Herd

Consider a controlled calving season Beef producers are always on the lookout for ways to improve the profitability of their operations. Sometimes simple solutions are the best ones. For example, controlling the length of the calving season is a simple, fundamental practice that producers often overlook. Having uniform calves is a primary advantage of a controlled calving system. Research shows that producers with a greater number of uniform calves can receive significantly higher prices at auction time because they can sell more calves together.

The Boyle County Extension Service and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture will be sponsoring the Thistle Spraying Program again this year. The date for the program will be Monday, April 25. It will be on a first come first serve basis with the first seven landowners calling the extension office at (859) 236-4484 to be placed on the list. A sprayer will be furnished and enough 2-4D chemical to spray 10 acres (5 gallons) and producers will be able to spray an additional 10 acres if they furnish their own chemical.

The rains the last couple of weeks have been great. However, we are not out of the drought yet. Even if we were to catch up on the rain, then we still have the consequences of the spring and early summer drought conditions hanging around until next spring. Between the April freezes and the drought our hay supply is very low. Our pastures have not been productive. Most of our pastures are fescue and orchardgrass based and since both of these grasses are of the cool season type then they haven't grown because air temperatures have been above 80 degrees and it hasn't rained much to cool the soil down.

HARRODSBURG - Driving past Anderson Circle Farm and its striking show barn on U.S. 127 gives no inkling to changes that are going on there, but changes are under way. Maybe one change will be most evident on March 22 when the purebred Angus herd will be sold at auction. What is happening is the development of farm management tools and practices and the ability to both track each animal on the farm while at the same time developing animals whose size, marbling, and tenderness can be predicted along with its genetic history.

Biting and sucking lice can cause slow weight gain or even a gradual loss, louse-induced anemia, or lowered resistance to stresses, such as cold, wet weather. A carefully planned and timely louse control program will cut losses greatly. Both types can occur in a herd. Typically, only a small number of animals are heavily infested. A few lice survive the hot summer months on these "carrier" animals, usually bulls or older cows. The bull's longer, denser coat and heavier neck and shoulders prevent him from grooming efficiently.

management is an important but sometimes overlooked aspect of beef cow-calf operations. A high reproductive rate in the herd increases the number of calves and can also increase weights at market. A tight breeding season can lower labor costs and the overall cost of production by increasing feed and other efficiencies. The most limiting factor of reproductive rates in Kentucky is heat stress. Some 95 percent of beef operations in the state calve in the spring and still have endophyte-infected fescue in their pastures.

Garrard discusses CSEPP budget LANCASTER - Garrard County Fiscal Court met Thursday for its second budget workshop this week and focused solely on the CSEPP projections for the next fiscal year. The Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program is entirely funded by a grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year is $100,000. Dwayne Nave, Garrard County Emergency Management Agency director, was on hand to discuss upcoming needs and changes, and wanted the public to know that he fully intends to somehow work in funding for new storm sirens.

 Lice can suck the profits out of your beef and dairy cattle herds during the winter. These cold-loving pests spread when animals bunch together in response to frigid temperatures.  You can reduce potential lice problems on newly bought cattle by keeping these animals separate from your herd until after you've given them a thorough louse treatment, generally two applications of a contact insecticide.  The first application kills active adults and immature lice but it won't destroy nits or eggs on the hide.

With the steady increase in input costs for cow-calf operations, beef producers will look to save money and cut costs in multiple fashions. One area often targeted for cost-cutting measures is money spent on bulls. Often producers focus on the initial cost of a sire, and realizeâ?? "sticker shock," when purchase prices move upward. Considering that the herd sire has significant impact on numerous traits with economic importance (coat color, calf vigor, weaning weight, carcass grade)