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Farm Facts: Cattle producer's chore list for August

August 03, 2006|DAN GRIGSON

Spring Calving Cow Herd:

* Manage pastures to minimize the effect of high endophyte levels in fescue. Clipping pastures will improve forage quality and can also aid in controlling pinkeye by avoiding irritation caused by seed heads. Pasture, other than fescue, can be beneficial this month. Fescue is at its worse in July and August now is the time to be grazing alfalfa, clover, sudangrass, sorgh-sudan & millets. You can also take advantage of what nature provides you. Cattle will do well on crabgrass, Johnsongrass and foxtail.

* Bulls should be removed from the cow herd by now! Bulls should be penned away from the cow herd with a good fence and allowed to regain lost weight and condition. This helps tighten up your calving season, which always makes you money.

* Creep graze or advance graze calves, providing them with the best forages available. Providing high quality forage to suckling calves will increase weaning weight with high calf prices and economical grain costs, your return per dollar spent will be very good. Creep feeding grain from now to October weaning will really pay off this year.

* Repair and improve corrals for fall working and weaning. Get conditioning lots and weaning ready.

Fall Calving Cow Herd

* Dry cows should be moved to better pastures as calving time approaches. Cows should start calving next month. Cows can be moved to stockpiled fescue after calving.

* Get calving equipment ready-be sure you have the following: calf puller, iodine solution for newborn calf's navel, eartags for identification, castration equipment, frozen colostrum or commercial colostrum supplement.

Stockers

* Rotate grazing stockers to keep pasture vegetive. Consider providing forage other than high endophyte fescue to avoid the "summer slump". Stocking rate on fescue should be reduced to about half the rate used in the spring.

* Keep current on your markets. Push those calves for extra pounds. Better pasture and a balanced grain feeding program will make you dollars.

General Management

* Select pastures for stockpiling. Remove cattle and apply nitrogen around August 10-15 at the rate of 150-200 lbs of ammonia nitrate per acre. Graze these fields again after frost.

* Provide shade and water. Cattle will need shade during the hot part of the day. Check water supply frequently—as much as 20 gallons may be required by high producing cows in very hot weather.

* Keep a good mineral mix with either Rumensin or Bovatec available at all time.

* Do not give up on fly control. Methods may need to be combined, i.e. spraying or using a pour-on for "tagged" cattle in later summer, especially if flies numbers are greater than 50 flies per animal.

* Take soil samples to determine pasture fertility needs. Fall is the best time to fertilize your hay and pasture fields.

For more information, contact the U.K. Extension Office at 365-2447.

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