October News
The NDSU Extension Service is offering online video programs to address cattle issues.
North Dakota State University Extension Service agents and specialists will post a series of short video programs online in October and November to address a number of cattle marketing, feeding and management concerns and issues as they arise.
“Cattle producers with high-speed Internet connections utilizing the Web for market and weather information should find it convenient to listen to the weekly update on their schedule,” says John Dhuyvetter, area Extension specialist at NDSU’s North Central Research Extension Center (NCREC) at Minot.
The Cattlemen’s Web Update programs will be available on the NCREC’s home page at http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/minot by clicking on the Cattlemen’s Web Update link. Programs will be approximately 10 minutes long and updated each Tuesday morning. The first program will be available Oct.14. It will address concerns on silage and utilization of corn for feed.
Future programs will respond to producer questions and industry happenings and address key issues such as the hay market, county-of-origin labeling requirements, late-season grazing alternatives, Conservation Reserve Program hay and alternative feeds, backgrounding budgets and marketing calves.
“We hope the Cattlemen’s Web Updates will be a useful means to keep producers posted with information on issues while busy with fall tasks of working cattle, moving feed and preparing facilities,” Dhuyvetter says.
For additional information, contact Dhuyvetter at (701) 857-7682
Corn residue can help cut winter feeding costs for beef cattle.
Grazing corn residues is one way to reduce the cost of wintering beef cows in the upper Midwest, a North Dakota State University cattle expert says.
Corn residue left behind after harvest includes the stalk, leaf, husk and cob, as well as downed ears. The amount of downed ears varies with the corn variety, but it can be as much as 3 to 5 bushels of corn per acre, according to Greg Lardy, North Dakota State University Extension Service beef cattle specialist.
Generally, approximately 50 pounds of residue is left on the
field per bushel of corn harvested. For example, a producer who harvests 120 bushels of corn can expect about 6,000 pounds of residue per acre (120 bushels times 50 pounds of residue per bushel).
Obviously, the cow will not graze or use all of that material. At most, a cow will be able to graze about 50 percent of that material (in this example, about 3,000 pounds per acre), Lardy says. One acre of corn residue should support a 1,000-pound dry cow for 1.5 to two months. Strip grazing the fields (dividing the field and limiting access using electric fencing) will improve utilization and allow producers to increase the stocking rate.
The residue portions with the greatest nutritive value include the husk and leaf. The cob is fairly high in digestibility, but very low in protein. The stalk is low in both protein and digestibility.
Cattle are selective grazers by nature. They choose the most digestible and nutritious plant parts first. As a consequence, the longer the cattle graze a particular corn field, the lower in nutrient content their diet will be. This is due to the cattle selecting the higher-quality material first and the loss of nutrients due to weathering. Longer-term grazing may require protein supplementation to meet the nutrient needs of grazing beef cows.
Corn residue also is low in most minerals and vitamin A. Producers should follow a good-quality vitamin and mineral supplementation program when grazing corn residue, according to Lardy.
Corn residue can be grazed long into the winter feeding period, provided snow cover does not limit the cow’s selectivity and grazing ability. The length of winter grazing time will vary from year to year. Once fields are snow-covered, the cow’s ability to select the higher-quality portions of the corn residue is limited.
Two factors are the biggest limitations to grazing corn residue in this area of the country. First, many corn fields are not fenced and, second, many do not have adequate water for grazing livestock.
“However, the amount of residue available for grazing and its cost effectiveness should cause beef cattle producers to at least consider this option as one means of lowering the cost of winter feeding,” Lardy says.
Grazing corn residue also may have other drawbacks. One is an increased risk of founder or acidosis if fields have greater than normal levels of downed ears. Gradually adapting cattle to grain prior to turnout into the cornfield may be warranted if high levels of downed ears are present, Lardy says.
Soil compaction is another issue. It’s often cited as a reason for not grazing corn stalks. However, data collected in Nebraska and Iowa demonstrate that this generally is not a major problem and grazing corn residues does not affect subsequent yields negatively.
“Producers interested in reducing the cost of production for their cow herds should seriously consider the use of corn residues for fall and winter grazing,” Lardy says. “It will typically be more cost effective than other forage feeding options.”
For more information, contact Lardy at (701) 231-7660 or gregory.lardy@ndsu.edu.
An NDSU Extension family economics specialist provides tips to help people weather the current tough financial times.
2008 has been a very difficult year financially for many people.
With the high number of home mortgage defaults and foreclosures, rising unemployment rates, declining stock market prices and home values, multiple bank and investment firm failures, a credit crunch and increased costs for basic necessities, such as food, heating oil and gasoline, some would argue that we haven’t been experiencing just a “perfect storm,” but rather a “perfect tornado.”
What should you do?
“Protect yourself and take cover financially, just as you would in the event of a real tornado,” says Debra Pankow, North Dakota State University Extension Service family economics specialist and an assistant professor in NDSU’s Department of Child Development and Family Science.
Below are financial planning and investing recommendations Pankow says are appropriate anytime, but especially now, to survive and thrive in today’s difficult economic climate:
Spend less than you earn and avoid excessive debt. If household income is reduced due to unemployment or lower investment earnings, and household expenses continue to rise, adjust your household spending plan (budget) accordingly or prepare one for the first time. NDSU has several online resources. To download a worksheet, visit http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/fammgmt/he222.pdf.
· Be future-minded. Research indicates that, at every income level, people who are “planners” are more successful financially and feel better about their financial situation than those who do not plan ahead. Planning for the future includes taking a long-term view of historical investment returns; calculating the savings required to achieve future financial goals, such as retirement; saving and investing regularly to achieve financial goals; and proactively addressing potential future challenges, such as the cost of long-term care and estate planning.
· Follow recommended financial practices. Studies from a number of sources indicate many people do not put into practice the action steps that financial experts frequently recommend. These include preparing a will, making a written list of financial goals with a target date and dollar cost, setting aside three or more months of expenses for emergencies, calculating net worth periodically and following a spending plan or budget. Beefing up emergency reserves and monitoring income and expenses are especially important during current uncertain times.
· Build human capital. One of the best defenses against unemployment is to be a productive worker with current job skills in demand by employers or needed as a consultant. Leadership skills and the ability to work well with others also are important. Another way to build human capital is to practice good health habits, such as eating nutritious meals and getting adequate sleep and exercise.
· Make compound interest your friend. Invest early and often, particularly in tax-free (for example, municipal bonds or bond funds) or tax-deferred (for example, IRAs) investments, where income taxes are not owed or can be postponed until later life. Avoid tapping retirement savings before retirement unless absolutely necessary. Also avoid making just the minimum payments on credit cards. In this situation, compound interest works against you. For example, a $3,000 balance on a credit card charging 18 percent interest with minimum payments of 3 percent of the outstanding balance will take 14 years to repay and cost $2,625 in interest charges.
· Save and invest regularly. Dollar-cost average by making regular deposits to purchase stocks or mutual funds at regular time intervals (for example, $50 a month). In declining markets, you’ll buy more shares with your fixed deposit. Think of market declines as a “sale” at a department store and continue investing regardless of current market volatility. Also make deposits to savings plans, such as a 401(k), that are available through your employer and earn the maximum available match. Rebalance your portfolio as the market changes percentages in stocks, bonds and other asset classes.
· Develop a personal asset allocation strategy, then stick with it. Asset allocation is the way you divide your portfolio among various asset classes, such as stocks, bonds, real estate and cash assets. Your asset allocation strategy should be based on your investment risk tolerance level and the time frame required for your financial goals. Generally, the longer the time horizon, the more risk you can afford to take, consistent with your risk tolerance level. The shorter the time horizon, the less risk you might want to take. Your asset allocation strategy is a guidepost when markets are uncertain. If you decide to work with a financial adviser, he or she may refer to your investment strategy as an “investment policy statement.”
Know your risk tolerance level. Risk tolerance is a key factor in building a suitable investment portfolio regardless of whether markets are up or down. A research-based investment risk tolerance assessment tool can be found at http://njaes.rutgers.edu/money/riskquiz/. Research conducted with this instrument has found that risk tolerance often varies with the direction of market indices. Ideally, risk tolerance should be somewhat stable regardless of market conditions.
· Keep your investment portfolio diversified. Diversification helps mitigate investment risk and can be achieved by including different asset classes in your portfolio and different types of investments in each one. For example, in the asset class of stocks, you could have large and small companies, growth and value stocks, and foreign and domestic stocks. A common way that investors also diversify their portfolio is to buy investments, such as mutual funds and exchange traded funds, which already are diversified because they pool together many different securities. Without adequate diversification, investors are vulnerable to losses caused by declines in the value of a particular type of investment or industry sector.
· Buy low and sell high. While this is a fundamental principle of investing, many people do the exact opposite because their emotions cause them to sell in a panic during declining markets, particularly extremely volatile downturns such as those seen in September 2008. A good way to “buy low” is to follow a dollar-cost averaging strategy as described above. Dollar-cost averaging helps take the emotion out of investing because new investment deposits are made automatically regardless of market conditions.
For more information, contact Pankow at (701) 231-8593 or debra.pankow@ndsu.edu
Plan to attend a sheep shearing school at the NDSU Hettinger Research Extension Center on Nov. 18-20.
If you are interested in learning more about sheep shearing, then plan to attend a sheep shearing school at the North Dakota State University Hettinger Research Extension Center on Nov. 18-20.
The topics to be covered are:
· Professional shearing patterns
· Tagging and eyeing
· Equipment maintenance and repair
· Wool handling and preparation
Instructors for the school are Curt Olson, a Montana professional sheep shearer, and Wade Kopren, a professional sheep shearer from South Dakota. Coordinating the school is Christopher Schauer, NDSU Hettinger REC director.
The school is open to those who have experience in sheep shearing and those who do not. To allow for one-on-one instruction, registration is being limited. The registration deadline is Nov. 14.
The registration fee is $125 and should be sent to Sheep Shearing School, Hettinger REC, P.O. Box 1377, Hettinger, ND 58639. The fee includes tuition, a handbook and DVD.
For more information, contact Schauer at (701) 567-4323.
The school is sponsored by the North Dakota Lamb and Wool Producers Association, NDSU Extension Service and NDSU Hettinger REC.
Save the Date
On December 9th there will be a cattle handling and Beef industry meeting in Dickinson. I’ll keep you posted as more details become available.