LIVESTOCK NOTES
Al Kennett

Ralls County SWCD board and University Extension are holding a grazing tour on August 20. The tour will have 3 stops on it. They include an above ground watering system for a MIG system, a new intensive grazing system, and a spring development.

The tour starts at 5:00 p.m. at the New London NRCS office on Hwy 19. There will also be a meal served. Reservations are needed – call the NRCS/SWCD Office, 573 985-8611, ext. 3.

Pinkeye is one of the most perplexing and costly diseases in beef cattle and it’s starting to show up in some herds. True pinkeye is caused by the bacteria, Moraxella bovis, although the viral respiratory disease, IBR can cause look-a-like eye problems. In addition, mechanical injury may result in blue, cloudy, weepy eyes.

It’s estimated that pinkeye costs owners at least $50 per head in the affected animals. This is a result of reduced gains, treatment costs and reduced sale prices in some cases. The number one reason herds on the Show-Me-Select replacement heifer program have heifers screened from the program is pinkeye lesions on the eye. In some herds the incidence rate is 20 percent or more.

The typical eye symptoms of pinkeye can show up at any time during the year, but is worst in mid-summer. Bright sunlight, dust, pollen and flies accentuate the problem with flies being the number one carrier of the disease. Therefore fly control should be the first step in pinkeye control.

The next step in combating pinkeye is to observe cattle closely and treat affected animals promptly. Separating the "pinkeye animal" from the rest of the herd can help reduce the disease’s spread and make a second treatment easier.

There can also be value in placing patches over the affected eye(s) or put the animal in a barn to reduce light irritations.

Pinkeye vaccinations receive mixed reviews from producers and generally tend to lessen the severity of the problem. However, being lucky enough to use the exact strain so problems are completely eliminated doesn’t always occur. In some annual problem herds, veterinarians have developed a herd-specific bacterian that improves control.

University researchers are planning a pinkeye study later this year. If you have an incidence of 20 percent or more in your calves, give me a call if you’re interested in participating.

I was surprised at the recent cattle inventory report. It showed that cattle and calves on the farm in both Missouri and the United States were down. In Missouri they were 1% below July 1,2000 and the U.S. were slightly below last year and 1% below two years ago.

Cows and heifers that have calved were lower as well as total beef cows numbers and beef replacement heifers.

Apparently the good cattle prices have not resulted in cattlemen starting to increase cowherds yet. That along with the continued increase in beef demand and the many new beef products we are seeing available to the consumer should mean that we have another 2 to 3 years of good calf prices ahead of us. At least something in agriculture has a bright future!!

At the Marion County Jr. Fair this year we ultra-sounded all the steers at the show and figured an estimated carcass value on them. There were some interesting differences.

Loin-eye ranged from 10.00 square inches to 17.75. Backfat ran from .15 inches to .65 inches. Carcass value per hundred only ranged from $66.00 to $71.30 per hundredweight due to the small spread we presently have between choice and select. It would have been different last May.

The kids did get lots of information on their calves and I think it was educational for them.

A father who encourages his son to follow in his footsteps has probably forgotten a few!!!

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Sudden Death Syndrome in Soybean

Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) is making another appearance in Missouri bean fields. The disease is characterized by small yellow leaf spots, which enlarge and turn brown as the disease progresses, although leaf veins remain green. Symptoms first become visible from late bloom to pod fill, but are most commonly seen be early pod fill.

Infected plants occur in isolated circular or oval patches in a field, with patches ranging in size from several feet in diameter to more than an acre. More than one patch of infection may be present in a given field. The disease is caused by a species of the soil borne fungus, Fusarium.

Unfortunately, SDS is more common in well-managed fields, those with proper fertility, pH, and irrigation or soil moisture. Depending on the variety, level of infection, and the time of symptom appearance, SDS can cause yield reductions from 5 to 80 percent. Losses in the lower end of this range are most common. When symptoms appear early in pod fill, yield losses are greater than when symptoms appear later in the season.

There are no methods to control SDS once plants have been infected, although future infections can be managed with cultivar selection, crop rotation, drainage, planting date, and timely harvesting.

A University of Missouri study is looking for seed of the pokeweed plant from throughout the state. With bright-magenta colored stems, and elongated leaves, the plant can reach heights of 8 feet tall. Small white flowers and/or dark purple-black seed should be visible now. If you have some examples of this plant (which you would be willing to part with), please contact me.

Alfalfa Insect Pests

Hot, dry conditions bring us another insect pest, the alfalfa webworm. These webworms feed on upper parts of alfalfa, producing webbing and removing the green layer from the plants. Harvesting the field is the most effective means of webworm control; if this is not possible, there are a range of insecticides for its control (which control the potato leafhopper as well).

Potato leafhopper adults and nymphs suck juices from stems and leaves of alfalfa plants. This damage is often characterized by a wedge-shaped yellow area formed on the leaf tips (known as hopper-burn). The entire leaf will eventually turn yellow; heavily infested alfalfa fields may

look yellow. Feeding results in reduced plant growth and stand vigor, and may influence the following season’s yield. New alfalfa stands are especially susceptible. Early cutting is a management option if it coincides with harvest time. However, this only destroys the nymphs; adults can infest regrowth.

Spider Mites in Soybean

Recent hot, dry weather may be favorable for an infestation of spider mites in soybean fields. These spider mites are extremely small; a hand lens is usually required for field identification.

Spider mites suck plant juices from the leaf undersides, resulting in a mottled, sandblasted, and crinkled appearance. Under heavy infestations, leaves turn reddish brown, wilt, and die. Occasionally, webbing is noticeable on the underside of the leaves. Scouting for spider mites should begin at field margins and waterways, examining the underside of leaves with an off-color appearance.

Hard rains are the most effective mode of spider mite control. If field edges and patches within the field are infested, a rescue spray can be effective. Control measures are ineffective once the entire field is infested.

University Extension and the Missouri Department of Agriculture are developing a database of Missouri fruit and vegetable growers that will be available on the AgEBB World Wide Web page (www.agebb.missouri.edu). The database lists crop, contact information, and marketing method. Potential buyers are able to limit their search by region of the state, marketing method, organic or conventionally produced crop, and other parameters. The database is available free of charge. If you are interested in having your farm included in this new marketing tool, please contact me, or enter a listing for your farm on-line.

For more information on the relationship between government payments and fruit and vegetable production, contact your local UOE center.

Yield Book Database

I am forming a database of producers who would like to automatically receive yield books when they are published. If you are interested in adding your name to the database, please contact me, and indicate which yield books you are interested in (corn, soybean, sorghum, wheat).

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Banks are in the business of lending money. Loans to small business owners constitute a significant part of most bank investments. Business owners should realize their banker wants to work with them and will go to great lengths in helping them work through their problems. However, business owners cannot wait until they are going down for the third time and expect to receive quick and thorough assistance.

A relationship between a business owner and a banker must be established to identify small problems and tackle them before they get out of control. All businesses, both large and small, should develop a working relationship with their banker because of the invaluable assistance only they can offer. We cannot predict when the problems or the opportunities requiring financial assistance will come along, so the best hedge is a sound, constant rapport with your banker.

Since it is necessary for a firm to establish and maintain a working relationship with a bank, the next question is, "How do we go about it?" There are a number of steps a business owner should follow in order to do this. John M. Amos of the Center for Applied Engineering Management, University of Missouri-Rolla offers the following suggestions:

• Establish a credit history with the bank. Borrow funds for short periods and repay promptly.
• Establish a checking account and maintain an adequate balance to cover all checks. Do not write checks that may be returned because of insufficient funds. Find out what size checking balance the bank considers adequate.
• Find out what types of customers the bank is interested in serving. Is your firm too small or too large? Most small businesses need small banks as it is more difficult to get the same level of attention in large banks.
• Get to know the bank and its employees even if you do not need them now. Invite your banker to your business establishment on a regular basis. Introduce him or her to your key employees. This will help your banker gain confidence in both you and your staff. This is very important.
• It is not uncommon to have one or two contacts with your banker per week. Keep your banker current on all phases of your business. Be honest with your banker as the truth always comes out.
• Don't surprise your banker. If you foresee problems, say so, the banker may have a solution.
• Do what you say you will do. This means you should not be overly optimistic about forecasts. If you cannot make projected sales or payments, tell your banker well in advance.
• Provide your banker with adequate records on a regular basis. In the beginning provide balance sheets, income statements and cash flow analyses for the past three years and a summary of the history, management experience and products of your business. Know and understand your accounting records.
• Hire the best CPA and attorney you can afford and communicate with them.

Another question is, "When should you change banks?" Before changing, have a good reason. A solid relationship is more important than a point or two of interest. If you are uncomfortable with your established relationship, rather than change banks, ask to have a new personal banker be assigned to your account.

It is also important to establish and maintain a relationship with another bank officer in the event problems arise when your regular banker is not available. As time is generally a critical factor in most financial situations, the second banker will know about your business and be able to respond immediately.

On Friday night and Saturday August 24 & 25 a "Grazing School" is being held near Paris, Missouri.

The "School" will be of interest to those with livestock on pastureland. It not only deals with improvement of the pasture but also improvement of grazing livestock’s health and nutrition. A short list of the topics covered at the "School" are:

• Livestock Nutrition
• Grazing Animal Health Considerations
• Basic Forage Growth and Management
• Layout and Design of Grazing Systems
• Stockpiling for Winter Pasture

A farm tour with local cattleman using Management Intensive Grazing is also part of the program. You will be shown the improvements that have occurred as a result of their pasture management program. You will also see some innovative ideas in livestock water development.

For more information or to receive a brochure on this event you can contact your local University of Missouri Extension or Natural Resources Conservation Service. You can also contact John Wheeler at (660)327-4158 or Tim Clapp at (660)385-2616 extension 113.

Registration for the "School" is $60 per person. The fee covers the cost of books and meals. Registration will be open to the first 50 individuals.

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Developing a Marketing Plan: Cost of Production

Most producers consider themselves to be good producers, but when it comes to marketing, many producers would like to ignore this profit opportunity. However, sticking with what they do best, good producers can become good marketers. Good marketing skills begin with your cost of production. Cost of production tracking and forecasting costs are essential to developing a successful marketing plan. If a producer is to properly market crops, you must know the cost of production.

Most producers track input cost well enough to calculate per unit costs., but understanding costs of production is the only way to make good decisions. This may be better stated as: (1) What price per bushel will cover my critical costs? And, (2) what are my risks if I do not take a price when it is offered? Not knowing your cost of production is the only way you can tell if the price you receive is best for your operation.

Many tools are available to determine production costs. One good way is a three section worksheet that details all cost associated with production. First, the cash costs (fertilizer, chemicals, seed, interest, crop insurance, and repairs) must be covered if you plan to farm next year. (2) Non-cash costs (your labor, hired labor, deprecation and taxes) are the next set of costs that must be covered. And, (3) the current portion of fixed investments (land and machinery). Remember, land and machinery cost are important when computing cost per acre. While you can defer some cost (intermediate and long term debt payments) in tight years, it can be difficult convincing your lender to defer cash production costs from one year to the next.

The best source of cost information is a good record system and an internal audit of your own production activities. Use of a record keeping system tracking all costs of production from a historical perspective is a powerful management tool. These should combined with estimates of input costs for the coming or current year. University of Missouri Extension’s AgEBB web site, http://agebb.missouri.edu, under farm management, provides cost of production budgets allowing producers to compare their cost to state averages. However, it is imperative that producers develop their own estimates.

For producers that need assistance in record keeping, or simply want to do a better job, University of Missouri Extension offers the Management Information Record (MIR) system where individual records are compared with other operations in the state. We also offer assistance with setting up record keeping using other accounting systems (i.e., Quicken, QuickBooks, etc.).

As producers have seen in recent years, it may not always be possible to lock in prices that cover all costs of production. Low commodity prices are beyond one’s control, but, knowing your costs of production enables you to minimize the damage. It is important to base marketing plan target prices on accurate information. A good marketing plan can aid producers in limiting losses and maximizing profit by selecting target prices based on a plan that you can modify as conditions change through the production and marketing year. Budgeting and recording your cost of production is essential for the long-term viability of your farm business. Remember, a marketing plan cannot be fully implemented without cost analysis and good producers know and understand how to make the cost of production work for them.