Land and Livestock Post

September 1, 2011

FA L L F O R AG E I S S U E

Finding forage STEPS TO TAKE NOW FOR A FALL CROP ... IF THE RAINS COME PAG E 16 RECORD AGRICULTURE LOSSES

VITAMIN A DEFICIENCY

Producers take a $5.2 billion hit.

Another danger from the drought.

KEEP ON TRUCKIN'

TRACKING LIVESTOCK

PAGE 6

Farmers won't need a CDL license.

PAGE 11

PAGE 12

USDA issues new rules.

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September 1, 2011 âœŞ

The Land & Livestock Post

The Land & Livestock Post âœŞ

September 1, 2011

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The Land & Livestock Post ✪ September 1, 2011

News

Taste and smell a better steak

From the General Manager

H

ard to believe it’s September. After the blistering heat we’ve endured this summer, and the lack of percipitation, seems like we’re due for a change.

The letter “r” has been missing from JESSE WRIGHT these past four months in more ways than just the spelling of their names. Hopefully “r” in “September” will stand for rain, which will bring regrowth to our pastures and revenue to our bank accounts.

This is our Fall Forage

issue, and as of yet, most folks don’t have much forage to speak of. We have several articles in this issue that offer advice and tips to get the most out of your pastures in these difficult times.

We also have some advice in our Ask the Vet column, as well as news and information from around the industry.

Hope you enjoy it, and thanks for reading. ’Til next time.

By BLAIR FANNIN Texas AgriLife Communications

Both taste and aroma are key factors one scientist is using to learn more about producing a better tasting steak.

Chris Kerth, a Texas AgriLife Research meat scientist and associate professor in the department of animal science at Texas A&M University in College Station, is using AromaTrax technology in his laboratory to evaluate both aroma and flavor.

“We analyze all methods of sensory (input) using taste and aroma,” said Kerth, who recently was featured on National Public Radio’s Science Friday broadcast from San Antonio. Kerth also presented his research at the Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course in College Station, sponsored by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

AromaTrax uses gas chromatography/mass spectrome-

try coupled with a human “sniff port” to separate volatile compounds in the air around the hot, cooked sample, he said.

“Part of the sample goes to the machine that identifies the chemical compound, while a person sits at the sniff port and smells each of the compounds,” he said.

When they detect an odor, they click on a computer screen to match the aroma and intensity.

“The computer then matches the chemical compound to the aroma and intensity,” Kerth said. This allows an aroma/sensory profile to be developed for each product.

“Since each of the fatty acids and other meat components serve as precursors to the volatile compounds that we smell and taste, a direct link can be made between the sensory trait and the actual chemical compounds in the meat,” Kerth said.

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The proprietary software, coupled with the powerful chemical identification capability of the machine, “is a great tool to describe flavor and aroma profiles,” Kerth said.

Some of his research objectives are to determine the effect of diet (forage, distillers grain) on flavor, optimum temperature for grilling particular beef cuts, if flavor is increased by altering cooking methodology, optimum conditions for aging beef, and optimizing genetics and developing a strategy to enhance beef’s greatest asset — its flavor, he said.

Kerth’s research may branch out beyond meat science, he said, possibly using the lab to research other food products in the future.

“We can use the machine to evaluate virtually every volatile chemical compound in food to see what are the most valuable traits,” he said.

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Gaining a sense of accomplishment from nature

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two-faced groups whose goal includes the elimination of modern farming practices, that person should be allowed to raise at least one baby Holstein calf from birth to edible, or to grow enough vegetables in one summer to feed a family for just seven days.

Once they are engaged in the process of raising food, they will appreciate that farming is a complicated process that guarantees risk, pitfalls, hard work and commitment.

But they also will comprehend the sense of accomplishment of becoming part of nature, not just the skim on the top.

This experience will qualify them to examine with a keener eye the often sleazy, forked-tongued and gratuitously morbid supplications

Once they are engaged in the process of raising food, they will appreciate that farming is a complicated process that guarantees risk, pitfalls, hard work and commitment. for money, money, money from the animal-rights grubbers.

Our 20-acre-neighbors will gain the ability to distinguish their local humane societies, county agents, district agriculturalists, and veterinarians from the National Beggars Association of ANTIs who haven’t raised a calf, had it butchered or fed their family for a week from their own labors in the soil.

My advice to you farmers and ranchers who miss the old days, is to befriend your new neighbors and offer to

teach them Beginning Agriculture 101. Let them experience the deep pride one gets from personally participating in one of life’s most basic occupations. They will learn where food comes from.

And, I repeat, it is life changing.

September 1, 2011

lifestylers.” With the intention to teach their children some connection to the land and livestock, or for their own sake, they take on projects such as gardening, raising sheep, llamas, rabbits, goats, ducks, horses or cows. And BAXTER BLACK regardless whether it is an organic garden, a litter of pigs or one calf, once they get their hands dirty they begin to have an inkling of what it takes to make food out of dirt and water. It is a life-changing experience.

I think that before any person is tricked into sending money to PETA, the Humane Society of the United States, ALF, ELF, or any of those

✪

eith was driving me into Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on Highway 26 from the west.

The large grain and cattle farms began to shatter into smaller pieces of property: 40 acres, 20 acres or 12 acres.

The countryside was still green and well kept with fields of five horses or three cows. Usually it included a nice home with landscaping and a manicured entrance.

“More farm ground is disappearing every year,” said Keith, noting the loss of big farmsteads. He was right, but that has been going on since the pilgrims set foot in Newfoundland. It is the inexorable roll of civilization.

These smaller plots — “ranchettes” — are a stage in this progression. But, I’ve noticed one very positive side of those new “rural

The Land & Livestock Post

Commentary

• Baxter Black is a former large animal veterinarian who writes a syndicated column and appears regularly on National Public Radio. His website is www.baxterblack.com.

Improve your herd’s productivity

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The Land & Livestock Post ✪ September 1, 2011

News

Ag losses in 2011 hit record $5.2 billion Exceed records set in 2006

By BLAIR FANNIN Texas AgriLife Communications

T

he historic Texas drought has led to a record $5.2 billion in agricultural losses, making it the most costly drought on record, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service economists.

“The drought of 2011 will have a lasting impact on Texas agriculture,” said Travis Miller, AgriLife Extension agronomist and a member of the Governor’s Drought Preparedness Council.

“This drought is ongoing,” said David Anderson, AgriLife Extension livestock economist. “Further losses will continue if rainfall does not come soon to establish this year’s winter wheat crop and wheat grazing.”

“While these numbers paint a gloomy picture, Texans are survivors,”

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples said.

“Our farmers and ranchers will adapt and overcome this record-setting drought to ensure we have a safe, affordable and reliable domestic food supply,” Staples said.

Exceeds 2006 losses The $5.2 billion in losses exceeds the previous record of $4.1 billion during the 2006 drought. The losses also represent 27.7 percent of the average value of agricultural production over the last four years, Anderson said.

The current drought losses have reached record levels in large part due to Texas farmers failing to cash in crops during times of high commodity prices, economists said. The state’s cat-

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The Land & Livestock Post ✪ September 1, 2011

Listen cLoseLy you can hear the worms screaming RESIDUE WARNING: Cattle must not be slaughtered within 8 days following last treatment. For dairy cattle, the milk discard time is zero hours. A withdrawal period has not been established for this product in pre-ruminating calves.

Do not use in calves to be processed for veal.

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Pour Pour-on dewormers, they’re just not as effective as they once were. And that can mean poor doing cattle and a poor return on your investment.

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The Land & Livestock Post ✪ September 1, 2011

News

Losses From 6 tle producers continue to cull herds at historic levels and spend money on expensive supplemental feed.

“Livestock losses include the increased cost of feeding due to lack of pastures and ranges and market losses,” Anderson said. “Market losses include the impact of fewer pounds sold per calf cal and the impact of lower market prices due to the large number of cattle sold in a very short or time ort period.”

Losses by commodity The following are losses by commodity: • Livestock — $2.06 billion (includes $1.2 billion previousTexas AgriLife Extension Ser Service vice photo by Blair Fannin ly reported in May).

• Lost hay production value Travis Miller, Miller Texas AgriLife Extension Service agronomist and a member of the Governor’s Drought Preparedness Council, said the — $750 million.

2011 drought will have “a lasting impact on Texas agriculture.”

• Cotton — $1.8 billion.

• Corn — $327 million.

• Wheat — $243 million.

• Sorghum — $63 million.

To remain comparable to past drought loss estimates, the Aug. 17 loss estimates do not include losses to fruit and vegetable producers, horticultural and nursery crops, or other grain and row crops.

“In that regard, these estimates are considered conservative,” Anderson said.

Travis Miller, Texas AgriLife Extension Service agronomist and a member of the Governor’ s Drought Preparedness Council, said the 2011 drought will have “ a lasting impact on Texas agriculture.”

The $5.2 billion total released Aug. 17 takes into account $1.2 billion in drought losses previously reported by Ag Life Agri Li Extension in May, which were primarily livestock-related losses due to added supplemental costs and lost grazing.

“The drought began for

much of the state in September 2010,” Miller said.

Gul Coast, “Much of the Gulf Central, West Texas and the High Plains had seen abundant moisture in the summer from Tropical Storm Hermine and other rainfall events. An unusually strong La Niña pattern moved into place in the fall of 2010, which had an impact comparable to turning off the ‘rainfall switch’ for most of Texas and surrounding states.”

Driest 10 months

October 2010 through July 2011was the driest 10-month period in recorded Texas weather, Miller said.

“The drought, coupled with prolonged high winds and record temperatures were enormously destructive to Texas agriculture and natural resources,” he said.

“The summer rains caused

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Drought From 8

Combined losses for wheat, corn and sorghum grain farmers in Texas due to drought are more than $600 million.

Mark Welch, AgriLife Extension grains economist, said Texas wheat production in 2011 is about half what it would have been in a normal year.

“Wheat yields were down from a five-year average of 30 bushels to 26 bushels per acre and abandonment was up,” he said. “Given this year’s plantings of 5.7 million acres, we would have harvested 2.8 million in a normal year. In 2011, harvested acreage is estimated at only 2 million acres, down 800,000 acres. The combination of yield losses on harvested acres and higher abandonment put Texas wheat-forgrain losses at $243 million.”

Texas corn production is estimated to be down about 30 percent in 2011, Welch said, with harvested acres down 16 percent due to higher abandonment rates.

“Yields are down 16 percent statewide,” he said.

“Highlighting the severity of this year’s heat and dry conditions is that the most severe yield losses are seen in the irrigated corn grown in the Panhandle. The average corn yield in the northern High Plains is estimated at 165 bushels per acre compared to a ffive-year average of 205 bushels, down 40 bushels per acre. Yield losses and abandonment will cost Texas corn producers about $327 million in 2011.”

Grain sorghum production in Texas, according to Welch,

Meanwhile, Texas cotton growers faced unprecedented impacts from drought in 2011, said John Robinson, AgriLife Extension cotton economist. Robinson said in August USDA projected “a relatively low average cotton yield of 636 pounds per harvested acre” in addition to a “historically high abandonment of 52 percent.”

“Compared to five-year average yields and abandonment, 2011 represents a huge

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Ranchers have been purchasing expensive hay, hay having it trucked in from out of state during the historic Texas drought.

AgriLife Extension econocating all of their water supmists: plies to a reduced amount of acres as water demand from • 2011– $5.2 billion the crops was higher than • 2009 – $3.6 billion their ability to supply it.”

• 2008 – $1.4 billion • 2006 – $4.1 billion Losses since 1998 • 2002 – $316 million • 2000 – $1.1 billion The following is a list of eco• 1999 – $223 million nomic drought losses from • 1998 – $2.4 billion 1998 through 2011 compiled by

September 1, 2011

Production cut by half

Cotton losses

loss in potential production,” Robinson said. ”Applied to USDA’s measure of 7.1 million planted cotton acres in Texas, and valued at their projected price of 95 cents per pound, this loss adds up to $1.8 billion.

“It’s that $1.8 billion is also the 10-year average total value of cotton lint and cottonseed production in Texas. So, Texas cotton growers lost as much market income in 2011 as they would normally make for an entire cotton crop.”

“Perhaps the most telling thing about the 2011 drought was that even irrigated farmers were not spared,” Miller said. “While most Texas irrigation systems work well in normal or even below normal rainfall, many irrigators found that water supplies were not able to provide all of the water requirements of the crop in the absence of any rain and excessive heat. By mid-July, farmers began to try to stop (economic) losses, dedi-

✪

grass growth, which provided fuel for an unprecedented fire season, with more than 3.3 million acres of Texas ravaged by wildfire.

“This destructive climatic pattern has taken a huge toll on crops and forages, and the timing could not have been worse for Texas producers, as all of the majo ma r agri ag cultural commodities are enjoying strong prices,” Miller said.

is expected to be about half of normal in 2011. The 1.6 million acres planted spring marked the lowest in Texas history.

“Then drought lowered yields and raised abandonment rates,” he said. “The drought estimates for sorghum reported are based only on the yield and harvested acreage estimates from U.S. Department of Agriculture.

This totals about $63 million.”

The Land & Livestock Post

News

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The Land & Livestock Post ✪ September 1, 2011

News Management webinars

By KAY LEDBETTER Texas AgriLife Communications

Whether conditions are in drought or flood, range managers need to keep on keeping on when it comes to caring for the land under their control.

To help determine best management practices under a variety of conditions, the Texas AgriLife Extension Service’s ecosystem science and management unit will present a series of online webinars, said Heather Buckalew, AgriLife Extension assistant and webinar coordinator.

These webinars are designed for anyone concerned with range management seeking education from their home or office, Buckalew said.

Each webinar will be presented from noon to 1 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month. The webinars provide opportunities for getting pesticide continuing education units from home, Buckalew said.

Attendees will learn techniques for managing problem and invasive plants on rangeland and management principles and practices, she said.

Plus, users can pick and choose which webinars they want to attend.

Each hour-long webinar begins with orientation for participants about 11:50 a.m., Buckalew said. While the webinars are designed for those who want to earn continuing education units toward their agricultural pesticide applicator license from the Texas Department of Agriculture, but anyone who is interested in learning more about managing rangeland is

Webinar schedule Through the end of the year, the schedule is: • Sept. 1 — Do-ItYourself Brush Control Equipment, Bob Lyons, AgriLife Extension range specialist, Uvalde.

• Oct. 6 — Invasive Plants of Texas Rangelands, Barron Rector, AgriLife Extension range specialist, College Station.

• Nov. 3 — Rangeland Herbicide Laws, Alyson McDonald, AgriLife Extension range specialist, For t Stockton.

• Dec. 1 — Online Resources for Plant ID and Management, Megan Dominguez, AgriLife Extension range specialist, Corpus Christi. invited to attend. Beginners to more experienced rangeland managers are welcomed.

The cost is $10 per registrant per webinar, she added.

All information on upcoming webinars can be found at naturalresourcewebinars.org .

Can’t make it at that time?

Not to worry.

“All of our live webinars are recorded through Centra and published on our webinar portal as ‘archive’ webinars available for viewing at any time,” Buckalew said.

“Archived webinars will be available for viewing any time of the day or night.”

For more information contact Buckalew at 979-845-9361 or h-buckalew@tamu.edu or Leo Pardo at 979-845-1351 or lpardo@tamu.edu.

New Farmers’ Market Directory

By MEREDITH COHN The Baltimore Sun

10

The latest Farmers’ Market Directory is out from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and there are 1,000 new ones in the mix.

That brings the total to 7,175 markets in operation throughout the United States, 17 percent more than last year.

“The remarkable growth in farmers markets is an excel-

lent indicator of the staying power of local and regional foods,” said Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, in a statement.

Of cials say the interest in Offi markets has spread since 2010 beyond the far West and Northeast states, where popularity is established. Alaska and Texas had the most growth at 46 and 38 percent respectively.

The directory is available at farmersmarkets.usda.gov.

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Farmers won’t need a CDL to drive on rural roads

By JOHN SEEWER Associated Press

âœŞ September 1, 2011

Federal highway officials have decided that farmers who operate tractors, combines and semitrailers can keep driving on rural roads without the same kind of regulations that apply to long-haul truckers.

The U.S. Department of announced Transportation last month that it won’t require farmers to get commercial driver’s licenses after agriculture organizations and lawmakers from farm states flooded Washington with letters opposed to the idea.

It’s a victory for farmers who argued that requiring them to carry commercial licenses would cost them time and money.

Agriculture groups were alarmed this spring when the Transportation department asked for thoughts on whether commercial truck safety regulations also should apply to

farmers who drive their equipment on highways and rural roads within their own state.

Farmers worried they would need to spend money on training and driving tests, keep track of how much time they’re behind the wheel and carry medical records. It also would have made it harder to find help, they said, because many teens who work on family farms are too young to get a commercial license. “You add all that up together, and it’s a tremendous drain on resources,� said Justin Knopf, 33, a grain farmer near Gypsum, Kan. “There’s not a farmer around my community that this would not impact.�

Dropping the idea, he said, just made sense.

Family farms would have a tough time surviving if younger generations couldn’t drive tractors and trucks, said

The Land & Livestock Post

News

AP photo/John Seewer

Bill Myers uses his truck to haul grain on his farm in Oregon, Ohio. The U.S. Transportation Department announced last month that it would not go forward with a plan to require farmers who drive tractors and trucks on rural roads to get a commercial truck driver's license.

• See TRUCKS/Page TRUCKS 13

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The Land & Livestock Post ✪ September 1, 2011

Ask the Vet

Drought could lead to vitamin A deficiency A s our drought continues, cattle diseases resulting from drought conditions become greater risks to our beef herds. Recent columns have covered cattle health problems related to drought.

One more important disease must be discussed that could occur this year: vitamin A deficiency.

Vitamin A is necessary for many body functions including vision, growth of bone and muscle, male and female reproductive efficiency, fetal development and immune function.

Many different clinical signs can develop when animals lack vitamin A. Signs vary with age of cattle.

Sources of Vitamin A Green forage is loaded with carotene which the liver and intestine converts to vitamin A. Cattle have abundant concentrations of vitamin A when on green pastures.

Properly cured hay less than a year old has adequate amounts of vitamin A, but much lower concentrations than green grass. Vitamin A is degraded in stored hay.

Yellow pastures have very little vitamin A. Vitamin A is also present in milk. Calves are born with very little vitamin A and depend on the high concentraThe Eagle

Land & Livestock Post Published by Bryan-College Station Communications, Inc. (979) 776-4444 or (800) 299-7355

President - Jim Wilson...................................................Ext. 4613 Publisher and Editor- Kelly Brown................................Ext. 4656 Advertising Director ....................................Ext. 4740 Advertising Sales/General Manager - Jesse Wright ........Ext. 4721 Financial Director - Rod Armstrong..................................Ext. 4605 New Media Director - Mike Albin ....................................Ext. 4663 Production Director - Mark Manning................................Ext. 4671 Circulation Director - Jack Perkins ..................................Ext. 4752

tion of vitamin A in colostrum to provide them with adequate levels.

Vitamin A is stored in the liver and released to the animal during times of low intake. The length of time that stored vitamin A can furnish adequate amounts of vitamin A in the face of limited intake depends on age of animal.

That is why STEVE textbooks WIKSE , DVM give durations of protection ranging from 2 weeks to a year.

The fetus is most sensitive to vitamin A deficiency. Cows taken off green pastures will look great and not show clinical signs of vitamin A deficiency for six months after placed on a diet lacking vitamin A. They may, however, abort their fetuses during the six months.

Bulls and cows have impaired fertility when low on vitamin A. Cows abort or have stillborn calves. Dr. Robert Sprowls, director of the Texas Veterinary Medical

Diagnostic Laboratory in Amarillo, said he has diagnosed abortions in Panhandle cattle due to a combination of vitamin A deficiency and cold stress.

Common risk factor Most animal disease is multifactorial — caused by a combination of predisposing risk factors. Vitamin A deficiency is one of the most common causes of retained placentas in cattle. They can follow abortions or normal births.

The birth of weak calves that are blind and sometimes have domed foreheads also occurs with deficiencies of vitamin A. Live calves have rough hair coats and reduced growth rates. They suffer greater amounts of infectious diseases such as scours, pneumonia and pinkeye due to a weak immune system. These clinical signs are typical of an “ill thrift” condition.

Blindness is the main clinical sign of vitamin A deficiency in adult cattle. They develop a “star-gazing” posture and lack papillary light reflexes (constriction of the pupil in response to bright light).

Clinical signs in severely deficient cows progress to convul-

sions, coma and death.

Blindness also is the main clinical sign of vitamin A deficiency in people. It was a big problem in people of the Sahel region of Africa. These nomads have a culture based on cattle. Green grass is scarce in that area on the periphery of the Sahara Desert. Investigations by an international team identified vitamin A deficiency as the cause of the peoples’ blindness.

I heard an excellent presentation by a U.S. Army Veterinary Corps veterinarian who was a member of the team. She and her teammates stopped the blindness epidemic by injecting cows with vitamin A. The cows secreted vitamin A into their milk and the people received vitamin A supplementation when they drank the cows milk.

Detrimental effects

I’m concerned that cattle on the dry, yellow pastures that we now have are at risk for detrimental effects of vitamin A deficiency such as abortion, retained placentas or ill thrift in calves.

Management practices to prevent vitamin A deficiency are needed in our present situation.

There are three general methods to provide cattle with vitamin A when intake is inadequate. Probably the most common is to offer a balanced salt/trace mineral supplement fortified with vitamin A. The second method is to give cattle a vitamin A injection.

The third way is to feed

• See VITAMIN/Page 13

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From 12 high-quality hay. Alfalfa hay is especially high in vitamin A. Supplements such as breeder’s cubes also contain vitamin A. Sprowls stated that Panhandle ranches who fed cubes or offered a vitamin A fortified mineral mix didn’t experience abortions due to vitamin A deficiency.

Bottom Line I’m concerned that our prolonged drought is capable of depleting liver stores of vitamin A in Brazos Valley cattle

• Dr. Steve Wikse is a retired professor of large-animal clinical sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University.

September 1, 2011

Vitamin

inadequately supplemented with vitamin A. Under these conditions it’s very important to provide cattle with a vitamin A fortified salt/trace mineral supplement.

It may be prudent to give your cattle a vitamin A injection at this fall’s working.

Be sure to consult your veterinarian for the best recommendations on prevention of vitamin A deficiency under the unique conditions of your ranch.

✪

Bill Myers, 50, who grows corn, soybeans and wheat just outside Toledo.

“My son’s been operating equipment since he was 14,” Myers said. “He’s been hauling grain since he was 17 or 18.”

“I’d understand if there are safety concerns, but you don’t hear that,” he added.

Dozens of members of Congress from farm states in the Midwest and West wrote to the transportation department, asking that the idea be scrapped.

Members representing both parties complained that the changes might make sense in heavily populated areas, but not in rural ones where there is little traffic.

“Driving a farm vehicle down a country road in eastern Montana is a whole lot different than driving it through Times Square in New York City,” said U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont.

States can give farmers exemptions from buying commercial driver’s licenses and many do for those who drive farm vehicles short distances or haul grain within the state.

U.S. Transportation Deputy Secretary John Porcari said in a statement last month that that will continue.

“The farm community can be confident that states will continue to follow the regulatory exemptions for farmers that have always worked so well,” Porcari said.

No formal proposals or

changes were on the table, but the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said it decided to look at the idea because states seemed to be applying the exemptions in different ways. It’s not practical to expect farmers to keep their equipment off public roads, it said.

“Most states have already adopted common sense enforcement practices that allow farmers to safely move equipment to and from their fields,” an administration statement said.

The cost of a commercial driver’s license varies state to state. Ohio, for example, charges a $50 fee for written and road tests and another $42 for the license. In neighboring Pennsylvania, a commercial license costs $10 more per year than a standard license. The fee in Illinois is $60, twice as much as a basic license. In Texas, the fee is $61, plus $11 to take the commercial driver’s license exam; the license is good for five years.

But costs were only one concern.

“A lot of farmers tend to be pretty independent,” said Gordon Stoner, 56, who grows wheat, peas and lentils and raises cattle on 11,000 acres around Outlook in eastern Montana.

“The idea of government laying on more bureaucracy definitely touched a nerve,” Stoner said.

Farmers also didn’t think it made sense to group them with truckers because they only use their big rigs to haul grain for a few weeks during harvest season, while commercial drivers are on the road all year.

The Land & Livestock Post

News

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The Land & Livestock Post ✪ September 1, 2011 14

News

Saving a family farm and teaching young farmers

By KATHY McCORMACK Associated Press

D

OVER, N.H. — It’s a good season for the beloved sweet corn on the 379-year-old Tuttle Farm.

It also looks good for the crops that weren’t there a year ago, produced by a group of visiting young farmers — eggplant, peppers, pumpkins and sunflowers.

The New Hampshire farm, one of the oldest continuously operated family farms in America, raised a lot of interest — and emotion — a year ago when members of the 11th generation of Tuttles announced they were putting it up for sale. Faced with debt and their own mortality, they said the 12th generation is either too young or too entrenched in other careers.

A bit of history and tradition

was drawing to a close.

Today, the 135-acre farm is still on the market. While the Tuttles wait, a new group of farmers unrelated to the family is helping to keep the operation going, trying a variety of crops, livestock and organic farming practices, and may even stay on after it’s sold. They receive coaching and equipment from a nonprofit group that acts as a business incubator for farmers.

New Hampshire first The enterprise is a first for New Hampshire but is a type of organization that has caught on throughout the country in recent years, from North Carolina to California.

New Hampshire’s was

• See FARM/Page RM RM/Page 19

AP Photo/Jim Cole

Jameson Small uses a late 1800s seeder to plant lettuce in Dover, Dover N.H. A year after the owners of Tuttles Farm, considered America’s oldest continuously operated family farm, put their spread up for sale, they partnered with a nonprofit New Hampshire group of young, aspiring farmers who are taking care of their land as they await a buyer. buyer

Middle-aged replacement cows a better choice

By BLAIR FANNIN Texas AgriLife Communications

Hogan said even before the drought and wildfires in Texas, ranchers didn’t think cattle prices had reached their plateau. Since then inventory numbers have continued to decrease.

“They did not believe that cattle prices were high enough and stable enough to justify if ify holding back heifers when they could be sold at historically high prices for stocker or feeder heifers.”

Hogan said the situation isn’t likely to change soon.

“I think we are in for several years of pretty good prices, and I consider them pretty good right now,” he said. “I think it will go sideways or go up for several years. We’re not going to get out of this inventory situation overnight. It’s going to take a while to build up.”

JOE PASCHAL AgriLife Li Extension Life livestoc st k specialist stoc priate breed type to specific production levels.

There are pros and cons when purchasing replacement cattle, and extensive delays when raising replacement heifers, Paschal said.

“It takes about 40 months for the calf that is bred today to produce a marketable product,” he said. “That’s a long

September 1, 2011

Texas AgriLife Extension Ser Service vice photo by Blair Fannin

Joe Paschal, AgriLife Extension livestock specialist, said that when the drought breaks, producers need to keep in mind several important factors when buying replacement cattle.

Select cows for adaptability, fertility and maternal ability. Select bulls for adaptability, soundness, direct calving ease and growth. th.”

✪

When and if the Texas drought breaks, market indicators suggest that middleaged replacement cows may be a better choice than younger cattle, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service economist.

With national beef cattle inventory numbers this year declining more than 1.5 percent, Rob Hogan, AgriLife Extension economist at Fort Stockton, told attendees at the recent Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course at Texas A&M University to think about “action now” rather than later when it comes to economic returns.

“People are looking for middle-aged cows, something that has had calves before and are fairly dependable,” Hogan said. “They are worth as much as youth right now.”

Current cattle prices indicate now is the time to cull herds if producers haven’t already done so, Hogan said.

Retained heifers are down 5.4 percent compared to 2010, indicating a continued decline in national cow inventory, he said.

“In this last year, we lost another 5.4 percent retained heifers compared to the previous year,” Hogan said. “Why is cow inventory going down?

Because we’re killing cows and not saving back heifers.”

Hogan said ranchers aren’t saving heifer if s because packers ifer are “giving too much for them.”

“In the cattle business, it’s driven by economic incentive,” he said. “If it makes more money in the shorter period to feed them and then slaughter them, then people will do just that.”

Paschal, AgriLife Joe Extension livestock specialist, said that when the drought breaks, producers need to keep in mind several important factors when buying replacement cattle. Those include matching types of cattle to levels of forage availability and environmental stress because that is where the cows have to live and produce.

In selecting individual cattle, Paschal said to keep the following factors in mind: trait levels in milking ability, mature size, ability to store energy, stress tolerance, calving ease and lean-to-fat ratio.

Paschal recommends producers review AgriLife Extension publication E-190, ”Texas Adapted Genetic Strategies for Beef Cattle V: Type and Breed Characteristics and Uses” at animalscience.tamu.edu/images/ pdf/genetics/geneticsE190.pdf to help them match the appro-

The Land & Livestock Post

Fall Forage Issue

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The Land & Livestock Post ✪ September 1, 2011 16

Fall Forage Issue

Betting on the future Apply fertilizer now for the chance of a fall crop

By JAMES LOCKE Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation

It is near the end of the 2011 growing season, fertilizer prices are high and we are suffer ff ing severe drought conffer ditions. Why would anyone consider fertilizing bermudagrass or other warm-season grasses now?

There are good reasons to consider a late summer or early fall fertilization program, namely to extend the grazing season and improve the quality of available forage. Of course, unless the drought breaks, rainfall — not fertility — will be the limiting factor, so added fertilizer would not help.

Even if we don’t get additional production this fall, however, much of that fertilizer still would be available next spring.

In the Noble Foundation’s Oklahoma and North Texas service area, we usually have 90 to 110 growing days from Aug. 1 until our first hard freeze. Additionally, if you look at Carter County, Okla., as the middle of the service area, we average about 11 inches of rainfall from August through October. With proper fertilization and adequate moisture, there is enough time to produce more than 2,000 pounds dry matter per acre.

Texas AgriLife Extension Ser Service vice photo by Robert Burns

Appropriate adage

According to Noble Foundation scientists, there are good reasons to consider a late summer or early fall fertilization program.

But, unless the drought breaks, rainfall — not fertility — will be the limiting factor, factor so added fertilizer would not help.

Although I am not advocating baling hay in October, the old adage “Make hay while the sun shines” seems appropriate.

To get the best quality and growth response from late summer nitrogen, the grass should be grazed or hayed to a 3-inch stubble height by at least the middle of August. Fifty to 75 pounds actual nitrogen per acre plus phosphorus and potassium as indicated by soil analysis should be applied by Sept. 1. Either rainfall or irrigation will be necessary to move the nitrogen into the soil and sustain forage growth.

Unfortunately, without favorable weather we will not get the growth we expect. Within reason, farmers and ranchers must be optimistic and have faith that they will receive adequate rainfall.

We assume at least 20 pounds additional dry matter will be produced

per pound of nitrogen, so 50 pounds of nitrogen would produce at least 1,000 pounds dry matter, more than what would have grown without fertilizer.

This fertilized forage should have 12 percent to 15 percent crude protein content instead of the 8 percent to 10 percent expected without fertilizer.

Nitrogen cost (for 46-0-0) is approximately 58 cents per pound of nitrogen, so 50 pounds actual nitrogen costs $29. At that price, the nitrogen cost per ton of the additional forage is $58.

Once the forage is produced, a decision has to be made on how best to use it. The most common method is to stockpile the forage as a standing hay crop and graze it after frost.

Depending on weather conditions, stockpiled bermudagrass can maintain excellent quality into January.

Test the standing forage just as you would hay in order to determine if

supplementation is needed to meet nutrient demands.

Another option is to graze stockers on the freshened forage until annual winter pasture is ready to graze. This can fill a forage production gap when many producers put calves on full feed or hay.

Strip grazing system Regardless of how the forage is used, implementing a strip grazing system that only allows access to two or three days’ worth of grazing at a time may increase utilization efficiency.

If cattle are allowed access to larger areas, significant losses can occur due to trampling and animal waste.

Although we want to make cattle consume most of the forage, monitor body condition and behavior to ensure that dry matter intake is not

limited. If you note that body condition is slipping or that cattle have to work all day to eat their fill, either increase the size of the strip or allow them earlier access to the next strip.

Affordable alternatives With drought conditions across most of the southern United States, hay is in short supply and expensive.

This, coupled with high commodity prices driving up the cost of feed, means we need to find affordable alternatives wherever we can.

Look at your operation and consider if fertilizing warm-season pastures in late summer or early fall is a fit.

If so, now is the time to start.

For additional information on management strategies before, during and after drought, refer to the Noble Foundation publication Drought Management.

The Land & Livestock Post

Fall Forage

✪ September 1, 2011

Oklahoma State University photo by Todd Johnson

Because of the continued drought, it may be necessary to central feeding locations to allow pastures to recover, cover according to sciencover, tists at Oklahoma State University.

University

Pastures need time to recover from drought

By DONALD STOTTS Oklahoma State University

STILLWATER, Okla. — Though many warm-season grass pastures are dormant this time of year, the extended drought has reduced normal forage production somewhere near 70 percent of the usual seasonal total.

“Lack of forage is hindering many a cattle operation, especially when combined with a regional shortage of hay with most of the hay being low quality and expensive,” said Daren Redfearn, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension forage and pasture management specialist.

The forecast is for continued dry weather through October. If this is the case, it could be March before any appreciable forage can be grown for pasture.

“With hay feeding costs ranging from $2 to $3 per head per day, the potential cost of feeding a single animal through to March could be as great as $600,” Redfearn said.

“There are few situations where feeding hay for this length of time is profitable.”

Central feeding location

From now through at least early November, it may be necessary to restrict animals to a central feeding location to allow the forage time to grow or the pastures to recover.

This allows for both shortterm and long-term pasture recovery. In order to do this,

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it is important to: • Move animals to the worst pasture, using it as a sacrifice area.

• Allow the better pastures an opportunity to recover.

• Reduce the need to renovate a large number of acres.

• Increase nutrient supply of low fertility soils.

This situation raises the following question: What are the reasonable forage production options for the upcoming fall and spring?

Mark Gregory, OSU Cooperative Extension area agronomy specialist, said currently the best options are those that have been successful in most years for fall, winter and spring forage production.

“Depending on a producer’s location ... there are several choices to consider; although these are the most reasonable options, they are also highly risky because of the current lack of soil moisture,” he said.

“When possible, choosing at least two of the options would increase the probability of successful fall and winter pasture production.”

For bermudagrass pastures, Gregory said the key point to remember is that a modest level of soil fertility is needed to increase the probability of bermudagrass regrowth occurring this fall when precipitation occurs.

“A modest fertility level

• See RECOVER/Page RECOVER 20

17

The Land & Livestock Post ✪ September 1, 2011

Fall Forage Issue Ranch Management University to focus on drought management

By BLAIR FANNIN Texas AgriLife Communications

Strategies for drought management on rangeland will be the focus of the Ranch Management University program scheduled Oct. 10-14 at Texas A&M University in College Station.

“The historic drought that Texas landowners are currently enduring creates some critical management concerns with regards to protecting forage and future forage growth,” said Larry Redmon, Texas AgriLife Extension Service state forage specialist and workshop coordinator.

“For example, current and future stocking rates play an important role. Overall, this workshop is designed to help new landowners improve their understanding regarding management of various resources they find on their ranch properties,” Redmon said.

The fall workshop will include the following topics: soils and soil fertility, forage species selection, hay production, weed and brush management, winter pasture establishment and utilization.

Other topics include beef cattle breed selection, nutrient requirements and feeding strategies for livestock, grazing management strategies, chute-side talk on live-animal handling and demonstrations of vaccinating, dehorning and cattle castration.

There will be sessions on sheep and goat production and management and a ses-

251 counties under burn ban Associated Press

18

The record number of Texas counties with outdoor burn bans has reached 251 as the heat wave and drought continue.

The Texas Forest Service reported that Jefferson, Willacy and Zapata are the only counties lacking the burn bans.

sion for horse owners.

“An agricultural economist will also be part of the agenda, discussing a number of topics including how to plan for profit, how to develop a marketing plan and a look at alternative enterprises,” Redmon said.

Several wildlife management topics are also on the agenda, ranging from whitetailed deer and turkey management to fisheries management in ranch ponds and feral hog control.

“Field demonstrations will include learning how to assess body condition scores for cattle, how to obtain proper soil and hay samples and how to assess fish populations in ponds,” Redmon said.

“There will also be a session in the field regarding pond weeds and a demonstra-

tion on hog-trap design.”

Breakfast items, lunch and supper will be provided, and all break refreshments are included in the registration cost, as is a resource CD containing more than 100 publications covering ranch resource management. A customized Ranch Management University ball cap is also provided.

Attendance is limited to 50 people and the slots are beginning to fill, Redmon said. Cost is $500.

For additional information and registration pre-registration information, contact Redmon at 979-845-4826 or at lredmon@tamu.edu.

To register online and for additional information, go to agriliferegister.tamu.edu and type in “ranch management” in the search window.

Poultry husbandry workshop planned for Amarillo Sept. 10

By KAY LEDBETTER Texas AgriLife Communications

AMARILLO — A Poultry Husbandry and Health Management Workshop will be Sept. 10 at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center, 6500 W. Amarillo Blvd. in Amarillo.

“We decided to offer this regional event because once we get outside the cities, a large number of people have backyard flocks,” said Brandon Boughen, Texas AgriLife Extension Service agriculture and natural resources agent for Potter County.

The program will begin with registration at 8 a.m. and continue through 5 p.m., with a noon lunch included.

Registration is $40 per participant and it is open to both youth and adults, he said.

The registration form can

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The Land & Livestock Post

News goes bad, it’s our mistake. If something goes great, it’s our glory.”

Sunflowers

September 1, 2011

One of their highlights is a big patch of sunflowers. They plan to produce sunflower oil for cooking, which Small thinks he’d like to specialize in, eventually. It’s not commonly produced in New England.

The Tuttles — siblings Becky, Will and Lucy — range in age from 59 to 66.

They are happy to see the young farmers.

With the exception of a cousin, Becky Tuttles said, she never knew a young farmer while growing up.

Today, she’s seeing more of them at farmers’ markets.

“It’s just such a great, great trend because I really did used to wonder, ‘Who’s going to grow the food? There isn’t anybody learning how to grow food in the next generation.”’

“It’s such a wonderful solution,” Lucy Tuttle said.

“Where the farm has always been kind of a losing proposition on the retail side of the business, a nonprofit can absorb that.”

While it’s not unusual for a farm to be on the market after a year, the Tuttles think it’s a bit of a mystery, even with the uncertain economy.

The asking price has dropped from $3.35 million to $2.55 million.

✪

inspired in part by the Intervale Center in Burlington, Vt., which leases equipment, land, greenhouses and storage areas to small, independent farms.

“We need to grow some more farmers here,” said Suzanne Brown, founder of the 2-year-old New Hampshire Institute of Agriculture and Forestry, who used to live on a small farm in Chester. “The average age is 56, and two-thirds of our farmers lose money.”

She said the Tuttles’ story is a familiar one: “Farmers getting to a place where they want to retire, they can’t, they just can’t keep up pace with what’s happening with the markets. They would want to transition over to family members but there’s nobody there.”

The small group of resident farmers, apprentices and interns started a campaign this year to “Grow Tuttle’s Farm.”

Jameson Small and Patrick Gale of Rollinsford, both 23, worked for the Tuttles last year, weeding and harvesting and following orders. This year, they are resident farmers, so they have more autonomy.

“I’m not learning to farm; I am farming,” Small said.

“That’s really the big thing that hit us — wow, we’re farmers now. ... If something

AP Photo/Jim Cole

Young farmer Patrick Gale looks at his crop of 55,000 sunflowers — an unusual crop for New England — in Dover, Dover N.H. Gale is one of several aspiring farmers working with a nonprofit group to operate Tuttles Farm, America’s oldest continuously operated family farm, while the owners try to sell it.

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The Land & Livestock Post

Fall Forage

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Recover From 17 will also support earlier recovery for bermudagrass pasture production next spring,” he said.

Time and moisture

20

Bermudagrass pastures that are dormant and grazed short will take some time and moisture to recover. Most bermudagrass pastures will begin to show signs of regrowth with as little as 1/3 inch to 1/2 inch of rain.

However, additional precipitation will be necessary for adequate forage production.

“Most bermudagrass pastures will need at least 1.5 inches of precipitation to recover enough to begin grazing and 5 inches to 6 inches of precipitation so that forage growth can continue through until first frost,” Redfearn said.

Ideally, the precipitation should be slow enough that it results in minimal runoff.

The fall growth potential depends on the timing and amount of rainfall.

With many bermudagrass pastures grazed short, the

opportunity to successfully sod-seed small grains or legumes — where adapted — also is an option.

“Most of the seeding failures of small grains and legumes occur as a result of too much warm-season grass competition,” Redfearn said.

“In many areas, traditional wheat pasture will offer the most reasonable option for fall forage production. However, in some instances, planting one of the other small grain crops could be an option to increase the forage production potential.”

Additional information

Additional information about this management tool is available through OSU Cooperative Extension Fact Sheet PSS-2701, “Sod-Seeding Small Grains into Bermudagrass Pasture,” available at osufacts.okstate.edu.

“In addition to wheat pasture, including oat in a winter annual pasture mixture at a third to half the weight of the blend would improve the potential to produce adequate fall forage,” Redfearn said.

“Including cereal rye also would improve the chance of

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All of the winter annual forage grasses, including small grains and annual ryegrass, are relatively easy to plant in Oklahoma.

Seed will germinate in any month from August to December. If seed is broadcast, dragging the pasture with a harrow or lightly disking will increase the chance of success. Using a drill also will increase the likelihood of establishing a solid stand.

“After establishment, applying 50 pounds to 60 pounds of nitrogen per acre or 120 pounds of urea

Texas, Oklahoma drought to continue through fall WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal weather forecasters say the country can expect more of the same weather for this fall, especially for droughtstruck Texas and Oklahoma. And they urge coastal re-gions to be ready for a hurricane.

The three-month weather prediction sees no relief from the record Southwest drought. It also predicts warmer than normal weather for a wide swath of the country from Maine to Arizona.

Only the Southeast, Northwest and California likely will be spared. That’s because forecasters a La Niña system to keep

Events Calendar September

ollow us on

facebook facebook.com/texasllp

Sept. 3: South Texas Cattle Marketing’s “Fall Gathering Sale”. Nixon, TX. 830-334-8227 Sept. 7: Buffalo Livestock Marketing’s PreConditioned Weaned Calf & Yearling Sale, Buffalo, TX. 903-322-4940 Sept. 22 : Wildlife for Lunch Webinar Series: Scoring Deer Using Computer Software. http://forestrywebinars.net Sept.24: Live Oak Beefmaster Breeders Assoc.

Fall Sale. Three Rivers, TX. Sept. 29: Advertising Deadline- Land & Livestock Post. (979) 731-4721.

Sept. 30: McKellar Angus 5th Annual Female Production Sale. Mt. Pleasant, TX. Set. 30: SHOT Clinic, Show and Collegiate.

Bryan, TX . 325-672-6242

rain away.

Climate Prediction Center operations chief Ed O’Lenic also said a high pressure system that has kept tropical storms away from the East has moved, making U.S. hurricane strikes more possible, as was the case with Hurricane Irene that drenched the East Coast late last month.

Prior to that, the last hurricane to strike the U.S. was in 2008.

September 1, 2011

Easy to plant

(46-0-0) per acre in February will increase the chance of providing needed forage from mid March to June,” Redfearn said. “Where legumes are adapted, including white clover, red clover and arrowleaf clover will lessen the forage production risks.”

Both Redfearn and Gregory, however, caution that Oklahoma producers need the skies to open and rain to fall regardless of the forage production option selected.

“Soil moisture is more or less depleted in most areas, so we will need about 5 inches to 6 inches to produce one ton of forage,” Redfearn said. “This moisture will need to fall in at least two events for the perennial pasture options and probably three events for the annual pasture options.”

If soil phosphorus and potassium are adequate, then applying a small amount of nitrogen to bermudagrass should take advantage of any late summer precipitation.

“Again, moisture is needed, but this can take advantage of a single precipitation event better than the annual forage options,” Gregory said.

✪

producing winter pasture.”

For those who may want to consider including annual ryegrass in the mixture, be aware that it will not provide adequate fall forage most years but will produce more reliable pasture in the spring.

Historically, Oklahoma producers observe a phenomenon called a “good clover year” following a dry year. This can attributed to short warm-season grass residue and timely precipitation resulting in adequate clover establishment.

“Where legumes have been productive in past years, a blend of white clover, arrowleaf clover and red clover should be considered to shorten winter hay feeding,” Gregory said. “If clover has desirable establishment, these pastures should not be grazed until late March at the earliest.”

Gregory and Redfearn said producers in the eastern half of

Oklahoma and some areas of southwestern Oklahoma may benefit from fertilizing bermudagrass or tall fescue pastures with 50 pounds to 60 pounds of nitrogen per acre in late August, which could result in available pasture by early December.

Additional information about this option is available through OSU Cooperative Extension Fact Sheet ANSI-3035, “Managing Bermudagrass Pasture to Reduce Winter Hay Feeding in Beef Cattle Operations,” available at osufacts.okstate.edu.

The Land & Livestock Post

Fall Forage Issue

Bull Sale. Throckmorton, TX. www.

RABrownRanch.com Oct. 13: Advertising Deadline- Land & Livestock Post. (979) 731-4721 Oct. 13: Dudley Bros. 50th Annual Hereford Bull Sale, Comanche, TX. Oct. 15: Doguet’s Diamond D Ranch Annual Brangus Bull and Female Sale, Poteet, TX. Oct. 19: Texas Hereford Fall Classic, Buffalo Livestock Marketing Inc., Buffalo, TX. Oct. 19: Thomas Charolais 10th Annual Bull Sale, Raymondville, TX. Oct. 20: Wildlife for Lunch Webinar Series: Aging Deer on the Hoof. http:// forestrywebinars.net Oct. 21: W4 Ranch Hereford Bull Sale, Morgan, TX. 903-599-2403 Oct. 21: 44 Farms Angus Female Production Sale, Cameron, TX. (254) 697-4401 Oct. 22: 44 Farms Angus Bull Sale, Cameron, TX. (254) 697-4401 Oct. 27: Advertising Deadline- Land & Livestock Post. (979) 731-4721 Oct. 29: Oak Creek Farms Forage Tested Bull Sale. Chappell Hill, TX. (979) 836-6832.

October

Oct. 1: Heart of Texas Replacement Female Sale. Groesbeck, TX. 903-599-2403 Oct: 11: Powell Herefords, 14th Annual Production Sale. Ft. McKavett, TX. 325-6531688 Oct. 12: R.A. Brown Ranch 37th Annual

Do you have a sale or event you’d like listed? Call Jesse Wright at (979) 731-4721 or email jesse.wright@theeagle.com

21

The Land & Livestock Post ✪ September 1, 2011

News

South Texas cotton crop good despite drought

By ROD SANTA ANA Special to The Post

EDINBURG — As the cotton harvest winds down in South Texas, experts are qualifying their favorable comments with a single word: considering.

“We’ve had a really good cotton year, considering,” said Brad Cowan, a Texas AgriLife Extension Service agent in Hidalgo County. The qualifie if r, of course, refers to ifie the lingering, record-breaking heat and drought.

“One reason our cotton has done so well is that cotton actually likes hot, dry weather, especially if it can be irrigated or rained upon in a timely fashion,” Cowan said.

With beneficial rainfall from a tropical storm in early July and timely river irrigations, some yields from the Lower Rio Grande Valley’s 195,000-acre crop have been exceptional, he said.

“We’ve got about 20 percent of our crop in Hidalgo County still out in the field, and I suspect we’ll be harvesting right up until the Sept. 1 deadline,” Cowan said. “But some of our irrigated yields have been really good — over three bales per acre. Even some of our dryland growers, not all of them, but some are bragging about their yields too.”

The successful dryland farmers in the Valley were helped by a rain in early May and a moderation of temperatures in June. The latermaturing irrigated crop got a boost from Tropical Storm Don instead of potentially devastating rains that were feared, Cowan said. Normal cotton yields on irrigated fields have averaged two- to two-and-a-half-bales per acre, Cowan said. A bale is 500

pounds of lint.

“Yields have been going up historically because of betteryielding varieties of cotton that have been introduced to the area,” Cowan said. “But even more significant is the lack of insect damage due to the successful efforts of the boll weevil eradication program.”

Farther north, in the Coastal Bend area, Cowan’s counterpart in Nueces County sums up their harvest in similar words.

“About 98 percent of our cotton has been harvested and yields are fairly respectable, considering what we’ve been through,” said Jeff Stapper, an AgriLife Extension agent near Corpus Christi.

Unlike the Valley, the vast majority of cotton in the Coastal Bend area is grown on dryland fields that depend totally on rainfall.

“Our biggest rain came in mid-May, 1 to 3 inches, and that made our cotton crop because it came just when plants were starting to bloom,” he said. “It was a big help, but then nothing after that. It’s been bone dry.”

Yields are averaging 600 to 700 pounds of lint per acre, Stapper estimates.

“We planted 136,000 acres of cotton in Nueces County, and about 20,000 acres failed,” he said. “It just never came up.

But what did survive matured earlier than usual thanks to above-normal heat units in the growing season, so our harvest ended about 20 days earlier than usual.”

Valley cotton gin yards are overflowing with modules, which will take some time to

• See COTTON/Page COTTON 28

Texas AgriLife Extension Ser Service vice photo by Rod Santa Ana

Round and rectangular modules of picked cotton await ginning at the Buddy Ross Gin in Mercedes. The cotton crop in South Texas is good — considering the drought plaguing all of Texas.

Betty Jean Williams Estate

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Collections of over 40 Cookie Jars, Fenton Glass & Lladro Figurines, 6 pcs Goebel Germany Queen Series, Antique Kraut Cutter, 5 gal Stoneware Crock, Large collection of Barbies (in the box!), Dolls, Dolls, Dolls!!! Several Glass Curio Cabinets, Wrought Iron Twin Daybed, Antique Lamps, Large collections of Brush-McCoy, McCoy, Van Briggle, Roseville, Hull, Niloak, Weller, Shawnee, Westmoreland, Avon Glassware, Pottery and Crocks, Royal Doulton Cadence TC1007 set of China, Collections of Salt & Pepper Shakers, Antique Tobacco Cutter Collection, Antique Toys, Several Pieces of Antique Furniture, Bookcases, Household furniture, Cedar Chest, Generators, Shop Equipment and Tools, (2) Storage Buildings, Several Zero Turn Lawnmovers, (2) Yanmar YM2210 Tractors w/ Koyker 80 FE Loaders, King Kutter XB Shredder, Sole E95 Elliptical Machine, Bowflex Ultimate Exercise Machine, Takemi Select Massage Chair, SEVERAL HUNDRED BOX LOTS! THIS IS A PARTIAL LISTING ONL AS WE ARE STILL INVENTORYING ONLY ORYING OR AND UNBOXING THIS HUGE COLLECTION.

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September 1, 2011

Graham

injured in fighting or while breeding cows, he said.

And don’t forget about herd health, he said, recommending that producers get input from their veterinarian to develop a preventative herd health plan to protect against reproductive diseases that can cause abortion in bred females.

“Herd health and nutrition are very important,” Paschal said. “Biosecurity is very important. Have good fences and watch what you bring in.

Animals that you bring in or purchase, you need to isolate them at least 30 days.

“Don’t expect those thin cows to breed because they just won’t,” he said.

“Number of calves born multiplied by price per pound and weight minus cost is what your net return is. Repro-duction is 10 times more important than growth. Growth traits are about four times more important than carcass traits. Select cows for adaptability, fertility and maternal ability. Select bulls for adaptability, soundness, direct calving ease and growth.”

✪

time to wait for a return on your genetic investment. It could be shortened by purchasing replacement females.

Purchasing generally can get you into the business more quickly. However, it may be difficult to find the desired breed type at the price you want to pay. Raising replacement heifers heif has the advantages of allowing for selection of the appropriate genetics for your environment.”

Purchasing methods can include the local commission company, special stocker and replacement female sales, private treaty and Internet sales.

The main drawback to Internet sales, Pascal said, is that you buy a minimum of half a load, about 20 head at a time.

On the other hand, for larger operations that would be desirable.

Paschal said the advantage

of private treaty is the producer has the opportunity to actually visit the seller’s ranch.

“You get to spend some time there and see the operation,” he said. “This does have its advantages in that you are seeing what you are buying beforehand.”

To avoid reproductive failure, Paschal recommends using fertile bulls that have passed a breeding soundness exam conducted by a veterinarian, and cows that are in good body condition (at least a five or better) and are exhibiting estrus.

Heifers should weigh a minimum of 65 percent of their mature weight prior to breeding. In addition, they should be at least a body condition score of six. Paschal also recommends a pelvic area measurement in heifer if s prior to breedifer ing. Culling heifers with narrow or small pelvic areas should help reduce calving difdif ficulty.

Put out equal numbers of young bulls and mature bulls.

If you put out a young bull with older bulls, they could get

The Land & Livestock Post

Fall Forage Issue

Texas AgriLife Extension Ser Service vice photo by Blair Fannin

Rob Hogan, Texas AgriLife Extension Service economist, told attendees at the recent Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course, “I think we are in for several years of pretty good prices, and I consider them pretty good right now.” now

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23

The Land & Livestock Post ✪ September 1, 2011

News

USDA issues new rules for tracking livestock

By MICHAEL J. CRUMB Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa — New rules for tracing diseased livestock will lead to greater compliance and improve the country’s ability to market its livestock products overseas, U.S Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said Aug. 9.

Vilsack, who announced the proposed system to improve the tracking of livestock during a conference call with reporters, said it would apply only to the movement of livestock across states’ borders and would require animals to be accompanied by an interstate certificate of veterinary inspection or some other documentation, such as brand certificates or ownershipper statements. Animals would be identified using an approved form of ID for each species, such as metal eartags for cattle.

The announcement came 18 months after the U.S. Department of Agriculture abandoned a program intended to trace the movement of farm animals across the country and said it would begin work on plans for a more flexible program to be administered by the states and tribal nations. A voluntary program implemented in 2004 to pinpoint an animal’s location within 48 hours after a disease outbreak was poorly received, with just 36 percent of farmers and ranchers participating in 2009.

That should change under the proposed rules, Vilsack said.

“We would not propose this if we weren’t confident it would do a better job than we’ve done in the past,” said Vilsack, who cited a 150-day investigation into a bovine

tuberculosis outbreak.

He said animals should be able to be traced within days of a disease outbreak. In some cases it may take weeks. In either situation, it would be a “significant improvement,” Vilsack said.

He and John Clifford, the USDA’s chief veterinarian, said the proposed rules were developed after meetings with producers, veterinarians and agriculture officials in each state.

“We’re worked closely to give them maximum flexibility but also to make sure we give them good traceability,” Vilsack said.

Clifford said certificates and other documentation would be obtained after the sale of an animal and before it is shipped to another state.

“The rule will not impede commerce,” he said. “It is not the responsibility of the market to determine the destination. After animals are sold and it’s determined where they are (transported) they will get certificates.”

Clifford said the proposed system “strives to meet the diverse needs of the animal agriculture industry and our state and tribal partners, while also helping us all reach our goal of increased animal disease traceability.”

Vilsack also said the proposed system puts the U.S. in a “much better competitive position” among foreign countries wanting to ensure the products they buy from the U.S. are safe.

“This will give us greater compliance, greater confidence and allow us greater ability to market our products,” he said.

The system would not prevent a state from developing its own system or interfer rf e rfer

Photo courtesy Boston University

Metal eartags may be required by the USDA to track cattle shipments across state lines. with existing systems already in place, he said.

The program would cost about $14.5 million a year and would require congressional support, said Vilsack, who was optimistic lawmakers would approve the proposed system.

“We spent a great deal of money in the past to get only meager support and participation in the system,” he said.

“By doing the outreach we’ve done, we will get

greater compliance and greater acceptability and ... greater support.

“There is a good case to be made that we will have a substantial return on our investment, minimize testing and costs and producers and being more competitive in marketing our livestock to export markets,” Vilsack said.

“So I see this as a wise investment,” Vilsack said.

Gilles Stockton, a Montana cattle rancher, opposes the proposed system, saying it places too much burden on producers.

“If they are going to require a metal eartag in a calf and that number is going to have to be recorded, you are going to have to individually restrain each calf to read it, and that’s logistically not possible in field conditions,” he said. “It’s not even possible at a sale barn. They don’t have

the time.”

Stockton, 65, whose ranch is near Grass Range, Mont., said it seems the plan is in response to fears of foot-andmouth disease being introduced in the U.S. from England and Europe.

He said the system wouldn’t prevent the introduction of the disease in the U.S., and that once it was found here, all livestock shipping would come to a halt, making tracing unnecessary.

“You’re requiring a million livestock owners to go through this process year after year for a theoretical threat,’ he said.

The National Pork Producers Council released a statement Aug. 9 applauding the USDA for taking steps to improve animal disease traceability.

A 90-day public comment period wwill take place before the rules would be adopted.

Oak Oa Creek Farm Fa s Forage Tested Bull Sale Satur Sa day, day October 29th, 2011 • 12:30 p.m.

At Oak Creek Farms Sales Facility, cility, cility Chappell Hill, Texas

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OCF Bulls grazing on Tifton 85

24

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Despite high milk prices, dairy farmers struggle

By CURTIS TATE Special to The Post

farmers and processors can’t agree on one key component of dairy reform, and no one can predict how ongoing discussions in Washington about reducing federal deficits could affect efforts to help farmers.

The USDA has long supported dairy farmers, but those programs took shape during the Great Depression, when dairy farming was a very different business.

“There used to be a time when milk supply was local.

You had a cow on your farm and fed your family or shared with your neighbors,” said Michael Marsh, the chief executive offi of cer of the Western United Dairymen. “It hasn’t been local for decades now.”

The good times for dairy farmers ended in late 2008.

Prices collapsed with demand in a weakened economy, and a healthy export market turned sour. At the same time, the cost of feed skyrocketed, driven in part by the diversion of corn for ethanol production.

Some farmers lost a genera-

tion of equity in a matter of months, then borrowed huge sums just to stay afloat.

Others sold their dairy cows at auction — for meat, not milk.

“It was just catastrophic.

We had a couple farmers who took their own lives,” Marsh said. “There’s no way we can go through that again.”

U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., the ranking member of the House of Representatives’ Agriculture Committee, outlined last month a draft proposal to help dairy farmers, including overhauls to price supports.

Most of the reforms in Peterson’s draft aren’t controversial. But not everyone is happy with a program that would set limits on milk production in an effort to prevent oversupply and price fluctuations. Farmers won’t get paid if they produce extra milk.

“It’s effective at helping stabilize prices, but different groups and regions have difdif ferent views,” said Chuck Nicholson, an associate professor of agriculture policy at

September 1, 2011

Photo courtesy BestPhotos.US

Efforts are under way in Congress to replace the longstanding USDA safety net for dairy farmers, first implemented during the 1930s.

that.

“There’s a certain sense of urgency,” he said. “If the farm bill doesn’t get done for another 15 months, it may be too late.”

Many farmers aren’t waiting.

For 39 years, Heckman supplied milk bottlers and cheese and ice cream makers.

“There was always a market for my milk,” he said.

He said he started losing money 10 years ago, and in the past few years it got worse.

Heckman sold his 28 dairy cows in May. Heckman, who’s 62, said there wasn’t much the government could do to make him change his mind.

“As far as me getting back in, no, I don’t think so,” Heckman said.

“Unless Obama comes in and gives me a trillion dollars,” Heckman said.

✪

WASHINGTON — With a gallon of milk costing as much as or more than a gallon of gasoline this summer, a consumer scanning the supermarket shelves might think the situation is a cash cow for dairy farmers.

In reality, it isn’t. As the price of milk hovers around $4 a gallon, dairy farmers nationwide still are struggling with the aftermath of what’s dubbed the Great Dairy Recession.

“For a young guy starting out in dairy farming, it’s tough,” said Jim Heckman, a farmer in Walker Township, Pa., who sold his dairy herd in May. “I wish them the best of luck, but I don’t think they’ll make it.”

While milk prices have rebounded since 2009, feed prices have stayed high, and farmers now are just breaking even, though many of them remain heavily in debt.

Thousands of farmers, from Vermont and Pennsylvania to Idaho and California, have exited the dairy business, according to industry numbers. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there were 65,000 dairy farms in 2009, a decline of 33 percent from 2001. Despite the decline in the number of farms, milk production rose 15 percent in the same period.

Some in Congress want to replace longstanding safety nets for dairy farmers with new ones that better reflect the challenges they face.

The debate comes as Congress gears up its debtreducing “supercommittee” compelled to cut billions in federal programs, potentially affecting dairy subsidies. The outcome of any new policy, meanwhile, could affect not only those who milk cows and process dairy products, but consumers’ costs as well.

“The current dairy safety net failed a lot of producers,” said Chris Galen, the senior vice president for communications at the National Milk Producers Federation. “Farmers are terrified because they don’t have a strong leg to stand on.”

Adding to their uncertainty: Groups representing dairy

California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, RIdaho, who supports Peterson’s plan, said he realizes that everyone wants somedif ent. thing differ “I’ve worked on dairy policy long enough to know that unity is an elusive goal and regional disparities inevitably muddy the waters of reform,” Simpson said. “Still, I believe it is important to put a concept on paper.”

Still, any dairy reform efforts may be at the mercy of the 12-member debt-reduction “supercommittee” that begins work next month.

Galen of the National Milk Producers Federation worries Congress might not act quickly enough.

The federal farm bill expires on Sept. 30, 2012, and struggling dairy farmers need more certainty sooner than

The Land & Livestock Post

News

texasland-homes.com Charlie Neff

Broker/Realtor®

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25

The Land & Livestock Post ✪ September 1, 2011

News LIVESTOCK MARKET REPORTS Bryan

Results of the Brazos Valley Livestock Commission’s Aug. 16 sale: Head: 2,353 Steers: 200-300 lbs., $121$182.50; 300-400 lbs., $119$175; 400-500 lbs., $118$151; 500-600 lbs., $110-131; 600-700 lbs., $108-$132; 700800 lbs., $117-$129.

Heifers: 200-300 lbs., $115$149; 300-400 lbs., $106$140; 400-500 lbs., $105$129; 500-600 lbs., $104$125; 600-700 lbs., $100$104.

Slaughter cows: $30-$67.50.

Slaughter bulls: $62-$78.

Bred cows: $450-$900.

Cow/calf pairs: $600$1,000.

Buffalo

Results of the Buffalo Livestock Exchange’s Aug. 13 sale: Head: 2,769 Steers: 150-200 lbs., $135$190; 200-300 lbs., $132$175; 300-400 lbs., $135$172; 400-500 lbs., $126$152; 500-600 lbs., $120$134; 600-700 lbs., $112$129; 700-800 lbs., $114$121.

Heifers: 150-200 lbs., $150200 lbs., $125-$180; 200-300 lbs., $122-$165; 300-400 lbs., $120-$139; 400-500 lbs., $116-$134; 500-600 lbs., $112-$132; 600-700 lbs., $108-$120; 700-800 lbs., $105-$115.

Slaughter cows: $39-$70.

Slaughter bulls: $63-$74.

Bred cows: $610-$990.

Cow/calf pairs: $710$1,050.

Caldwell

Results of the Caldwell Livestock Commission’s Aug. 17 sale: Head: 1,251 Steers: 200-300 lbs., $130$170; 300-400 lbs., $125$160; 400-500 lbs., $115$145; 500-600 lbs., $110-

$130; 600-700 lbs., $105$130.

Heifers: 200-300 lbs., $115$160; 300-400 lbs., $110$150; 400-500 lbs., $110$140; 500-600 lbs., $105$130; 600-700 lbs., $105$120; 700-900 lbs., $90-$115.

Slaughter cows: $30-$65.

Slaughter bulls: $50-$72.

Stocker cows: $570-$850.

Cow/calf pairs: $700-$900.

Jordan

Results of the Jordan Cattle Auction’s Aug. 18 sale: Head: 4,527 Steers: 200-300 lbs., $145$162.50; 300-400 lbs., $140$152.50; 400-500 lbs., $130$140; 500-600 lbs., $130$140; 600-700 lbs., $125$140; 700-800 lbs., $120$125.

Heifers: 200-300 lbs., $120$133; 300-400 lbs., $120$133; 400-500 lbs., $120$133; 500-600 lbs., $115$126; 600-700 lbs., $110$116; 700-800 lbs., $105$108.

Slaughter cows: $45-$72.50.

Slaughter bulls: $62-$80.

Stocker cows: $500-$980.

Cow/calf pairs: $650$1,400.

Milano

Head: 1,663 Steers: 300-400 lbs., $132.50; 400-500 lbs., $122.50-$155; 500-600 lbs., $115-$140; 600-700 lbs., $106-$130; 700-800 lbs., $113-$125; 800-900 lbs., $110-$112.

Heifers: 300-400 lbs., $117.50-$142.50; 400-500 lbs., $113-$135; 500-600 lbs., $110-$125; 600-700 lbs., $105-$120; 700-800 lbs., $110.

Slaughter cows: $38.50-$66.

Slaughter bulls: $68-$79.50.

Bred cows: $700-$810.

Cow/calf pairs: $1,175$1,250.

— Special to The Post

Willie Nelson inducted to Ag Hall

26

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Country music legend and Farm Aid founder Willie Nelson was inducted into the National Agricultural Hall of Fame in Bonner Springs, Kan., on Aug. 13.

The induction ceremony was the same day as the 26th annual concert to benefit farm

It’s Right Around the Corner!

families at Livestrong Sporting Park in nearby Kansas City, Kan. Nelson organized the first Farm Aid concert in 1985 with John Mellencamp and Neil Young to raise money for family farmers and draw attention to their economic struggles.

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Texas among states getting expanded broadband access

September 1, 2011

is important to improve economic and educational opportunities in those areas.

The states that will benefit from the funding are: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

✪

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Telecommunications companies in 16 states are sharing more than $103 million in federal funding to help expand broadband Internet access to rural America.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the grants and loans through its rural development office on Aug. 22.

Rural Utilities Service Administrator Jonathan Adelstein said in a conference call that rural areas lag behind urban parts of the country when it comes to AP Photo/Jim Cole broadband Internet access.

Jameson Small, left, and Patrick Gale look after one of their pigs on the Tuttles Farm in Dover, Dover N.H., That’s because those areas where they are learning how to be farmers. don’t have enough people, have rugged terrain, or it’s William Penn Tuttle, built tion, it’s going to be a wontoo costly for companies to the original 20-acre parcel to derful to have a source for about 200 acres. Their father, locally grown organic vegeta- serve them.

Adelstein says that access Hugh Tuttle, was profiled in bles.”

The Land & Livestock Post

News

Farmers From 19

Protecting the land Dover, a few miles from Maine, has grown and developed around the property, designated as conservation land since 2006, meaning the land itself can’t be developed into strip malls or condos.

“One of the unique things about this farm other than the history is that a 22,000car-a-day road goes right through the middle of it,” Will Tuttle said. “Most farms — you’ve got to work to get there.”

The farm began in 1632 when John Tuttle arrived from England to a settlement, using a small land grant from King Charles I to start his enterprise.

The Tuttles’ grandfat df her, dfat

1971 by Life magazine as the last of a dying breed of family farmers.

Two investors who’ve expressed interest in the land want to continue to keep an organic farm operation, said Dan Barufaldi, the city’s economic development director.

They also want to find someone who can manage a possible on-site restaurant in the barn serving the locally grown food and branding the Tuttle name on products such as tomato sauce made from the farm’s tomatoes and pesto from its basil.

“This is something that’s very important to the city of Dover, not only because it’s an icon,” Barufaldi said.

“It also is going to add a tourism attraction, it’s going to be an educational attrac-

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The Land & Livestock Post ✪ September 1, 2011

Opinion

Branding is an option ranchers can’t ignore

By JOE PARKER Jr. Special to The Post

T

here are three things we ranchers seem to deal with on a regular basis: government, Mother Nature and cattle thieves. We can’t always control how the government regulates our industry, and we can’t ever control the hand that Mother Nature deals us. But we can work to protect ourselves against cattle thieves by branding our livestock.

Branding is a tradition in Texas. Since before the 1800s, Texas ranchers have used brands to identify their livestock and help prevent cattle theft — a phenomenon that still happens pretty frequently in Texas today. In fact, in 2010, the number of cattle reported missing or stolen to the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association

Cotton From 22 process.

“We don’t have as many gins as we used to,” Cowan said. “And nobody’s sure how long it will take to gin it all, but that’s okay. The weather’s good and cotton stores fairly well once it’s in the gin yard since the tops of the modules are covered with tarps. The sides are open and can get a little wet, but that’s just not an issue.”

Both Cowan and Stapper are now hoping for rain in what’s normally considered the rainy season in South Texas, late August and September.

was approximately 7,700, an increase of 220 percent from 2007.

In 1877, the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association was created with the objective of preventing cattle theft.

While the association has evolved and expanded over the past century, preventing and solving JOE PARKER JR. agricultural crimes, especially cattle theft, remains the foundation of the association.

Law enforcement is such a priority for the association that the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association employs 30 special rangers stationed throughout Texas and Oklahoma whose main objec“Once we get the cotton out of the way, then we’ll be looking for moisture, just like everybody else in agriculture,” Cowan said. “And there’s hope since the weather patterns seem to have changed the past few days.”

Stapper said rainfall is especially critical now.

“We grow some of the state’s best grain sorghum and cotton crops right here in the Coastal Bend area, but now we need some good rains to get us going and help us start preparing for next year,” Stapper said.

With sufficient fall rains, Stapper expects growers will plant a winter crop of 5,000 to 6,000 acres of wheat and a few hundred acres of oilseed crops, including canola, rape and safflower.

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tive is to protect ranchers from thieves.

Ask any of the 30 special rangers and he’ll tell you the best way to prevent cattle theft is to brand. If branded cattle are stolen, they are much more likely to be recovered than unbranded cattle.

Last year alone, the association special rangers recovered or accounted for more than $3.6 million worth of stolen property, much of which were stolen cattle.

The rangers have a high success rate partly because the association hosts the nation’s largest brand recording and retrieval system — the first place checked when a special ranger receives a theft call. The database is updated daily by the association market inspectors who collect brands and other identifying marks on 4 mil-

lion cattle sold at 105 Texas livestock auctions.

While there is no law requiring a rancher to brand livestock, if you do brand, there is a law requiring that you register your brand with the county clerk’s office every 10 years.

Beginning Aug. 31 and running through Feb. 29, all Texas brands, whether old or new, must be re-registered in the county or counties where you operate. If you don’t reregister your brand during this time period, then your brand is up for grabs by anyone who may want it. It’s also important to know that it is against the law to use a brand that isn’t registered.

To make the re-registration process a little simpler, the association has put together a website, www.tscrabrands.com, which has all the informa-

tion and forms needed to reregister your brands. Here you can find lists of brands by county, guides on how to design and read brands and contact information for all the county clerks.

It’s a tough climate for Texas ranchers right now, both literally and politically.

We can’t always control the government and we certainly can’t control Mother Nature, but we can work to protect our investment from thieves.

The first step is to re-register your brand.

• Joe Parker Jr. is a third generation rancher from Clay County and president of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. He is chairman of the board and president of the First National Bank of Byers.

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Producers worry about winter wheat prospects

By ROBERT BURNS Texas AgriLife Communications

of cotton boll-drop, but the rest of the region suffered from extreme drought conditions. High temperatures were in the lower 90s in the mountains, but still in the triple digits along the Rio Grande. Nighttime temperatures dropped into the low to mid 70s in some areas. Cotton near El Paso was in full bloom and setting bolls, with very low pest pressure. Some pecan trees were winding up a light August nut drop. Other trees were entering the gel stage and continued to grow. Alfalfa producers were taking their fifth cutting.

North — With no rain and 100plus degree daytime highs, soilmoisture levels were shor t throughout the district. The drought continued to take its toll on pastures. Nearly all livestock producers were feeding hay and supplements. Feed dealers were enlisting AgriLife Extension offices to help them find hay.

Some dealers had to go as far as Alabama to find hay. With the

19.95

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s

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drought and extreme shortage of hay, most producers were reducing or liquidating their herds.

Stock tanks were very low and ponds were drying up across the area. Most corn and grain was harvested, with yields for both crops reported as average or slightly above. Grain sorghum that was planted on time did well, but late-planted sorghum was struggling. A few soybean fields were harvested over the past couple of days, but most was being cut for hay. Cotton looked terrible, and peanuts were in ver y poor condition.

Skunks and armadillos were reportedly digging under houses to escape the heat and find moisture. Feral hogs were searching for ponds and mud holes.

Panhandle — The region continued to be hot and dry. Soilmoisture levels were very short.

Irrigators were still very active.

More cornfields were abandoned because of lack of irrigation.

September 1, 2011

were at best in fair condition.

Feeding livestock this winter program was expected to be a huge challenge for producers.

Central — Temperatures remained high. Where there was rain, forages greened up but were not growing as well as hoped. Water for livestock was becoming a major issue. Hay prices continued to rise. Most corn and milo were baled for hay.

Trees were going dormant; some are dying.

Coastal Bend — Extremely high temperatures and severe drought conditions continued.

The cotton harvest was ongoing.

Many trees showed signs of drought stress, and some were dying. Ponds were dr y or extremely low. Herd liquidation became a reality for beef cattle producers. What cattle remained were being supplemented with hay and feed. Most livestock water had to be hauled or pumped from wells. Hay was being hauled in from other states.

East — Some areas had scattered showers, but they did not bring enough moisture to alleviate drought conditions. Pastures remained dry and short. Trees were dying. Ponds and creek levels continued to drop; some were already completely dried up. Producers were buying hay from out of state. Some also brought in water for livestock, while others continued culling of herds and some sold off entire herds.

Southwest — The drought continued with no rain forecast.

High afternoon winds created dust storms. While high temperatures dropped to the upper 90s, the heat continued to aggravate the dr y conditions. Wildfire alerts remained in place. Many stock tanks completely dried up.

Forage availability remained well below average for this time of the year. The cotton harvest was ongoing, with excellent yields from fully irrigated fields, but most dryland and partially irrigated cotton failed. Sweet corn, recently planted for an early fall harvest, made good progress under heavy irrigation. Peanuts, pecans and landscape nursery crops continued to make good progress wherever irrigation water was still available.

Ranchers were providing supplemental feed to remaining livestock.

Far West — In Glasscock County, rains caused quite a bit

✪

COLLEGE STATION — After the failure of many of their summer crops due to drought, now producers have good reason to worry that they won’t make a winter wheat crop either, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service expert.

“There are some real concerns right now, not only about potentially getting the crop up in the future, but about what kind of yield potential we are going to have with the crop if we do,” said Todd Baughman, AgriLife Extension agronomist for the Rolling Plains region.

The concern focuses on soilmoisture reserves, as the bulk of winter wheat is planted during September and October, Baughman said.

Without better soil moisture, the crop will not even emerge.

The concern is felt not just for grain production, but for livestock forage production too, as winter wheat is also commonly relied upon for fall grazing, he said. And wheat producers have reason to be concerned throughout most of the state, not just in the Rolling Plains region.

“If you don’t get it up and growing, that’s going to limit your fall grazing, which is really going to hurt you from a cattle-performance standpoint,” Baughman said.

“That’s probably the No. 1 fear that we’ve got right now.”

But for those who need grain production, the lack of soil moisture is causing a lot of anxiety as well, he said.

“If we don’t build up some soil moisture to grow this crop, there’s concern that it’s going to run out of water just like the cotton crop has done this year because it won’t have any real deep moisture to help with the yield potential.”

Many farmers plant wheat for both grazing and grain production, pulling cattle off fields in time for the crop to make grain. But wheat for grazing is an even higher priority this year because the drought has caused summer grazing to become non-existent and continued feeding

has exhausted hay supplies, Baughman said.

“Typically, what you’ll see is that somewhere between mid-September to the middle of October is the prime planting time for grazing,” he said.

“Of course, we would really like to be planting right around the first of October.

For our grain guys, most planting will start somewhere in the middle of October to Thanksgiving. That would be the prime time that we would like to plant the crop as a grain-only crop.”

But even for those planning wheat as a grain-only crop could run into trouble this year, he said. This is because November typically signals the start of a drier time of year for most of the state’s wheat-growing regions. If moisture reserves aren’t already built up before winter, the chances to make a good grain crop will be greatly diminished.

“The driest months — if you look at historical weather records — will be December, January and February,” Baughman said. “November will be slightly behind those, so … if we don’t get any rainfall from now through the first of November, then the chance of actually building that deep moisture up is limited even in a normal year.”

And obviously, this has been far from a normal year, he said.

More information on the current Texas drought and wildfire alerts can be found on the AgriLife Extension Agricultural Drought Task Force website at agrilife. tamu.edu/drought/.

AgriLife Extension district reporters compiled the following summaries: Southeast — Light showers did little to alleviate drought conditions. Cattle producers continued culling older cattle and weaning calves early. Groundwater levels further dropped, creating issues for watering cattle.

Grain sorghum and rice were being har vested for hay at unprecedented levels. Hay movement was ver y active. There were concerns of nutritional quality of secondar y forages and requests for suggestions on feeding strategies and supplementing programs. Trees were dying in pastures. Soybeans

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29

The Land & Livestock Post ✪ September 1, 2011

News

Hay supplies are limited, but prices remain firm Special to The Post

Hay prices remain firm, according to the Texas Hay Report from the U.S. Department and Agriculture and the Texas Department of Agriculture.

Trade is moderate under very good buyer demand.

Even though scattered areas of Texas received rain, the reality is the state remains in extreme drought with no relief or hope in sight. Most all crops whether dry land or irrigated have been abandoned, even trees have begun to show signs of stress. Stock tanks and wells are at critical lows.

Livestock producers have been forced to continue to liquidate their already thinly culled herds. Many auction barns have implemented a scheduling of appointments

before producers can bring their cattle into the yards to sell due to overcrowding and available pen space.

Hay supplies are extremely limited throughout the state as tonnage and yields are well below average to non-existent.

Hay that is being harvested has either already been fed or growers are retaining ownership of their crop to feed their own livestock, further creating limited supplies and increasing demand. Hay continues to be shipped in from out-of-state where rainfall has been more abundant.

Most all producers of livestock simply want some kind of forage to feed and quality, for the most part, no longer is a concern.

Operating costs of diesel fuel and continually farther distances continue to be the

driving factor behind hay prices. Prices for hay and pellets quoted per ton except where noted.

The Texas Department of Agriculture has the Hay and Grazing Hot Line for buyers and sellers: 1-877-429-1998.

Website for the department is www.tda.state.tx.us.

Here are regional hay reports for mid-August:

Coastal Bermuda, large rounds, delivered — $190$210; $85-$100 per roll.

Prairie hay, large squares, delivered — Good to premium, $195-$210.

Timothy, alfalfa and grass hay mix, small squares, delivered — $210.

Wheat straw, large squares, delivered — $110.

Panhandle

Alfalfa, small squares, delivered — Premium to supreme, $285-$330, 9-10 per bale; good to premium, $265$285, 7-9 per bale.

Large squares, delivered — Premium to supreme, $275$320; good to premium, $250$275; fair to good, $240-$250.

Alfalfa, small squares, delivered — Premium to supreme, $300-$330, 10-11 per bale; good to premium, $260$300, 8-9 per bale. large squares, delivered — Premium to supreme, $280$330; good to premium, $260$290; fair to good $250-$260.

Chopped Alfalfa, delivered to feedlots — North, $250$275; South, $275-$285.

West Texas

North, Central and East Texas Alfalfa,

small

squares,

delivered — Premium to supreme, $285-$330, 9-11 per bale; good to premium, $265$285, 7-8 per bale.

Large squares, delivered — Premium to supreme, $275$320; good to premium, $250$275.

Coastal Bermuda, small squares, FOB — Good to premium, $230-$265, 7-9 per bale; good $190-$230, 6-8 per bale.

Large rounds, FOB — Good to premium, $130-$160, 70-80 per roll; good, $120-$130, 60-70 per roll.

South Texas Coastal Bermuda, small squares, FOB — Good to premium, $230-$265, 7-8 per bale; good, $200-$230, 6-7 per bale.

Large rounds, FOB — Good to premium, $120-$140, 60-80 per roll; good, $100-$120, 50-60 per roll.

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The Land & Livestock Post

L and & L ivestock P ost

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✪ September 1, 2011

230

Buildings and Materials

COTTAGE SHED

BUY OR RENT TO OWN No credit check everyone is approved. Painted Cottage Shed 10x16 $2,795. R-T-O $135/ mo. Free delivery & set up. BCS Portable Bldgs 9638 E.State Hwy 21, Wixson Valley. 979-218-0828 Order the size you need. www.derksenbuildings.com

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Tickets and Events

TEXAS A&M FOOTBALL TICKETS: Buying/ Selling.

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(979) 676-0091 TEXAS A&M FOOTBALL: Tickets, Oklahoma State Univ; Baylor Univ; Missouri Univ. Section 146, East side, (979)774-1274 TEXAS A&M FOOTBALL: Tickets, section 109, westside, row 25, seat 11, 12, 13, & 14, seats on 30 yard line, & parking pass, Call (979)777-4698

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Farm/Ranch Equipment

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MILO HA HAY: 4x5, Clean, Bedias area, (832)435-1795

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BUY OR RENT TO OWN No credit check, everyone is approved. $2,895 or R-T-O $140/mo. Free delivery & set up. BCS Portable Bldgs 9638 E.State Hwy Valley.

21, Wixson 979-218-0828 Order the size you need, add a window, or free metal roof. www.derksenbuildings.com

FORD 601 Workmaster tractor:

w/ 5' shredder. 3-pt hitch, 540 PTO w/ ORC. 4-cyl gas, 30-32 PTO HP. Good radiator, new governor, rebuilt hydraulic pump, 12V electrical, electronic ignition, new brakes and seals, decent tires. Good compression & starts easily.

Good solid tractor ready to use as is. $3,499.

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8X12 PLA PLAYHOUSE

BUY OR RENT TO OWN No credit check everyone is approved. 8x12 Playhouse with 8' tall peak $1,845 or R-T-O $93/mo.Free delivery & set up. BCS Portable Bldgs 9638 E.State Hwy 21, Wixson ixson Valley.

V 979-218-0828 Order the size you need. www.derksenbuildings.com

GOOSENECK TRAILER: 25’ with doves, has metal floor, tandem axle. Asking $3750/OBO. 254-729-250

305

Ranches and Farms for Sale

Equestrian Ranch For Sale www.boernetexas ranch4sale.com

Horses & Tack

HORSE BOARDING Boerne Stables www.boernestables.com (210) 326-5290

MINIA MINIATURE DONKEYS: Reg, gentle, beautifully trained, country pets for fun or a profitable business.

Country Music Miniature Donkeys, Rhetta McAlister 713-623-2111, Austin area. www.minidonk.com

320 10x16 Lofted Barn

Hay, Grain, Feed

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BEEFMASTERS: Polled Heifers, Cows, Bulls Avail.

(254)747-2199 www.bucknerpolled beefmasters.info BRANGUS-COMMERCIAL FEMALES: Excellent Quality, 125 bred heifers, 350 exposed heifers. Call Steve 979-450-0819 BUFFALO:

We Buy Buffalo 940-594-1169

DONKIES: Very cheap! yearling jacks jennies w/newborn bred jennies one paint 936-394-1909 or 281-460-7190 HEREFORD: Pure-breed Polled Hereford bull, approx 2 yrs old, $1500 or best offer, (979)279-6225 JERSEY MILK COW: Halter broke, hand milker, gives really good rich milk!! $1500/obo. (979)450-5863

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Acreage for Sale

BURLESON CO: 50.6 ac, 30ac woods, 20ac opened, community water, elect avail, Priced to Sell. Robertson Co: (1) 2ac tract or (2) 1ac tracts. Bobby Holliday RE (979)224.2805 COLLEGE STATION: Horse Property in CSISD. 4.00 Acres Outside City Limits, 3 Bedroom Home w/ Bonus Room & Enclosed Porch, Barn w/ 23 Stalls, Arena, Round Pen, Pipe Fencing, Storage Areas, and So Much More! Only 3 Mile from Texas A&M Kyle Field. $229,900. Call Carla Henderson & The BCS Dream Team 979-255-0238 .BCSDreamT .BCSDreamTeam.com www.BCSDreamTeam.com

BRYAN/CS: 7 beautiful wooded ac in Enchanted Oaks off hwy 30. Min from Mall. Pond, tons of big oaks. Excellent home site or to subdivide. $225,000.

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Acreage for Sale

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Trailers & Campers

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BRAZOS COUNTY: 10-20 acre: deed restricted home sites, on Kurten Cemetery Rd. 10-25 acre: deed restricted rest’l home sites off Shirley Rd, Mize Rd & Grassbur.

Wickson Business Park 3-5 ac tracts. Approx 4.5 mi off Hwy 6 on Hwy 21 E. Robertson Co: 49+/- a on Hwy 79, min. from Franklin.

Robertson Co: 10 acres heavily wooded, off Calhoun Rd. $40,000; Duval Co. 377+/- ac on CR 258. A ranch the whole familty can enjoy. T Too many amenities to list.

42 acres: small Cabin, off CR 313; 251+/- acres: off CR 313.

Heavily brushed hunting ranch. Owner will consider dividing property and/or possible owner finance.

Bandera Co: 410 +/- high fence game ranch - 7 Canyons.

Restricted Acreage Homesites

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Trailers & Campers

ASPEN: 2005, model 3100 5th Wheel, sleeps up to 9, all the amenities!!

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979-777-2222 CARGO TRAILER: 2006, 8’x20’, hardly used. $5900/OBO. (979)779-3896

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Crossroads 2009 32ft Zinger Travel Trailer

with slide out. Queen bed in separate room, bunk beds, dome shower (nice for tall people), stove, oven, refrig, microwave, outdoor shower, electric front jack, Equalizer hitch, awning, 2 storage areas (one which goes through to both sides), and hitch for truck. One owner, never been smoked in. $15,500. Email or call 2emaildawn@gmail.com or (512) 299-4226.

EXPLORER: 2005 Bumper Pull, sleeps 8, 4 bunks, sleeper couch, master bed, Tx. $10,500; Millican, (979)218-8743 TRAILER: 35FT TRA TRAVEL Open Road 5th Wheel, fully furnished, 2 large roll outs, ready to live in, great cond, $12,000 or best reasonable offer, (903)536-1041

RV: Jayco Recon ZX Toy Hauler. Sp. Utility 5th wheel, Model F37U, 3 Slide outs, Excellent Cond., , $45K (Neg). (979)8463136 255-6150

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September 1, 2011 âœŞ

The Land & Livestock Post