LIVESTOCK NOTES
Al Kennett

Our annual Show-Me-Select replacement heifer sale is set for Friday, December 14, 2001. Looks like we will have over 400 head in the sale. The majority of the heifers will be Angus and Angus cross heifers. There will be several black white face heifers and a few Simmental cross heifers.

In the Northeast region we have processed over 2000 head of heifers in the Show-Me-Select replacement heifer program this year. By far the majority of the heifers stay on the farm. Around 20% get culled for one reason or another.

If you are interested in the sale let me know and we will send a catalog when they are available.

I'd imagine if you've been paying closer attention to your cattle this summer you've noted more "fescue symptoms" than usual. Heat stress, long hair, red tails/legs have been very evident in herds I've been in. Unfortunately, another symptom related to the heat stress that you may see are open cows this fall. Pregnancy checking your cows should be on your "to-do" list.

Missouri has added a couple of weeds to its noxious weeds list. There now are twelve. They include: Marijuana; musk thistle; Canada thistle; bull thistle, Scotch thistle, multiflora rose; bindweed; purple loostrife; Johnson grass; common teasel; cut-leaved teasel; kudzu. Kansas has sericia lespedeza on their list so it or hemlock may be Missouri additions in the future.

Fall is the time to start getting cows in body condition for rebreeding next spring according to Dave Patterson, State Extension Beef Specialist. Thin cows, with body condition scores of only 3 to 4 on a nine-point scale, are much less likely to be ready to rebreed. If cows are to be on a schedule to calve every 365 days, they have only 85 days to calve, cycle, and rebreed. Body condition score is one of the biggest factors on whether that will happen.

As a rule of thumb, from 80 to 100 pounds of body weight is needed to increase a cow by one body condition score, depending on the cows frame. Cows should be in a condition score of 5 to 6 at breeding time according to work done by researchers.

This is especially hard to do with first calf heifers as they not only are producing milk for a calf, they are also still in a growing stage themselves. If they are body condition score 3 to 4 they need to gain up to 200 pounds by calving time next spring.

To help with the weight gain, calves should be weaned in early fall rather than later. Remember a lactating cow puts most of her energy into producing milk.

Weight gains prior to calving are much less expensive than gains after the calf is born. You have a window of three to four months to get the cows in condition.

If you body condition score your cows this fall, it will help determine how you need to feed them in order to be where you want to be with them at calving time.

Extension Veterinarian Richard Randle suggests beef producers who vaccinate their own cattle change your thinking – and ways of working. "You're not working cattle," Randle says "You're processing food."

Bruises, scars, and infected lesions from faulty injections reduce the value of beef carcasses. A vaccination in the first month of a calf's life can be seen 18 to 24 months later. The damage shows up at the meat processing plant.

If meat inspectors see a needle lesion, they may condemn a large chunk of meat. Losses from faulting handling of cattle were running $640 million a year a couple of years ago.

The first rule for vaccinations is to not inject into the meaty areas of the high-value cuts. Make your injections in the neck area. Keep everything in front of the shoulder.

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Extremes in temperature can reduce the effectiveness of pesticides. When liquid pesticides are frozen, the active ingredient can separate from the remaining ingredients, and emulsifiers may be inactivated. Because of solvents and/or inert ingredients, pesticide freezing points are often below 32E F, although the general temperature range for storing liquid pesticides is between 40 and 100EF. Cold temperatures can also have detrimental effects on the pesticide storage container, resulting in the breakage of plastic, metal, and glass containers.

The "storage and disposal" section of the pesticide label details proper storage practices for that particular pesticide. As a general rule, products in water-soluble packets will become brittle when frozen, and may break open. Wettable powders and granules are not affected by low temperatures. The following precautions should also be taken when purchasing and storing pesticides. Buy only enough pesticide for one season's use. Keep pesticides in their original containers with labels intact. Store in separate, locked cabinets away from children and pets. Store in dry areas and inspect containers frequently for damage. If storage information cannot be found on the label, contact the pesticide’s manufacturer. For more information on temperature and pesticide storage, ask for a copy of G1921: Temperature Effects on Storage of Agricultural Pesticides at your local Extension center.

Now that most crops have been harvested and planning for next year has begun, it is time for soil testing. Often overlooked, this simple step can save time and money by preventing incorrect application of lime and fertilizers.

Most nutrients are readily available at soil pHs between 6.0 and 7.0. Outside of this range, nutrients such as phosphorus, iron, manganese, copper, and zinc may become less available to plants, resulting in poor crop growth and development. In such a situation, proper lime application may reduce the need for additional fertilizers. In many cases, correct application of lime to raise a too-low soil pH will increase the availability of nutrients already in the soil. Now that harvest is complete, the time is ideal to test soil. Applied now, lime has adequate time to neutralize soil acidity prior to the planting of next year’s crop.

Soil tests take the guesswork out of liming fertilization and are extremely cost effective. Working with accurate, recent results eliminates the waste of money spent on unnecessary fertilizers and provides additional benefits. For example, liming in accordance with soil test results improves the availability of certain soil nutrients, increases the efficiency of fertilizers applied to the soil, reduces the plant availability of potentially toxic nutrients, and improves the soil structure, tilth, and microbial population.

Soil fertility fluctuates throughout each growing season. Both the quantity and availability of mineral nutrients are altered by the addition of fertilizers, manure, compost, mulch, and lime, in addition to leaching. Large quantities of nutrients are removed from the soil by the plant as it develops. The only accurate way an accurate determination of the soil’s fertility can be made is with a soil test. These test results also provide the information necessary to maintain optimum fertility year after year.

Successful soil testing depends upon the initial soil sample. Reliable results are received when the sample is an accurate representation of the area sampled. A composite sample represents the entire area to be fertilized or limed, and should include plugs

from 15-20 locations within 20 acres. Separate composite samples should be made from fields which have been managed differently, or have different yield histories.

Appropriate soil sampling techniques and the proper use of soil tests is a quick, efficient, and cost-cutting tool in agronomic production. If you have questions about soil testing procedures, please contact your local University of Missouri Extension center.

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Many cow/calf operations in northeast Missouri have access to corn/stalks. Realizing winter feed costs represent the largest expense for cow/calf operations, grazing crop residue can be an effective way to reduce feed costs associated with hay feeding.

Nutritive Value
Corn stalk nutritive value varies tremendously due mostly to grazing selection and weathering. The corncob and stalk are lowest in energy and protein, leaf and husk are intermediate, and the grain is highest. Grazing cattle will select grain first, followed by leaf and husk, lastly the cob and stalk. Initial selection will be high in nutritive value and decrease quickly through the grazing period. For cows, minimal supplementation is needed the first month of grazing. However, it is important to monitor cow body condition and supplement accordingly when cow condition begins to decline.

Grazing Allowance
Research conducted by Iowa State University showed grazing 2.5 acres/winter reduced annual hay feeding by 1,800 lb. of hay per cow. Optimal grazing allowance for cows is dependent upon the amount of gain needed to obtain a desired body condition. For example, if your cows wean with an average body condition score of 5 and insignificant weight gain is desired, cows can be maintained on a .5 acre/month with minimal supplementation. If weaned cow average body condition score is 4, one cow may require as much as 2 acres/month to move up a condition score. Prior to turning cows into stalks it is important to inventory cow body condition and available corn stalk acres.

Supplementation
Minimal protein and energy supplementation is needed the first month, but salt, phosphorous, calcium and vitamin A supplements are recommended through the grazing season. Cattle forced to eat cobs and stalks will lose weight and condition. Once the grain is consumed, cows will need protein supplementation to efficiently utilize the leaf and husk. Protein can be provided in numerous ways, but research has shown that natural protein sources provide a better response than non-protein nitrogen, such as urea and biuret. Corn gluten feed and distillers grains are excellent sources for natural protein and tend to be competitive in price per unit of protein.

Crop Residue Grazing Effects on Next Year’s Grain Yield
Grazing corn stalks may seem like a good idea for your cow/calf enterprise, but what effects does it have on future performance of soybean yields? Researchers have demonstrated heavy machinery on wet fields may reduce yields 6-10% due to compaction. However, few experiments have evaluated the effects of winter grazing on future grain yields. Grazing corn stalks in muddy conditions have shown to increase soil bulk density. It is generally recommended not to graze cattle past March due to long periods of muddy conditions. Grazing frozen or dry fields has shown little effect on field compaction. If you have any questions contact your local extension office. Have a safe and productive harvest!!

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If grain prices could be predicted, selling grain would be easy. If prices were expected to increase more than storage, and interest costs, grain would be stored. If prices were expected to decline or increase less than storage and interest costs, the grain would be sold. The problem is that producers may not be able to predict prices or know someone that can provide predictions in a timely manner.

Some producers have found that using mechanical marketing plans produce as high or higher prices than if they had tried to predict prices and fight the market. The following is a discussion of why prices may be unpredictable and a discussion of what a mechanical marketing strategy is.

The efficient market theory is based on the belief that "all available information is used to determine price." Before reviewing the efficient market theory, think about what determines price. Does supply and demand determine price?

At any given point in time, no one knows how much grain is in storage or will be produced. Also unknown is the amount of grain that will be consumed as food, feed, seed, or lost in storage. Actual supply and actual demand are unknown.

If actual supply and demand are not known, what determines price? Expected supply and expected demand determine price. As new information is obtained, supply and demand expectations change. As expectations change, bid and offer prices are changed.

The efficient market theory says that prices reflect all available information. New information causes buyers and sellers to change their bids and offers. Since new information causes prices to change and no one knows what the new information will be, exact price changes cannot be predicted. What makes tomorrow’s price different from today’s price is new information.

People or companies that acquire information before anyone else may profit in the market. Companies pay millions of dollars to obtain supply and demand information first. These companies use this information to set bid and offer prices. A producer that has no unique information can not expect to make money via price predictions.

Another method to earn a profit in the market is to analyze information better than the collective ability of the market. Just having information is not enough. The price impact of the information must be determined. The direction and magnitude of future price movements must be predicted.

Producers rarely have information first. Rarely do they have the ability or time to analyze information. They often depend on information providers and receive price outlook after prices have already changed.

In timely price information is not available and prices cannot be predicted, then how should producers sell their grain? A natural answer is to develop a marketing plan that relies on mechanical marketing strategies.

A mechanical marketing plan or strategy does not rely on price outlook, market information, or any analysis. A producer using a mechanical marketing plan sell the commodity the same way every year. An example is to sell the commodity at harvest every year. Price level or outlook does not change the marketing plan.

No outlook is needed or used. Market information is ignored. Mechanical marketing plans require that actions be taken irrespective of what is happening in the market. Mechanical marketing plans use historic data to determine the time frame in which sales should be made. By looking at the peaks, which historically occur about the same time each year, a producer can plan to sell a certain percentage of his grain on each historic market peak. The producer can use forward contracts, futures markets, put option contacts, or call options to sell grain before it is harvested. After harvest, grain may be stored, stored and hedged, stored and protected with a put option, or sold and protected with a call option contract.

Comparing pre-harvest and post-harvest mechanical strategies, selling at harvest and protecting with call options has consistently resulted in higher prices for producers. While average prices are not significantly different, selling at harvest is simple; if allows producers to concentrate on production and management activities rather than marketing, and it has produced the highest net price over time.

Few people can predict grain prices. If producers cannot predict prices or know someone who can predict prices and get the predictions to them in a timely manner, mechanical marketing strategies may be the best marketing alternative.

Mechanical strategies will produce a relatively good net price for a minimum amount of effort. The differences between one marketing strategy and another are small, but the results slightly favor selling at harvest. The good news for producers that enjoy marketing and keeping up with price trends, cycles, and patterns is that efforts to "beat the market" will, on average, only cost a few cents per bushel.