Upcoming Event - Indiana Certified Livestock Producer Program Instructional Session

Indianapolis - The Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) is hosting producer workshops as part of the Certified Livestock Producer Program (CLPP), a voluntary program that recognizes farmers for their commitment to innovative and top industry standards. The workshop will be held on Nov. 7 and Nov. 8 at the Southern Indiana Purdue Agricultural Center in Dubois.

Each workshop is free of charge and will include industry experts in the five areas of focus for the CLPP program: commitment to the environment, food safety & animal well-being, emergency planning, biosecurity and being a good neighbor in their community. 

"The Certified Livestock Producer Program gives an opportunity for livestock producers to publicly demonstrate their commitment to their farm, their family and the future," said CLPP Program Manager John Nagle. "The instructional sessions are the first step toward completing the program, and offer valuable insight from experts in the livestock industry that will benefit each producer’s operation and community."

Who:
Livestock producers of all sizes and species

What:
Free CLPP Instructional Sessions

When & Where:
November 7th & 8th

Southern Indiana Purdue Agricultural Center
11371 East Purdue Farm Rd, Dubois, IN 

5:00 pm to 8:30 pm EST both evenings

Cost:
No cost for producers to attend, and dinner will be provided

To register please visit the CLPP page on the ISDA website, http://www.in.gov/isda/2395.htm.

Contact John Nagle at jnagle@isda.in.gov or (317) 232-8770 for questions or more information.

Fall Frost Increases Potential for Prussic Acid Toxicity in Livestock

Fall frost is an annual concern for livestock producers because of the potential for prussic acid poisoning, but the potential for toxicity in livestock is of wider concern this year because of drought, an Ohio State University Extension forage specialist says.

The drought of 2012 has been one of the worst on record, leaving many livestock producers short on hay and silage supplies. The lack of substantial rainfall, extreme heat and dryness left many producers looking for any alternative forages they could plant to make up for the shortages, Mark Sulc said.  <Read More> 

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 

Upcoming Events - Livestock and Forage Drought Management Update

The drought of 2012 has presented some unique challenges to livestock producers with regards to forage supplies and pasture condition. Purdue Extension of Dubois, Perry, Spencer, and Warrick Counties is presenting a Livestock and Forage Drought Management Update to discuss these challenges and identify management tips for this year and beyond. Specific topics include Utilizing Alternative Feeds and Forages, Forage Nitrate and Nutrient Testing, Herd Management and Feeding Techniques, and Pasture Renovation. Featured speakers will include Dr. Keith Johnson, Purdue Extension Forage Specialist and Dr. Ron Lemenager, Purdue Extension Beef Specialist.

The update will be held August 16 at 6:30 PM CDT at the St. Meinrad Community Center. The update is free-of-charge but pre-registration is requested by August 13. For more information, or to register, please contact the Spencer County Purdue Extension Office at (812) 649-6022 or nheld@purdue.edu.

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.

Determining a Value for Corn Silage

A question that has come up recently in our area as producers look to make use of drought-damaged corn and utilize alternative forage sources, is "What is Corn Silage Worth?".  This is not always an easy question to answer and there are many methods that are used to determine a corn silage value.  A new factsheet written by Tamilee Nennich, Purdue Animal Sciences Assistant Professor, and Kern Hendrix, Animal Sciences Professor Emeritus, helps explain some of these methods and answer producer questions.  Also, as a companion piece to the factsheet, an Excel-based silage value calculator has been developed.  The factsheet and calculator are available at the links below:

Determining a Value for Corn Silage

Silage Value Calculator (Excel Spreadsheet)

Buttercup Bonanza

Buttercup in pasture (The Buttercups of Indiana)

Does your pasture or barn lot look like this?  If so, you likely have an influx of buttercup; and you are not alone.  This weed has been very prevalent in area pastures this spring, due at least in part to a mild winter and early spring. 

The name buttercup is actually a common name associated with approximately 20 different weed species that are found in Indiana.  To complicate matters further, petal number and leaf appearance can vary within the same species, occasionally making exact identification difficult. 

The main concern with buttercup, regardless of species, is its toxicity to livestock.  While the amount required to be consumed to cause poisoning symptoms varies among species, all have the potential to cause drooling, diarrhea, weakness, bleeding, etc.  The good news is livestock rarely consume the weed, especially if there is an adequate supply of desirable forage.  Also, buttercup toxicity does not carry through to hay crops due to the break down of the toxins as the hay dries. 

Control of buttercup can be accomplished through a combination of soil testing/soil amending, mowing, and herbicide applications.  Additional information on buttercup biology and control, including specific herbicide recommendations, can be found in the Purdue Weed Science bulletin, The Buttercups of Indiana.          

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 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>

Cattle Can Eat Corn Too

Cattle feeders are going to use more corn than previously expected according to USDA’s latest Cattle on Feed report that showed five percent more cattle in the nation’s feedlots. The real surprise was the higher number of placements in September that has resulted in over one-half million more cattle being fed than a year ago. Feed grains used by cattle in feedlots from the 2011 crop will now likely be more than five percent higher than was fed from the 2010 crop. <Read More>