Flies irritate cows. They cause cows to stomp and swat which takes energy away from gain and performance. This performance loss can be quite significant if some method of fly control is not deployed. Research has tagged over $800 Million dollars of lost revenue annually due to flies. These losses are mostly in reduced performance, lower ADG, Pinkeye, and lower milk production. There are four main types of flies that bother cattle: Stable fly, Horn fly, Face fly, and Horse fly. ...
Mowing, raking, and baling. I wish hay-making was that easy. For me, that sequence is too often interrupted by cussing the weatherman, tedding, and more raking. Making hay is a consuming summer-time task. As farmers prepare to sharpen the pencil, I think it is important to look at what hay costs to produce. Every ton of hay contains approximately 40 lbs. of N, 20 lbs. of P, and 50 lbs. of K. However, it is important to calculate N losses at about 75%, thus only about 10 lbs. of N are returned...
During the winter season most cattle are supplemented with dry forages, grains, and co-products. This ration is balanced and delivered to cattle. Then spring comes along and cattle are put out to grass. While green grass solves a lot of problems associated with winter feeding (manure, pen maintenance, calf health, and labor demands), it can pose nutritional challenges. Lush, spring forage has three major challenges when it comes to meeting cattle nutrition requirements. The first challenge is...
While I think everyone should have some hay on hand for emergency feeding, baling pastures may not be the best option. Forecasted dry weather makes it easier in some minds to cut hay and bale it up… because it won't get rained on. However, that weather pattern is not favorable to pasture regrowth. Hot, dry weather does not favor good regrowth of cool season grasses, which make up the majority of Midwest pastures. The heat and sunlight penetration will raise soil temperatures more quickly than...
Illinois is blessed with very fertile farmland. Higher land prices, soil health benefits, and the ability to grow more feed are incentives to add cover crops to a diversified farming operation. Using cover crops following cash crop production for added forage is one of the best opportunities for IL cattlemen to lower production costs. A perfect spot for cover crops is following corn silage harvest. The most popular cover...
Cool season forages, especially fescue, are excellent candidates for stockpiling. While fescue may garner a bad reputation for endophyte issues and poor production in the summer months, fall is a time to shine for fescue. Cool temperatures in the fall negate complications with elevated body temperatures when cattle are consuming endophyte infected fescue. Re-growth in the fall is primarily green leaf tissue and the plant is not putting on seadheads which are a feared, concentrated source of the...
All bulls that will be used in a breeding season need to be tested. Without a breeding soundness exam (BSE), producers are taking a huge risk. Breeding Soundness Exams are low-cost and provide a great return on investment. Bulls that are infertile or have poor fertility will fail to settle cows. Evaluating bulls is crucial to making sure that cows get bred. A BSE should be conducted each year prior to turnout by a veterinarian. Environmental factors, age, and injury can all affect a bull's...
Weaning is arguably the most stressful event in a calf's life. Combining stressors at weaning can inhibit immune response triggering health problems and shut off gains. Fortunately, cattle producers can understand stressing events and manage against the freeway pile-up that can occur at weaning. Another potential hurdle is the loss of maternal antibodies that the calf receives through colostrum. This lowering of protection occurs around 120- 150 days. Thus, calves stressed around this time may...
I have had numerous reports of drier than normal corn silage this year. It is hard to post a blog that answers all the questions about corn silage. Nutrient analysis of corn silage, dry matter, nitrate levels, analysis of other feedstuffs, cow size, cow condition, environmental factors, and many more variables can impact the amount of corn silage you need to feed. I recommend you consult your nutritionist or extension specialist on your specific situation. Here are a few things to consider...
Many producers are in the process of weaning spring-born calves or have this task accomplished. Coinciding with weaning calves, many cow/calf producers will select the next crop of replacement females. The keep/cull sort on heifers can be sometimes overthought. This factsheet offers some tips for heifer selection and development.
The key to corn silage decisions is to keep the end in mind. At the end, corn silage should provide a high quality feed to livestock that properly ensiled. To achieve this goal, the harvest process is crucial. The ideal time to harvest corn silage is dependent on numerous factors, but the most important may be whole plant moisture/dry matter. Most farmers will target a whole corn plant dry matter of 35% (moisture of 65%) for chopping. Table 1. Ideal dry matter range of...
In Illinois, spring rains can make putting up dry hay very difficult. Last year, many producers struggled to get hay up without it getting rained on. This brings me to discuss baleage as an option for hay making. It is easy to see the reasons why you should consider baleage. Making hay at higher moisture allows you to bale closer to cutting and shorten the window of dry weather needed to get hay up. It also leads to less leaf loss, less nutrient leaching, and that makes for better quality hay...
The Illinois Performance Tested (IPT) Bull Sale was the lead-off event at the 2016 Illinois Beef Expo held Feb. 25 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Ill. The sale had the second-highest overall average in the 48-year history at $4,109 on 45 lots. "This sale continues to be one of the best sources for total performance genetics in the Midwest," said Travis Meteer, IPT sale manager. "During the past 48 years, the sale has sold 4,673 bulls valued at over $8.3 million."...
While cost should be the primary factor, the correct answer depends on numerous factors. The list below helps illustrate these factors. Buy Hay Limited land resources to use for hay production Busy, limited time to devote to hay production Short on labor Must purchase hay equipment, update old equipment Set-up to handle by-product/alternative feeds Have access to reliable hay source Limited market for excess hay Unable to store and carryover hay with little waste Low acreage in hay...
Calving season is either here or fast approaching for many Illinois cattlemen. I would just like to share a few tips that I have gathered through some of our winter meetings. Perhaps the most important tip is to have a good relationship with your local veterinarian. Sometimes the difficult decisions during calving season are best made by your veterinarian. Just a few of the basic things: There are three stages of parturition (giving birth) Stage 1- dilation of the cervix, occurs 4-24 hours...
One of the most popular questions I get asked is "What is your ideal cow?" This question always spurs quite the debate. Factors like breed, cow size, milking ability, and a long list of phenotypes are discussed. Comments like "We don't want to go back to that kind of cattle" typically dominate the conversation. While I enjoy listening to the stance of different cattle breeders and cattle raisers on this topic, I tend to have a much more broad view of the question. My approach to answering the...
Have you ever watched a person walk a tight rope? The balance and precision that it takes to make it from one side to the other is incredible. Focus and attention must be combined with talent and practice. If any small thing goes wrong… balance can be lost and the goal of making it across is gone. Mineral nutrition is a balancing act too. It is very delicate and much more fragile than other nutrition tasks, such as meeting protein and energy requirements. Minerals must be provided to the...
I have been having conversations with producers about grazing cornstalks. I wanted to share some frequently asked questions. Q: How long can I graze cornstalks? A: This depends on stocking rate and available dry matter to graze. The quick answer is "At 150 bushels an acre, approximately 1 acre of cornstalks are needed to feed the cow for 30 days. To feed the same cow on cornstalks for 60 days, 2 acres would be needed." I think these are good numbers for budgeting. I challenge producers to...
The dry fall weather has been optimal for farmers harvesting crops. However, it has left pastures without needed moisture to grow fall forage. As a result, it is becoming glaringly evident that cattle producers need to inventory feeds and make sure they have the needed amounts of stored feed in case they are forced to start feeding cattle earlier than expected. Hay A cow will eat 2.5% of her body weight in hay. That means a 1300 lb. cow will eat 32.5 lbs. of hay. When offered free...
Source: Richard Gates, 217-244-2791, rsgates@illinois.edu News Writer: Leanne Lucas, 217-244-2862, llucas@illinois.edu · Hydrogen sulfide and methane gasses from liquid/slurry stores can be lethal. · Remember key safety rules before agitating and emptying manure stores · Make sure new or inexperienced workers are trained in safety URBANA, Ill. - With harvest around the corner, manure application...