Upcoming Events - Weeds, Cattle, and Grazing

There are a number of Extension-sponsored events in the local area coming up over the next few weeks that may be of interest to you.  Details of a few are listed below.  If you have any questions or need more information on any of them, please contact the person listed under each event.

Weed Watcher Training
September 4 & 11, 6 to 9 PM
September 8, 8 AM to 12 Noon
September 15, 8 AM to 2 PM 
(all times EDT)

Southern Indiana Purdue Ag. Center
11371 E. Purdue Farm Rd.
Dubois, IN

Registration Fee - $40 per person

This program provides hands-on training to help participants identify and survey invasive weeds on their property or in their community and learn what can be done to stop their spread.  The training will culminate in planning and completing a service project that includes surveying invasive weeds in the community.

For more information, contact Purdue Extension-Orange County at (812) 723-7101.


Harrison County Cattlemen's Field Day
The Harrison County Cattlemen’s Association would like to invite you to a field day, September 8th, 2012, at Chad and Paige Baker’s Farm, J-Max Cattle, in Laconia, IN. The field day will begin with registration at 9:00 AM EDT at the Laconia cattle backgrounding operation followed by a tour of the facilities.

There will also be an extensive discussion on mortality composting as an alternative to sending animals to the rendering plant. Our keynote speaker will be Dr. Dale Rozeboom from Michigan State University, who works to provide statewide and national leadership in food animal production and environmental sustainability.

Lunch will be served after the morning tour, including beef cooked by the Cattlemen’s Association members. The afternoon session will include presentations that qualify for private applicator license credits as well as CCH credits.

The fee to participate in this day is just $10 and includes your meal and lots of information and contacts about cattle production. If you would like private applicator credits, it’s an additional $10 (don’t forget to bring your license with you!). The deadline to register is August 24th, after this day a late fee of $5 will be added. Contact the Harrison County Purdue Extension Office to register for the event at 812-738-4236 or mulery@purdue.edu . The day is also sponsored by Harrison County Farm Bureau, Harrison County Soil and Water Conservation District, Purdue Extension Services, Jacobi Sales, Chinn’s Equipment, Deere County, and Farm Credit Services. Purdue University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity institution. If you need special assistance to participate in this program, please contact the extension office prior to the program.


Grazing 102
September 14, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
September 15, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM
(all times EDT)

Southern Indiana Purdue Ag. Center
11371 E. Purdue Farm Rd.
Dubois, IN

Registration Fee - $65 per person ($30 per person for each additional person from the same operation, share reference materials)

This program is geared towards anyone involved in grazing that wants to understand some of the fundamentally important concepts to make a Management Intensive Grazing program work in their operation. 

A flyer and registration form is available here.  For more information, contact Margie Zoglmann at (812) 547-7084 or mzoglmann@purdue.edu 

Weekly Outlook - Drought and the Cattle Industry

The beef industry has already experienced a number of difficult years characterized by falling cow numbers and declining per capita beef supplies. There was hope in the first-half of this year that this downward production phase was coming to an end, but the drought of 2012 has erased those hopes. So, where is the cattle industry today, and what do we know about the impacts of this year’s drought?

The mid-year Cattle inventory report from USDA indicated that beef cow numbers had dropped by an additional three percent over the past year. Since 2006, beef cow numbers have dropped by eight percent due to much higher feed prices and to the long drought in the Southern Plains. The 2012 calf crop is expected to be down about two percent, and also down eight percent from 2006. This year’s drought likely means further decreases in cow numbers over the next 12 to14 months.  <Read More>

Early Weaning as a Drought Strategy

In addition to utilizing alternative forages and feedstuffs, early weaning and other herd management techniques can be effective drought management strategies for livestock producers.  The Purdue Animal Sciences Department recently created a video featuring Dr. Ron Lemenager discussing early weaning in times of drought and short forage supplies.  The video is available here.

Weekly Outlook - Is the Cattle Market Too Cautious?

The beef industry was stung by two negative events in the past two months that have left market traders uncertain about their longer term impacts. For now, market participants are taking a cautious approach until consumers more clearly define if they will reduce beef consumption.

The issue over lean finely textured beef (LFTB) played badly for cattle producers in early March and the fourth BSE cow found in the U.S. was announced on April 24. Finished cattle prices were about $129 per live hundredweight in early March before these news events, but have since declined to about $120. The decline in cash cattle prices has not been as severe as the drop in live cattle futures. At the start of March, June 2012 live cattle futures settled near $128, but declined about $15 to $113 as of April 27. In a similar manner, the December 2012 live cattle futures have declined by about $12 per hundredweight since the first of March. <Read More>

Weekly Outlook - Cattle Producers Show Surprise Interest in Expansion

While beef supplies will be very short for several more years, the USDA’s Cattle report indicated that the very early stages of beef cattle expansion has begun as beef heifer retention has increased a modest one percent. However, the big picture is that beef cow numbers dropped 3 percent last year and this will mean a smaller calf crop in 2012 that will keep cattle slaughter small for 2013 and 2014. If producers follow through with more heifer retention in 2012 and 2013, slaughter supplies will decline over the next two years and increase finished cattle prices even more.

There have been two dominate drivers of cow numbers in recent years. The first was the dramatic increases in feed prices after calendar year 2007. The beef industry could not pass higher feed costs on to consumers in 2008 and 2009, but rather had to suffer negative margins. Poor returns led to liquidation of beef cows that has continued into the current report. The second large driver was the drought in the southern Plains in recent years that caused further liquidation of cows due to lack of pasture and forages. <Read More> 

Proper Nutrition Vital for Livestock in Late Gestation

As livestock managers anticipate the beginning of the spring calving season, it's vital that they make sure their cows and heifers are getting the proper nutrition.

Rory Lewandowski, agricultural and natural resources educator for Ohio State University Extension, discussed the issue in a recent Ohio Beef Cattle newsletter, available online.  

"We have some poor-quality hay out there this year, and that's not what you should be feeding cows in late gestation -- or if you do, you need to supplement it," Lewandowski said.  <Read More> 

Proper Mineral Management Key to Keeping Cattle Healthy

Beef producers shouldn't overlook proper mineral intake as part of an overall feeding plan, according to a Purdue Extension specialist.

Ron Lemenager, a professor of animal sciences, said minerals are becoming a more important issue as feed options have changed.

"I think we pretty much had minerals taken care of when everyone was feeding corn and hay," Lemenager said. "But then it changed and we introduced by-products like distillers dried grains, corn gluten feed and soybean hulls which changes our supplementation strategy."

If minerals such as copper, zinc, manganese and selenium are out of balance, a cow could have problems with immune function, reproduction, digestion and metabolism, and onset of puberty, among other issues. <Read More>

Lower Corn Prices, Strong Beef Market Drive Calves to Feedlots

Cattle producers are likely to use more corn than previously expected according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's latest Cattle on Feed report.

The implication of the October 21 report is that feed grains used by cattle in feedlots from the 2011 crop will be more than 5 percent higher than what was fed from the 2011 crop.

"The real surprise was the higher number of placements in September that resulted in more than one-half million more cattle being fed than a year ago," said Purdue Extension agricultural economist Chris Hurt.  Calves can eat corn, but also can add weight with forages. However, according to Hurt, the high number of feedlot placements in September serves as an indication that corn has become "cheap" relative to forages. <Read More>