he would have to hire someone to get it done right. Some of
those groomer-showmen that Neil hired were Shane Nelson of Canada and later Rich and Seth Cargo of Minot.
The first great thing that turned our breeding program for the better, Neil says, was when he was able to buy Darrel Manning’s share of the fullblood bull AZ.
(Continued Zimmerman page 7)
VOLUME 4 ISSUE 2
PAGE 7
(Zimmerman con’t from pg 6)
Neil’s first AZ bull calf was AZ Curtis which was purchased by the C-C Ranch at the 1993 Denver National Western Stock Show where he was high
selling bull that year. Two years later, Neil bought him back in a dispersement sale and showed him in the ATA national show in Denver. Curtis
was named the national champion bull of 1995. This was Neil’s first of many to come. AZ Curtis’s dam was on of 2 full-blood cows that Neil
purchased from Dave Dockter. There were the last full-blood cattle that Dave owned. The other full-blood cow produced an AZ son named AZ
Clyde, who was sold to Maureen Mack Kullman and who did a great job for her.
In 1994, Neil was elected to the ATA Board of Directors and served until 2001. During this time, Neil was elected president of the ATA in 1995
and 1996. Neil was instrumental in setting up the junior scholarship program and serving on this committee throughout his tenure. Neil also did
much to gather funds for this program through donations.
Arvadell passed away in 1994. This warm, kind and loving woman was so loved by all of us and, for Neil, it was a tough time. As time went on,
Neil found that without Arvadell, he could not run the construction company and the cattle operation at the same time. Arvadell had been the
office manager and when Neil was gone, she took care of the cattle too. So hiring an office secretary helped to reduce this load.
In 1995, Neil says the second best thing to happen to his breeding program was when C-C dispersed and Neil purchased their last 22 cows that
produced some of the best productive cattle and show prospects. Neil then went on to show 4 ATA national champion bulls plus one Canadian
national champion bull in 1996. One of Neil’s national champion bulls was AZ Oal who was the result of embryos Neil bought from France.
As Neil’s herd increased, he decided that the only way to handle the large numbers was to put some out on shares. Neil dealt with 5 different
individuals and all the agreements were closed with a hand shake and he says he never had a bad deal. Joel Fischer had the most cows with
about 75 at it’s peak. Shirley Bruner also had Tarentaise on shares and lived not too far from Neil’s family farm north of Anamoose. She would
always want to take heifer calves when it came time each fall to divide up the shares.
Neil had a number of production sales and in the fall of 2000, he had a dispersal sale selling cows, heifers and herd bulls. In the spring of 2001,
he sold the yearling bulls and show string.
After being alone for 6 years, Neil found love in the form of a lovely and radiant lady. He married Verla Traiser Oothoudt on June 16, 2000.
In 2001, Neil decided to retire and sold his construction company to an employee. New he and Verla have the time to be more involved in
church and community activities and do some traveling. Neil says, it doesn’t seem like 9 years but I hope she agrees it has been 9 good years.
As you see, Neil has lived a full and productive life and is a credit to his faith and community.
It is my honor to present this ATA Hall of Fame plaque to Neil Zimmerman for his dedication to this breed we calL TARENTAISE!
Gary Klein
PAGE 8
THE TARENTAISE TALK
Beef and Cattle Trade Update
By Darrell S. Peel, OSU Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist
Both U.S. beef exports and imports have
reflected the global macroeconomic situation in recent months along with unique
factors affecting the domestic situations
for many of our trade partners. Total beef
exports were up 5 percent for the year to
date through April, though that increase
reflects U.S. access to South Korea in mid2008. Exports thus far in 2009 to Mexico
and Canada, the top two U.S. beef destinations, were down 19 and 15 percent, but
up 19 percent to Japan. Excluding South
Korea, beef exports for the year would be
down 4 percent.
Slightly more encouraging news in the
latest official data for April monthly exports to Mexico, Canada and Japan were
all up slightly from the previous month.
However, April exports were down
sharply to South Korea and down slightly
to Vietnam, the fifth largest export market
recently. Most export markets are struggling with weak macroeconomic conditions and have struggled with exchange
rates as well. The strength of the U.S.
dollar against many currencies in late
2008 and the first quarter of 2009 made
U.S. beef more expensive and negatively
impacted exports. The dollar has weak-
(Small Cattle con’t from pg 8)
However, sometimes big surprises come in
smaller packages. For instance, the Red
Angus Association publishes a newer EPD
abbreviated as ME, which is an evaluation
of the maintenance energy requirements
for mature cows. This value predicts the
differences in energy requirements among
ened since March and should help support
beef exports in the second half of 2009.
Mexico has been particularly hard hit with a
recession and weak currency combined with
the H1N1 influenza outbreak that decimated
the spring tourist market so important in
Mexico.
Beef imports have likewise been impacted
by many of the same factors. U.S. beef imports through April were up 15 percent, the
result of sharp increases in imports from
Australia and modest increases from most
other sources. Imports of Australian beef
were up 55 percent in the first four months of
the year as a result of drought recovery in
Australia; reduced Asian demand for Australian beef; the strong U.S. dollar making the
U.S. a more attractive market; and the generally strong market for processing beef in
the U.S. Imports of Australian beef will likely
moderate in the second half of the year with
the weaker U.S. dollar and a weaker processing beef market in the U.S. Prices for
beef trimmings, used primarily for ground
beef, dropped in June due to increased cow
slaughter, driven by dairy cow liquidation;
and abundant supplies of imported processing beef.
the mature daughters of individual Red
Angus bulls.
In the case of these two groups of bulls,
those bulls available for the larger cows
had an average ME value of 8.2. The average ME value of the bulls selected for mating to the smaller cows was zero.
Cattle imports through April were down
11 percent, with decreases in Canadian
cattle imports offsetting an increase in
Mexican cattle imports relative to a year
ago. Canadian cattle imports have decreased since late 2008 reflecting the fact
that total Canadian cattle numbers have
finally decreased back to pre-BSE levels
in 2003. Canadian cattle imports will
likely remain muted, although emerging
drought conditions in the Canadian prairies could force some additional cow liquidation and increase in cull cow imports
from Canada in the coming weeks. Imports of Mexican cattle have been higher
relative to last year’s low levels so far in
2009. This is driven largely by the weak
Mexican Peso in the first quarter and subsequently by the weak domestic economy
in Mexico. Moderation in the exchange
rate, combined with adequate forage
supplies will likely result in moderating
Mexican cattle exports in the second half
of 2009. Annual cattle imports from Mexico may be higher than last year but will
likely remain below historic levels.
The lower the ME value, the better. In other
words, the bulls selected for the smaller,
mature-weight cows actually are not only
predicted to sire calves that are lighter
weight, the calves also will have more muscle and subsequent daughters will require
less dry matter feed.
VOLUME 4 ISSUE 2
PAGE 9
Shows and Fairs in the Nor thwest in 2009
By
The first show of the fall season in the
Northwest is the Eastern Idaho Fair. Entries are due by August 21st. The cattle
will be there from Saturday, September 5th
through the 8th and the show is on September 7th at 11 AM. Tarentaise cattle will
have their own Tarentaise show and will
be listed in the Exhibitor’s book as such.
You can find out all the necessary information by going to www.funatthefair.com and
clicking on ―ABOUT‖ then click on
―Exhibitor’s Handbook‖, then click on
―Exhibitor’s Handbook‖ again, and go to
page 21. All the information about the
show is can be found there.
Superintendent Rene’ Bradley is great to
work with. She has given the Tarentaise
Jeannie King
folks their own show and as long as we
continue to show up, we will keep it.
The barn that has been assigned to us is
the perfect one with lots of traffic and lots
of cattlemen coming through showing interest.
The second show is the Interstate Fair in
Spokane, Washington. Entries are due for
this one on August 11, 2009. The cattle will
be there from September 16th, 2009 until
September 20, 2009 with the show on the
19th at 3 PM.
The web site is www.spokanecounty.org/
fair/sif/ and you should click on
―Competitions and Exhibitor’s Guide‖ and
sign up for ―all other breeds‖. If we have
more than 10 animals, we will have our
own show. A couple of more years attending this fair and we will be listed in the
Exhibitor’s book. The Superintendent is
Dick Blakely and is great to work with and
extremely well organized.
The third show will be the Central Washington State Fair in Yakima, Washington.
The web site is www.funfair.com/fair/ and
you should click on ―How to Participate‖,
then ―Competitive Exhibits‖, then on ―2009
Guide book‖ for all the information. Entries are due by the first of September with
the cattle arriving on September 30, 2009
and leaving on October 4, 2009 with the
show on October 3, 2009 at 11 AM.
E as ter n Tarenta ise Round Up Sal e R ep or t
Sam Whelan, Virginia Tarentaise Association
The Annual Eastern Tarentaise Round Up
Sale was held on Friday, April 17, 2009 at
the Rockingham County Fair Grounds.
This sale is held in conjunction with the
Virginia Beef Expo, a three day Beef Expo
with Cattle Sales and a Junior Show. There
were 8 sellers, coming from Virginia and
Georgia. The Virginia Tarentaise Association is very grateful for the support of Leonard Sheriff and George and Linda Dean
who once again raveled from Georgia to
buy and sell cattle. There was a new seller
from Virginia. There were also new buyers, a very encouraging sign for the Round
Up Sale.
and high selling cow/calf 0ai8r went for
$1,275.00. They were all owned by Sam
Whelan.
This sale as with the other breed cattle
sales, was a reflection of our Nation’s economy, prices were down. Although, it was
noted that the Tarentaise prices held better
than the other breeds. The Tarentaise Sale
came to a total of $26,475.00 with the selling of 32 lots. The high selling bull went
for $1,525.00, high selling cow was $1,100
JUNIOR REPORT—Sam Whelan
There is little to report at this time as the
show season is just beginning for many
folks. However, the exciting news for Juniors is that there will be a Natiuonal Show in
Denver in January 2010. There are plans
being made for Junior Showmanship
Classes and a Junior Meeting.
S outheas t Tarentai se Sal e
The Southeast Tarentaise Sale was held on
May 9, 2009, at Martin and Martin Livestock
Market at Anderson, SC. Seventy head of
cattle were sold. Sam Whelan and Mike
Lafon of Virginia Tarentaise Assoication,
participated and attended the sale. Mr. W.
J. Durham of Belton, SC was once again the
volume buyer. Cow-calf pairs averaged
$1240 and open heifers averaged
$655. Most of the cattle were consigned by
Leonard Sheriff of Seven Lakes Tarentaise,
Eastanolle, GA.
Opti-Mom????
PAGE 10
THE TARENTAISE TALK
Pneumonia in Summer? Prevent it in your Calves
Drovers News Source
|
One of the most frustrating things that can
heimia haemolytica and/or Pasteurella
happen to a cow/calf producer is to have a
multocida, are passed from the nasal cavity
set of healthy growing calves start develof the cow to the nasal cavity of the calf at a
oping pneumonia during mid-summer
very early age. However, these bacteria
while the calves are
rarely cause disease
still nursing the cow.
merely by being
With some operapresent – there usutions, this is an anally has to be some
“With some operations, this is
nual event, while
sort of stressor that
with others it only
triggers the onset of
an annual event, …”
happens sporadipneumonia.
cally. Summer time
Stressors such as a
pneumonia genersudden cold rain,
ally happens when the passive immunity
hail storm, extreme heat, dust, aggravation
(antibodies) from the dam’s colostrum
from massive fly populations, dry pasture
naturally diminishes, and the calf’s own
conditions that suddenly cause their dams
immune system has not had any exposure
to drop in milk production, etc., can be all
to the viruses or bacteria that usually cause
it takes for pneumonia to be initiated. Also,
this pneumonia that would result in producviruses such as IBR, BVD and BRSV, that are
tion of active immunity. We know that the
carried by some cows in the herd and shed
primary bacterial species involved, Mann-
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
intermittently (IBR, BRSV) or continually
(persistently infected BVD carriers), can
establish an infection once colostral antibodies wane in the calf. The presence of
internal parasites can also weaken the
calf’s immune system, making it more susceptible to these pneumonia-causing organisms.
Where there is a history of summer pneumonia, vaccinating the calves with a 5-way
respiratory viral vaccine (IBR, BVD types 1
and 2, PI3, and BRSV) along with a Mannheimia haemolytica bacterin/toxoid may
be warranted. If the cow herd has been
previously vaccinated with a modified live
virus (MLV) form of viral vaccine, then it is
usually advantageous to use a MLV version
on the calves as well.
(Pneumonia con’t on pg 11)
R e s e a rc h S h ow s Ve ge t a r i a n s h ave We a k B o n e s
Food Systems InsiderTM
What difference does it make if your diet is
Researcher determined that vegetarians'
meat-free? Well for one thing, it means you
bone density was 5 percent less than peoare likely to have weaker bones than meatple who include meat in their diets. As for
eaters. That's accordvegans — who eat
ing to a joint Austrano animal prodlian-Vietnamese study
ucts whatsoever —
“...vegetarians' bone density was 5
published the July 2
had 6 percent
percent less than people who include
issue of the American
weaker bones.
meat in their diets.”
Journal of Clinical
The researchers
Nutrition.
did not determine
M o re L e g i s l a t i o n t o B a n A n t i b i o t i c s
By Drovers news
This week, California State Sen. Dean
Florez, chairman of the Senate Committee
on Food and Agriculture, has introduced
legislation to amend the California Constitution to ban the use of non-therapeutic
antibiotics in meat-producing livestock.
According to a report by Western United
Dairymen, Florez is looking for every possible legislative vehicle available to push
forward his agenda.
SCA 23 was introduced on June 24. This
measure is not subject to bill deadlines and
can be moved at anytime. The measure
requires a two-third vote of both the Assembly and the Senate to be placed on
California's ballot. Then it would require
approval of a majority of the voters to
amend the state constitution.
whether the lower bone density can be
linked to an increased risk of fracture.
Researchers at Sydney's Garvan Institute
for Medical Research and the Pham Ngoc
Thach University of Medicine in Ho Chi
Minh City, conducted the study, which
involved reviewing the dietary and bone
density status of more than 2,700 people.
VOLUME 4 ISSUE 2
(President con’t from pg 1)
it is apparent that there are some mostly
retired people who still have a handful of
wonderful cows and sometimes a semen
tank full of interesting sires. Look for a
postage paid post card in the next issue of
the Tarentaise talk and please take the time
to fill it out and drop it in the mail. The ATA
office frequently receives calls from people looking for registered cattle. Remember that eligible cattle can be registered
through the ATA even if the mama cows are
not in the CHR program. The fee schedule
on the website is explanatory, or Sandy at
the ATA office can help you.
Tarentaise cattle will be showcased at the
National Western Stock Show in Denver,
Colorado in 2010. Cattle will need to arrive by noon on Saturday, January 10th and
will be released Sunday, January 24th. The
show will be on Thursday, January 21 in the
morning. This year the cattle showing will
(Pneumonia con’t from pg 10)
If the cow herd has not been previously
vaccinated with a MLV form, then 2 injections of a killed form of these viruses 3
weeks apart is in order. To have a chance
for any of these viral vaccines or bacterin/
toxoids to be effective, the final dose
should be administered 2-3 weeks prior to
the historical time of the summer when the
pneumonia outbreaks have been known to
occur.
If summer pneumonia is experienced for
the first time, or prevention efforts fail,
early detection is critical to treatment success. There are many antibacterials that
can be used to effectively treat the bacterial portion of the disease if treatment is
The Tarentaise Talk is published quarterly
in Mesa, Arizona and is the official publication of the American Tarentaise Association . If you have news, pictures, or other
items for the publication, please send to:
Brian Davenport, 8851 E. McLellan Rd.,
Mesa, AZ 85207. Thank you.
PAGE 11
need to be tested and negative for PI BVD
prior to entry. Start looking for your best
young stock and have a plan for conditioning them so they look their best by January.
We have commitments for cattle from Virginia, Georgia, Iowa, Nebraska, Idaho and
Oregon and will be inviting members of
the Canadian Tarentaise association to
show with us. For those of you who feel
you have some great cattle, but can’t show
them yourself, there is a gentleman from
Canada who has previously shown cattle
for AZ Tarentaise, Big M Tarentaise and
Burnett Tarentaise who would be available
to fit and show cattle during the show.
Contact me if you would like more information. This gathering in Denver is more
than a cattle show. It is a great place to
come to meet and sit and talk with Tarentaise breeders in the barns and have an
opportunity to give your input at the meeting.
Information about hotel accommodations
and meeting dates will be available on the
website as soon as arrangements are finalized. Now is the time to make airline reservations while the trips are inexpensive.
Plan for a Winter holiday!! I hope to see
you there.
initiated early enough. However, if sick
calves are detected too late in the course of
the disease, damage to the lungs may be
so extensive that the calf becomes chronically affected or dies. With the heat of summer, undetected pneumonia will usually
progress much faster than pneumonia
cases that arise during the cooler months.
If summer pneumonia is experienced for
the first time, or prevention efforts fail,
early detection is critical to treatment success. There are many antibacterials that
can be used to effectively treat the bacterial portion of the disease if treatment is
initiated early enough. However, if sick
calves are detected too late in the course of
the disease, damage to the lungs may be
so extensive that the calf becomes chronically affected or dies. With the heat of summer, undetected pneumonia will usually
progress much faster than pneumonia
cases that arise during the cooler months.
Maureen Mack Kullman
Normally, most cow/calf producers expect
everything to be on ―cruise control‖ for the
summer. The tendency may be to get a
little lackadaisical. However, pneumonia in
suckling calves is one disease problem
that requires vigilance to keep from experiencing devastating losses during the
summer months.
PAGE 12
THE TARENTAISE TALK
Time of Day of Harvest and Impact on Nitrate
Concentration
ByGlenn Selk, OSU Extension Cattle Reproduction Specialist
Forage sorghums are used by cattle producers for summer grazing or harvested
for hay. Forage sorghums can be very
productive and high quality, but can also
accumulate toxic levels of nitrate when
stressed. Based on the assumption that the
plant continues soil nitrate uptake during
nighttime hours, followed by accelerated
conversion of the nitrate to protein during
daylight hours, extension recommendations have been to wait until afternoon to
cut forage sorghum for hay if anticipated
nitrate levels are marginally high.
To evaluate the significance of the change
in nitrate concentration in forage sorghums
during the day, Oklahoma State University
Extension Educators collected samples at
two hour intervals from 8 AM to 6 PM. Five
cooperator’s fields (―farm‖) were divided
into quadrants. Three random samples,
consisting of ten stems each, were taken
from each quadrant at the specified interval. The samples were analyzed at the
Oklahoma State University Soil, Water, and
Forage Analytical Laboratory to determine
the level of nitrates, in parts per million
(ppm).
As expected, differences between ―farms‖
were substantial and significant. The mean
concentration of nitrate for individual farms
varied from only 412 ppm to 8935 ppm.
The mean nitrate concentrations across all
farms were 3857, 3768, 4962, 4140, 4560,
and 4077 ppm for samples at 8 AM, 10 AM,
noon, 2 PM, 4 PM, and 6 PM, respectively.
Remember, most laboratories consider
nitrate concentrations at, or above 10,000
ppm potentially lethal. There was much
more variation between farms than between harvest times. Time of day of harvest did not impact nitrate concentration or
proportion of dangerous samples of forage
sorghum hay.
Source: Levalley and co-workers. Abstract,
2009 Midwest Section American Society of
Animal Science.
Lead Poisoning of Cattle Can Be Avoided
By Glenn Selk, OSU Extension Cattle Reproduction Specialist
A couple of years ago, a regular reader of
the Cow Calf Corner Newsletter suggested
that we alert cattle producers of a potential
danger to cattle on their operations. He
had encountered an unusual sudden death
loss of over 10 young calves and had
wisely sought veterinary help. The investigation and diagnosis revealed that old car
batteries had been buried in a ditch in one
of the pastures. The calves had died from
lead poisoning. After an internet search we
find several important keys to prevention:
1. Very small amounts of lead can cause
poisoning. Calves licking crankcase oil,
grease from machinery, lead pipe plumbing and batteries can be in danger.
2. Small calves represent the greatest
percentage of lead poisoning cases because they are curious eaters. Other cattle
however can also be affected.
3. Junk or garbage in pastures can be a
source of lead. Example sources include:
some crop sprays, putty, lead-based paints
and painted surfaces, roofing materials,
plumbing supplies, asphalt, lead shot,
leaded gasoline, and used oil filters.
Symptoms of lead poisoning are often
similar to other diseases and require a
veterinary diagnosis to accurately confirm.
Clinical signs of poisoning normally precede death, nonetheless, in many cases
animals are simply found down or dead in
the pasture. Observable signs vary from
sub-clinical to very dramatic and take from
just a few days to as many as 21 days to
develop. Initial signs include depression,
loss of appetite or occasionally diarrhea.
The central nervous system may be affected and cause cattle to grind their teeth,
bob their head, or twitch their eyes or ears.
Some animals may circle, press their head
or body against objects, or become uncoordinated and stagger. Muscle tremors,
excitement, mania, blindness or convulsions may also be seen.
Treatment of lead poisoning can be costly
and ineffective if not started quite early
after ingestion of the lead. Successful treat-
ments are usually started before the symptoms begin to appear and are often reserved for very valuable animals.
Prevention is the key. Be aware of any old
or new machinery in pastures. Avoid junk
or debris that could be a source of lead.
(This could really be an issue after a severe
thunderstorm or tornado with wind damage which results in roofing debris spread
across the pasture.) Above all, DO NOT
dispose of old car batteries in pastures
where cattle have access to them.
VOLUME 4 ISSUE 2
PAGE 13
$ 4 B i l l i o n i n R e c ove r y A c t F u n d s f o r R u ra l B ro a d b a n d
By Drovers news staff
Vice President Joe Biden announced the
availability of $4 billion in loans and grants
to bring broadband to unserved and underserved communities. This is the first
round of Recovery Act funding aimed at
expanding broadband access to help
bridge the technological divide and create
jobs building out Internet infrastructure.
"Today's announcement is a first step toward realizing President Obama's vision of
a nationwide 21st century communications
infrastructure — one that encourages economic growth, enhances America's global
competitiveness, and helps address many
of America's most pressing challenges,"
Biden said."The Department of Agriculture's Broadband Initiatives Program will
bring high-speed Internet service to communities across the country, create thousands of jobs, and improve economic,
healthcare, and educational opportunities
available in rural communities," Vilsack
said. "This funding is a down payment on
the President's commitment to bring the
educational and economic benefits of the
internet to all communities."
President's National Rural Tour. USDA also
announced the launch www.RuralTour.gov,
where all Americans can follow the pro-
Caption describing picture or graphic.
gress of the Rural Tour with additional
cabinet secretaries in the coming
months."The Commerce Department's
Broadband Technology Opportunities Program will reach the last frontiers of America's information landscape, areas and the
investments it makes in inner-city
neighborhoods and rural communities will
Vice President Biden was joined by Agrispur innovation and pave the way for priculture Secretary
vate capital to follow,"
Tom Vilsack, ComLocke said. "This first
“USDA also announced the
merce Secretary
wave of funding will
launch www.RuralTour.gov, where all
Gary Locke, and
help create jobs,
Americans can follow the progress of the
Federal Communijumpstart additional
Rural Tour with additional cabinet
cations Commisinvestment and prosecretaries in the coming months."
sion Chair Julius
vide model projects
Genakowski at a
that can better inform
local high school
our national broadband strategy."
in Wattsburg, Pa., the first stop on the
Ad rates for this newsletter are as follows: Black and white business card
size ads are $35. For color, add $10.
Quarter page ads are $65 and add $20
for color. Half page ads are $125 and
add $40 for color. A full page ad costs
$250 and add $80 for color.
Unfortunately, we have to divide the
$80 cost of a color page among the
people desiring a color ad so the price
might be more depending on the size.
|
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
The Recovery Act provided a total of $7.2
billion to the Commerce Department's
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the
USDA's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) to
accelerate broadband deployment in
unserved, underserved and rural areas.
Among the $4 billion in Recovery Act
funds announced this week, USDA will use
approximately $2 billion to provide
grants, while the remaining funds will be
used to make up to $7 billion in loans, for
a potential total investment in rural broadband of $9 billion. This assistance is especially critical in rural communities where
it can provide citizens with job opportunities and help create wealth by driving
economic growth, advancing education,
fostering innovation, ensuring first responders have the tools they need, and
enhancing and improving the delivery of
healthcare the United States, expand public computer center capacity, and encourage sustainable adoption of broadband
service.
NTIA and RUS will be accepting applications for loans, grants and loan/grant combinations to be awarded by each agency
under a single application form. This collaborative approach will ensure that the
agencies' activities are complementary
and integrated, make the best use of taxpayer funds, and make it easier for applicants to apply for funding. This is the first
of three rounds of funding the Agriculture
and Commerce Departments will provide.
PAGE 14
THE TARENTAISE TALK
( D & D From pg 3 )
D & D has been striving to
achieve moderate cows that are a frame
size 4 to 5, who have good fleshing ability,
maternal traits, and low birth weights.
Much of this has been done by carefully
selecting AI sires to match up with the cow,
as well as provide proper EPDs for bull
buyers. D & D has been working towards
providing cattlemen with a cow making
bull.
D & D has been active in promoting the Tarentaise breed. Dan has been
involved on the Board of Directors as well
as serving as the President of the ATA for
two terms. Marilee has been the Junior
Director for the ATA, and Courtney and
Michaela have also held officer positions
on the Junior American Tarentaise Association as well as held the queen titles. D & D
has participated in breed exhibits and
displays at farm shows. Courtney and
Michaela have exhibited Tarentaise for D &
D, as well as Angus and Red Angus, at
county fairs, open shows, state fairs, the
National Western Stock Show in Denver,
and the North American International Livestock Exhibition in Louisville. They have
received National Champion and Reserve
Champion Female honors at the NWSS and
NAILE, along with Champion and Reserve
Showman, several division winners, and
class winners. There has been several
Tarentaise breed and class winners at the
county, open, and state shows. And recently, they had Reserve Champion Overall Female at the Nebraska State Fair with
Courtney’s Red Angus bred heifer.
Along with caring for the D & D
herd, the Braesch family also has other
duties. Dan is a fire fighter captain for the
city of Omaha. Marilee has her own cleaning business in the Omaha and Tekamah
Nebraska area. Courtney graduated this
past May from South Dakota State University with a degree in Animal Science along
with three agricultural related minors. She
helps to make breeding and culling decisions for the herd, as well as helps with day
to day activities. Michaela also attends
South Dakota State and is working towards
an Animal Science degree. Michaela is
very involved with the day to day activities
at D & D.
More Photos
VOLUME 4 ISSUE 2
PAGE 15
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YOUR BUSINESS CARD IN COLOR ON THIS
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Gilby, ND
Tarentaise—The Maternal-Influence Breed
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Zahl, ND
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(701) 694-3511
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Anamoose, ND
Michigan, ND
(701) 465-3360
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Williston, ND
(701) 257-6869
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