Land and Livestock Post

March March2015 2015——Issue Issue11

Stay calm

Ways to reduce stress on cattle PAGE 16

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March 2015 — Issue 1

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The Land & Livestock Post

News Officials confirm mad cow disease in beef cow from Alberta, Canada CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — A case of mad cow disease has been confirmed in a beef cow from Alberta, Canadian officials announced recently.

Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said Canada’s first case since 2011 will not affect Canada’s international beef trade because Canada works under international protocols that allow for up to 12 cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy a year.

Previous cases badly damaged the country’s beef industry.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said no part of the animal’s carcass entered the human food or animal feed systems.

Bovine spongiform encepha-

See MAD COW, Page 20

From the General Manager

I

’m not sure what an ide is, but I’ve heard you should be wary of them this month.

There’s not a whole lot in March I’m wary of: the weather usually is great, the time changes, and everything turns green. It’s also the time of year when a lot of cattle sales start happening — which translates to a lot of green for those in the industry. Yep, I think that unless you’re a Roman emperor, March should work out pretty well for you.

To compliment the month, we have a pretty great issue for you as well. Our cover story takes a look at cattle handling, and how you can make sure you are handling your cows in a manner that keeps them and you safe.

We also have some reports

from Texas AgriLife as well as some stories from The Noble Foundation as well.

I am saddened to have to inform you that Dr. Stephan Wikse no longer will be writing his Ask the Vet column for the Land & Livestock Post. Dr. Wikse approached me recently and declared it was time to pass the torch.

His column has JESSE WRIGHT been a huge asset to this paper for years, and I am happy he was generous enough to share his wisdom and insight with us. I have thanked him personally, but also would like to say it again how much of a privilege it was for him to be a part of

these pages.

Just like the helpful vet Dr. Wikse is, I didn’t even have to do any of the work to find his replacement. He put me in touch with Dr. Meredyth Jones of the Texas A&M University Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital and her first column is in this issue.

I am excited to introduce our new vet column, Vet’s Voice.

This month Dr. Jones addresses trichomoniasis and, yes, I had to go back and look at her column to see how to spell trichomoniasis. Dr. Jones and her colleagues will be tackling issues such as these each month and sharing them with us here at the Land & Livestock Post, I know it’s a feature that will add considerably to this paper.

I hope you enjoy it. If you’re heading to Fort Worth later this month for the annual Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association convention, stop by our booth and say hello. I am looking forward to seeing you there As always, thanks for reading. ’Til next time,

• For more information about content or advertising, contact Jesse Wright at jesse.wright@theeagle. com.

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March 2015 — Issue 1

located just off Hwy. 6 and OSR 1415 East OSR • Bryan, Texas 77808 Office: (979) 776-5760 • Fax: (979) 776-4818 Website: www.circlexbrangus.com Steve Densmore, Cattle Mgr., (979) 450-0819, cell • (979) 778-1055, home Chris Duewall, Operations Mgr., (979) 777-6803, cell

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News

Late-gestation heifer nutrition does not affect dystocia less than 100 percent of NRC requirements). In nine of the 10 studies, moderate or high energy increased birth weights; however, only two of those 10 studies reported an increase in dystocia when feeding higher energy levels. One study actually reported an increase in dystocia when feeding lower energy levels.

Five studies were summarized in which differing levels of protein were offered (high protein, more than 100 percent of National Research Council requirements; moderate protein, approximately 100 percent of NRC requirements; low protein, less than 100 percent of NRC requirements). Two of the five studies showed increased birth weights when feeding high protein versus low protein diets. One of the five studies showed increased

By DEKE ALKIRE and BRYAN NICHOLS The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation

Birth-related problems are responsible for 28 percent of all calf deaths before weaning, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Therefore, managing females to calve with minimal difficulty is important.

A topic that often is discussed in cattle production is whether or not the level of nutrition given to a pregnant female late in gestation affects birth weight and calving difficulty (dystocia).

Many producers worry that providing good nutrition to a pregnant female — especially heifers — increases birth weight of the calf and, subsequently, dystocia.

Providing inadequate nutrition, however, can have long-term effects on pregnancy rates and profitability.

This is a topic that has been very well researched over the past several decades.

In 1989, P.L. Houghton and L.R. Corah assembled an extensive review of studies examining the effect of pre-partum energy supplementation, protein supplementation and cow condition at calving on birth weight and dystocia.

Ten studies were summarized in which differing levels of energy were offered (high energy, more than 100 percent

s

sue 24 Is

Protein and energy supplements

Body condition score and pregnancy rate Body condition at calving also was examined in five studies.

These studies demonstrated two important messages: First, dystocia is increased in obese (Body condition score greater than 7) compared to moderately conditioned females. Second, dystocia is not decreased in thin females compared to those of adequate

See GESTATION, Page 6 NEWS YOU CAN USE RIGHT IN YOUR MAILBOX

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dystocia with increased protein, and one study showed decreased dystocia when feeding increased protein. In general, calf vigor also was decreased when feeding lower levels of protein.

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Dystocia is the term used to describe any difficulty in calving. Studies show dystocia is increased in obese females. Dystocia is not decreased in thin females compared to those of adequate body condition; however, calf vigor is decreased.

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March 2015 — Issue 1

5

News affect the fertility of the calves born. In a Nebraska study, Martin et al. (2007) showed that heifers born to supplemented cows had a pregnancy rate of 93 percent compared to 80 percent for heifers from unsupplemented cows. In addition, 77 percent of these heifers calved in the first 21 days, whereas only 49 percent of the heifers from unsupplemented cows calved in the first 21 days.

This could have long-term implications because, typically, heifers that calve early tend to calve early the rest of their lives, and calves that are born early should weigh more at weaning.

Given specific goals, resources and abilities, some producers may be able to capitalize on reduced feed costs and potential increases in efficiency when developing heifers to lighter weights.

However, there can be risks to this approach, and due diligence should be given to the risk and reward of such situations, especially in times of record-high Photo courtesy of The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation

Managing females to calve with minimal difficulty is important.

Gestation, from Page 4 body condition; however, calf vigor is decreased.

In addition, most research agrees that body condition score at calving is the most important factor affecting subsequent estrus and ovulation, and, therefore, pregnancy rates. Table 1 shows the relationship of body condition score to pregnancy rate and calving interval. Several studies agree that pregnancy rates increase from about 60 percent at a body condition score of 4, to 79 to 86 percent at a body condition score of 5 and to 90 to 92 percent at a body condition score of 6.

These differences, however, can be much greater in first- and second-calf heifers. In a Florida study, pregnancy rate was only 50 to 53 percent for first- and second-calf heifers with a body condition score of 4 compared to 84 to 90 percent of those with a body condition score of 5 or greater. Therefore, it is imperative that heifers are in adequate

6

body condition at calving and provided an adequate plane of nutrition through the breeding season to maintain future production.

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The data supports that, for most producers, the ideal body condition score of a bred heifer at

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Fetal programming Research has shown that inadequate nutrition in the last two-thirds of gestation can decrease muscling and marbling potential. Other complications reported from inadequate nutrition during gestation include increased abortion, decreased birth weight, reduced ability of the calf to produce body heat after birth, increased sickness and death, poor growth performance, and reduced meat quality.

While there is an argument that calves whose dams were nutrient restricted during gestation may be more efficient later in life, one study showed no difference in intake, average daily gain or feed efficiency. This topic is not completely understood and needs more research.

Maternal nutrition also may

calving is 6. If a producer’s goal is to decrease calving difficulty, selecting bulls for calving ease and providing proper nutrition to heifers will yield much better results.

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News Sausage workshop brings participants from throughout Texas

By Blair Fannin Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

From deer hunting enthusiasts to small grocery operators, there was wide interest in a workshop devoted to sausage making held recently at Texas A&M University in College Station.

The workshop was hosted by the department of animal science at Texas A&M. Attendees went home with a wealth of knowledge about making their own sausage, according to organizers.

“We took each of the 31 participants through the grinding and mixing process, teaching them how to make sausage with the actual equipment found in their own kitchen,” said Wes Osburn, associate professor in the meat science section of the department and a Texas A&M AgriLife Research meat scientist.

The workshop was open both to beginning and novice sausage makers. Participants were given classroom and hands-on experiences, learning many aspects of sausage making from meat selection, ingredients, casings, stuffing, equipment and processing to the final finished product. Attendees spent part of the workshop in a classroom setting learning about the history of sausage, food safety practices and different seasonings used for various sausage recipes. That was followed by hands-on work in the meat laboratory, including using tabletop grinders, commercial mixers, hand-crank sausage stuffers and natural or artificial casings, Osburn said.

Osburn said the idea for a sausage workshop came about after a discussion with Davey Griffin, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service meat specialist.

“Davey and I got together and decided to develop a creative sausage course,” Osburn said. “We wanted to show the basics of sausage making and use equipment you would find in the kitchen versus the commercial production methods. What we had at the workshop was something

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Blair Fannin

Wes Osburn, associate professor in the meat science section of the department of animal science and Texas A&M AgriLife Research meat scientist, discusses spice blending with participants at the recent Creative Sausage Making Workshop in College Station. you can purchase from various retail stores and use in your home, such as food processors and hand-crank stuffers.”

Supporters of the workshop included Rick Fitzgerald from A.C. Legg Seasonings in Birmingham, Alabama; Maurice Mounce from Alamo Food Equipment Company, Schertz; and Mike Reagan, Dewied Casing Company, San Antonio.

Osburn currently teaches undergraduate and graduate students the concepts and practice of developing quality food systems, and teaches graduate students in the principles and science of processed meats. He also conducts research, working with the meat industry in “helping solve problems, implementing new technology and improving the quality and safety of their products.”

Experts note sausage popularity continues to grow with deer hunting enthusiasts as well as small retail grocery operators looking to offer specialty foods for customers.

“Each individual participant had the opportunity to manufacture [his or her] own sausages, both smoked and fresh,” Osburn said. “The sausages were vacuum-packaged and placed in Texas A&M Styrofoam coolers so they could take their sausage home and share it with their family and friends.

“We are so happy they came and shared their interest in making good sausage. I think all of them went away learning something new and can be very proud of the sausage they made.”

For more information about future workshops, go to animalscience.tamu.edu/workshops/.

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News Genomic-enhanced data has a place in rebuilding cattle herds He said fewer than 5 percent of the people in the cattle business are in the purebred industry, and some of them aren’t going to use it.

But with the price becoming more reasonable — $50 for the genomic scans for markers — more could be switching.

By Kay LedBeTTeR Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

AMARILLO — Genetic markers are beginning to give cattlemen a more accurate glimpse into their breeding animals’ expected progeny differences when selecting for traits to build into their herds.

As the industry begins to rebuild its herds following years of drought, genomic-enhanced expected progeny differences can help cattlemen make more informed decisions, whether they have purebred or crossbred herds, said Joe Paschal, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service livestock specialist at Corpus Christi.

Speaking at the recent Southwest Beef Symposium in Amarillo, Paschal said the Angus and Santa Gertrudis breed associations already are using this tool and he expects others soon to adopt the technology.

Paschal said two things are important when building a crossbreeding program: breed selection and hybrid vigor.

“You need to make selections that fit the market conditions and the environmental conditions you have, because you have to live with those breeds,” he said.

“Make sure the right breeds are used for the right reasons.”

Typically, a breeding animal is chosen based on its expected progeny difference for a given trait, such as weaning weight.

For instance, one bull may have an expected progeny differences of 20 for weaning weight and another bull have an expected progeny differences of 10, which means the bull with the expected progeny differences of 20 likely will sire calves that wean 10 pounds heavier.

Expected progeny differences traits of interest are birth weight and weaning weight, calving ease score and carcass traits such as marbling, Paschal said. EPDs are calculated from the animal’s data and close relatives and are reported in units of the trait.

8

Texas A&M AgriLife Communications photo by Steve Byrns

“It makes sense to do it if you are in the cattle business because it gives you a leg up on the others,” Paschal said. “You can know something about the performance early in an animal’s life and also know quite a lot about their carcass long before they’re dead.”

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Expected progeny differences can be a good tool when cattlemen begin rebuilding their cattle herds, according to Joe Paschal, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service livestock specialist.

“You need to select for all traits that are important to you,” he said.

“But traits that are economically relevant, those that have an immediate impact on rate of return, are most important.

Selection for economically relevant traits such as weaning weight could increase several pounds or marbling by a large percentage.

Selection to decrease birth weight, even by a few pounds, doesn’t affect economics, but selection to increase calving ease does.”

Expected progeny differences are not new and are widely accepted in most breeds and have a lot of usefulness in crossbreeding programs, Paschal said.

He said, however, the newer genomic-enhanced expected progeny differences can get breeders a step ahead.

“This process is taking genetic markers and including them into the [expected progeny difference] calculation,” Paschal said. “We can compare known markers in particular young bulls that may not be proven yet and we can improve the accuracy of their [expected progeny difference] values.”

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News

Reparing glorious past for a prosperous future ful Mexican tiles, the ornate wrought iron, the wall murals and the ornamental plaster details.

“I’m a long-time resident of Scoates,” said Searcy, who now is head of the biological and agricultural engineering

By Kathleen PhilliPs Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

C

OLLEGE STATION — Initially, it was all about deferred maintenance — a catch phrase for everything that needs to be done to an old building in the way of air conditioning, electricity and plumbing just to make it function in modern times, Steve Searcy recalls.

But those routine efforts literally unfolded the former glory of Scoates Hall on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station, and that changed maintenance into makeover.

For 35 years, Searcy has walked Scoates Hall from classrooms to his office, past the leaded stained glass, the color-

department there. “So when the experts began to look at the building for maintenance, we looked at the building’s original appearance and decided to restore it to retain its architec-

See SCOATES, Page 12

Photo courtesy of the Texas A&M University Cushing Library

This Scoates Hall mural was painted by artist Gertrude Babcock in the early 1930s.

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Photo courtesy of Texas A&M University’s Cushing Library

Murals were painted on the walls of the lecture room at Scoates Hall by artist Gertrude Babcock in the early 1930s.

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March 2015 — Issue 1

9

News

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo

A landowner education series by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will be held March through June at locations in Blanco, Gillespie, Kendall and Kerr counties. Sessions will run from 1-5 p.m., with maps and directions provided prior to each session.

New landowners education set for four South Central Texas counties

By Paul SchattenBerg Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

FREDERICKSBURG — A landowner education series presented by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will be held in four South Central Texas counties from March through June.

Sessions will be held in Blanco, Gillespie, Kendall and Kerr counties. Each session will begin in its respective location with registration from 12:45 p.m. to 1 p.m. and will conclude around 5 p.m.

“These sessions were designed for the novice landholder acquiring property or purchasing land in the Hill Country, but experienced landowners can benefit from the content as well,” said Brad Roeder, AgriLife Extension agent for Gillespie County, a series coordinator. “Session attendees can meet and speak with some of the top experts in their respective fields, as well as get hands-on experience and advice on best management practices so they can get the most out of their property.”

Roeder said in addition to presentations by experts, the program series includes site visits to operations in all phases of agriculture and hands-on activities.

“Participants also will be provided a new landowner notebook full of timely information and handouts,” he said.

Dates, towns and topics for the sessions are:

10

• March 6, Fredericksburg — Tax Valuations, Easements, Permits, and Grazing and Hunting Leases.

• March 27, Boerne — Back to Basics, Home Gardening, Chickens and Natural versus Organic Production.

• April 17, Kerrville — Live Oak Wilt, Turf, Tree and Landscape Maintenance and Rainwater Harvesting.

• May 1, To be announced — Forage Production, Livestock Species Selection, Grazing Management and Fencing.

• May 15, To be announced — Wildlife and Range Management, Brush Control and Plant Identification.

• June 5, Stonewall — Vineyards and Orchards.

Specific session sites are being identified. Maps and directions to each location will be provided to attendees prior to each session.

The cost is $30 per session or $100 per person and $150 per couple for the entire series, payable in advance or at the door. Make checks out to Gillespie Ag and Natural Resource Committee and drop off or mail to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, 95 Frederick Road, Fredericksburg, Texas 78624.

Advance notice from session participants is requested so adequate take-home materials can be prepared. For more information, contact the AgriLife Extension office in Gillespie County at 830-997-3452.

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Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Blair Fannin Cattle prices should remain historically high in 2015 as tight supplies of cattle continue. However, herd rebuilding is increasing steadily, according to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Agricultural Statistics Service cattle inventory report.

Government says America’s beef cow inventory up 2 percent from 2014

By Blair Fannin Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

U.S. beef cow inventory increased 2 percent from a year ago, signaling expansion among herds across the nation, according to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Agricultural Statistics Service cattle report.

“I thought the report showed more beef cows added than I expected,” said David Anderson, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service livestock specialist in College Station. “But record prices in the last half of 2014 will do that.”

Anderson said prior to the report, industry experts had the mindset the current rebuilding phase will be longer and slower.

“It might have to be re-thought,” he said.

Seven percent more beef cows were reported in Texas on Jan. 1 compared to the same time last year.

When the final numbers come in, Anderson said it potentially could be the largest year-to-year percentage increase in Texas beef cows since 1972-1973, when the cowherd grew 14 percent.

The number of Texas beef cows remains the

The Land & Livestock Post

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fewest since 1959 and 1962 for the entire U.S., not counting 2014, Anderson said.

Texas has almost 4.2 million beef cows compared to 3.91 million in 2014 and 4.2 million in January 2013. Heifers retained for breeding cows gradually have begun increasing as Texas ranchers look to restock herds following devastating drought in 2011.

That year, drought caused a record $7.62 billion in agricultural losses, the costliest drought of all time for Texas. Livestock losses were $3.23 billion resulting from feed expense and market losses.

“In absolute numbers, the 270,000 head cowherd increase this year is the largest since 1993-1994.

Heifers held for beef cow replacements were also up, nationwide, 4 percent and 7.6 percent in Texas,” Anderson said.

According to the report, there were 89.8 million head of cattle and calves on U.S. farms.

For stocker cattle producers, Anderson said the number of calves on small grain pastures in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas was reported up 300,000 head from 1.6 million in 2014 to 1.9 million in 2015.

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News Scoates, from Page 9

Photo courtesy of Texas A&M AgriLife

tural heritage while factoring in state-of-the-art instructional ability for today’s student.

“The building was intended to be a grand edifice so that when people came in they looked and went, ‘wow!’ And that is what we want today.”

The first phase of that effort was revealed Feb. 6 in a reopening of the lecture hall, one of several activities honoring the department’s 100th anniversary, Searcy said.

For architect Nancy McCoy of Dallas, preserving Scoates Hall’s architectural significance — beginning with the lecture hall — is tied not only to its historical value but to the connection the agricultural engineers have had to the building since its construction in 1933. Mainly, the building was designed with functionality, which enabled earlier engineers to demonstrate the farm equipment that

In the early 1930s when tractors were relatively new on the farm, Scoates Hall on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station was fitted with a large, circulating platform in the lecture hall to help instructors teach students. was being developed rapidly at that point in U.S. history.

The lecture hall had raised seating for the students to view a stage area large enough for tractors to be driven onto a circulating platform where the teacher could show and demonstrate the various parts, she said. That unique feature had become passe over time and in an earlier remodeling effort the platform was hidden under a layer of concrete.

Because of her discussions with Searcy and the realization of how the building originally functioned — plus its unique interior and exterior beauty —

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April 11 – Heart of Texas Special Replacement Female Sale. Groesbeck, TX. 903-599-2403 April 18 – Lone Star Angus Sale. Gainesville,TX.

March 7 - Foundation Angus Alliance Sale, Luling, TX 979-777-7571

April 18 - Caldwell Livestock Replacement Female Sale, Caldwell, TX

March 13- Best of the Test, Performance Tested Multi-Breed Bull & Female Sale. Navasota, TX. 979-324-6004

April 26 – Beefmaster E6 Replacement Female Sale. Columbus, TX

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March 30 - Spring Ranch Management University. College Station, TX. 979-845-4826

March 3 & 4 – All Breeds Bull & Commercial Female Sale@ Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Houston, TX “Cattleman’s Opportunity” Replacement Female Sale. Nixon, TX (830) 334-8227

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March 27-29 Cattle Raisers Convention and Expo. Fort Worth, TX

March 21 - ABBA Brahman and National F1 Sale. Caldwell, TX

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Call Jesse Wright at (979) 731-4721 or email jesse. wright@theeagle.com

March 2015 — Issue 1

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The Land & Livestock Post

News Bull characteristics that are of interest to veterinarians

By Dr. MereDyth Jones Texas A&M University Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital

A

s you know, for many years, Dr. Steve Wikse has prepared this column to provide cattle producers with information to protect the health of their cattle herds and improve the profitability of their operations. Dr. Wikse has been a wonderful resource to Texas cattlemen and women through his time at the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, this column, and other outreach platforms.

Dr. Wikse is involved in many volunteer activities in his retirement and has asked me to take over the authorship of this column. I appreciate this opportunity and am grateful for Dr. Wikse’s legacy of service.

Buying Bulls If you’re in the market for a bull this spring, you’ve got a lot to think about. There are many production considerations

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

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including calving ease, calf growth potential and the genetic improvement of the herd for various other traits. You want to get the most for your money on this big investment.

In addition to these production parameters, as a veterinarian I’m also concerned about some other major bull characteristics when my clients are buying. These include reproductive soundness, musculoskeletal soundness and the bull’s potential to introduce disease into the herd. The first two, reproductive and musculoskeletal soundness, help ensure that he can do the job he was purchased to do and that he will be able to do it long-term.

The potential to introduce disease into the herd easily is overlooked when evaluating a new bull in a catalog, at a sale, or on the ranch. Unfortunately, the most costly diseases a bull can bring in often are not associated with any outward signs of illness. Probably the most significant of these diseases is trichomoniasis or “trich,” as it’s often called. This disease isn’t new — it first was reported in 1932 — but there is still a lot of confusion about what it is and how you, as an individual cattle producer, can protect yourself.

Trichomoniasis is a venereal disease of cattle caused by a protozoan parasite that is neither a bacteria nor a virus. It is transmitted during breeding, with 80 percent to 90 percent of cows exposed to infected bulls becoming infected; that number is even higher in exposed virgin heifers.

In bulls, the disease causes no ill effects, but the parasite remains in their reproductive tract, making them potentially contagious for life.

In females, however, the parasite causes inflammation of the

The Land & Livestock Post



Vet’s Voice reproductive tract that causes early abortions. In some herds, abortions have occurred in 50 percent of cows and heifers.

The economic impact of this is significant. In females, unlike bulls, it is believed that most of them can develop immunity (although we don’t know for how long) and most will clear the infection and become fertile again. Females that do not clear the infection or are bred by a bull during their intial infection

serve as a source of infection to the next bull and the cycle perpetuates itself.

Because of the significant economic impact of trichomoniasis on the cattle industry, the Texas Animal Health Commission has a program in place to control the movement of bulls into the state that may be infected and to limit the spread of the disease through bulls within the state. Some states have additional regulations regarding the movement of females.

If you plan to buy or sell a bull within Texas or bring in a bull from out of state, trichomoniasis certification will have to occur. Make sure you notify your veterinarian several days ahead of moving a bull to be sure that there is time to get the

necessary testing and certification performed.

Testing a bull for trichomoniasis is more complicated than simply drawing a blood sample because the parasite only lives in the reproductive tract. A long pipette is used to gently scrape the interior of the prepuce and surface of the penis in order to collect a sample. This sample then is placed in a special media and submitted to a laboratory for one of two tests.

One test looks for the presence of the protozoa with a microscope over the course of days (culture), while the other looks for parasite DNA (PCR).

When it comes to selecting a test and testing strategy, it

See VET’S VOICE, Page 14

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News

Photo courtesy of Dr. Meredyth Jones

To test a bull for trichomoniasis, a long pipette is used to gently scrape the interior of the prepuce and surface of the penis in order to collect a sample.

Vet’s Voice, from Page 13 is critically important to work closely with your veterinarian to determine the level of risk in your herd and what test or tests are best to address that.

Because Texas has a control program for this disease, it can be tempting simply to apply the testing strategy called for by the program and leave it at that. It is important to remember, though, that the goal of state programs is to limit the economic impact of the disease in the state, while your focus is to keep the disease completely out of your herd. Those two goals often are associated with different testing strategies, with individual herd protection often requiring more aggressive testing than is called for by state regulations.

So what happens when an animal tests positive? There currently is no treatment for trichomoniasis in cattle and regulations call for bulls which test positive to be identified and sold to slaughter.

From a herd standpoint, the identification of trichomoniasis usually follows routine testing of bulls or a disappointing pregnancy check percentage. In these situations, further testing

14

and culling of positive bulls is the first step to clear a herd of the disease.

There is a commercially available vaccine against this organism, but it should be noted that vaccination of an individual animal or herd is not a substitute for testing. In other words, a herd is not considered protected against the disease, even with full vaccination, if an animal of unknown or positive status is brought into that herd.

Similarly, vaccination of an infected bull is not a mechanism by which you could safely bring him into a herd. It appears as though the real value of the vaccine is to promote immunity in herds that already are infected, to accelerate getting rid of the disease, while testing and culling is occurring.

It could be argued that trichomoniasis is one of the most, if not the most, economically devastating diseases to cow-calf producers. I strongly encourage you to work with your veterinarian to determine the risk level of your herd and develop a strategy to keep it out.

The loss of up to 50 percent of a calf crop is not the kind of cost that should be added to the purchase price of a bull.

March 2015 — Issue 1

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The Land & Livestock Post

News It was almost too cold to wonder how cold it was

I

t was cold this winter. How cold was it?

It was so cold every calf north of Cabool, Missouri, that was at least 1/8 Bramer sold himself and bought a ticket to Brownsville.

• So cold every coyote in Idaho carried jumper cables to start the jack rabbits.

• So cold every vegetable farmer in California remembered where he BAXTER BLACK came from.

On the Edge of • So cold Common Sense eve r y w i l d horse in Nevada was callin’ the Bureau of Land Management for room service.

• So cold North Dakota froze in Minnesota and when it thawed and broke off it picked up three new counties and another congressman.

• So cold in Hyannis, Nebraska, the hired man broke ice in his stock tank and didn’t hit water until Lake McConaughy.

• So cold in Ohio that the ewes all bought down-lined Pendletons.

• So cold in Nancy, Kentucky, that the New Year’s Day Parade was held in the county snow plow.

• So cold in Montana that ranchers were renting mobile methane emitters to shivering environmentalists.

• So cold in Harlan, Iowa, Santy’s sleigh got stuck on top of the water tower. He was rescued and airlifted to the Elks Club in Audubon for treatment.

• So cold in Macon County, Tennessee, the local Global Warming Task Force postponed its meeting until spring.

• So cold in Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, folks put their rye in the refrigerator to warm it up.

• So cold in Oklahoma it laid a sheet of black ice on Interstate 40 so slick that traders as far east as El Reno could tie five steers together, lay ’em down and slide ’em plum to the Elk City auction barn with just one push.

• So cold at Monfort’s feedlot in Kersey, Colorado, the horse’s feet looked like coasters on a footstool, the steers humped up like mountains complete with a timberline and every pen checker tore holes in his moon boots tryin’ to get his spurs on.

• So cold between Lander and Casper, Wyoming, that the wind froze everything within 168 square miles. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

It was so cold. Craig called from Consort, Alberta. I asked him what the temperature was.

He said, “Minus 38.”

I asked him if that was Fahrenheit or Centigrade?

He said, “It doesn’t make any difference.”

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News

Keep calm and carry on Good stockmanship requires the right attitude

S

By RoBeRt FeaRs Special to The Post

tockmanship can be defined as the art and science of handling cattle in a proper manner.

The Stockmanship Journal defines stockmanship as the knowledge and skillful handling of livestock in a safe, efficient, effective and low-stress manner.

A second definition from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is, “Stockmanship is handling cattle with the intent of enhancing profitability through the following avenues: • Improve consumer confidence that cattlemen are good stewards of livestock.

• By working with the natural instincts of cattle during handling, animal and handler safety can be improved.

• Low-stress handling techniques enhance animal health and assure a higher response to medicines.”

“Handling cattle improperly usually results in stressed animals,” said John Kopycinski, owner and operator of Oak Creek Farms near Chappell Hill.

“Stressed animals consume less feed, produce poor weight gains, are more susceptible to diseases, provide smaller amounts of milk to their young, have a shorter life span and their meat is less tender.

“In addition, stressed cattle require more labor. It can take 10 people to handle a herd of nervous cattle compared to one person handling the same sized herd of docile animals.”

Because these symptoms result in reduced income, low-stress handling of cattle has become a standard operating procedure on the ranch, in the feedlot, and at the packing plant. Handling facilities at all three locations are designed for a smooth flow of livestock with the

16

Photo by Robert Fears

Cattle can be made to go where they think they want to go by standing in the right position. Keeping stress low for cattle requires fewer handlers and pays dividends at the sale barn.

Cover photo by Tom Johnson absence of objects that cause animals to sense danger or become suspicious of their surroundings.

Stressed cattle are easy to recognize.

They are the ones that run to the other end of the pasture when you come through the gate and the animals that try to jump over or go through corral

March 2015 — Issue 1

fences when they are penned. Stressed cattle are animals that cause you to

See STRESS, Page 17

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The Land & Livestock Post

News Stress, from Page 16

“An old attitude is: ‘I’m going to make that animal do what I want.’ The new attitude should be: ‘I’m going to let that animal do what I want.’

“A second old attitude is: ‘That miserable (ornery, wild, stupid …) cow (calf, bull …) broke back (went the wrong way, missed the gate, charged me, got sick …).’ The new attitude is: ‘What did I do to cause the animal to react that way’?”

“Personal attitude and disposition is a key factor in whether low-stress handling is successfully implemented or not,” says Dr. Glenn Rogers, a veterinarian who develops heifers on his Holt River Ranch near Graford “When you’re having a bad day, resulting in frustration and irritability, you had better not try to handle cattle until you can slow down and take a deep

wear out a good horse in moving them from a pasture to the corral.

“Cattle that are not stressed readily come into the corral silently, guided by one person in the proper positions in relation to the herd. After these cattle are in the corral, they are moved from pen to pen by the same low-stress handling techniques.

Low-stress handling

“Low-stress handling combines effective stockmanship skills and a management approach that creates an environment where cattle become comfortable with human interaction,” said Ron Gill, livestock specialist with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

“When cattle become comfortable with human interaction, they actually look to the handlers for guidance and reassurance. Handlers create an environment where cattle can relax and not stress their systems. People need to be good stockmen before they can practice low-stress handling.”

“Low-stress livestock handling means the animal does not see the handler as a predator forcing them to move,” said Roger Ingram, Cooperative Extension farm advisor at the University of California. “This is replaced by using actions or pressure that allow cattle handlers to get a desired response without force.

“Once handlers get that desired reponse, the coaxing action is stopped or released.

When livestock see that human application of pressure is always accompanied by release of pressure when the animal responds, the cattle relax and comply with what handlers want.”

“Good stockmanship is not only expressed by proper handling of cattle,” Oak Creek Farms’ Kopycinski said. “You

See ATTITUDE, Page 18 Photo by Robert Fears

With proper handling procedures, cattle will rely on you for direction. also need to breed for docility and cull flighty animals from the herd.

“As a seed stock producer of Angus and Brangus cattle, docility is one of the [expected progeny differences] we use in our selection process, and we rigorously cull animals that don’t handle well. One wild animal can ruin the disposition of the entire herd.”

“There is a thin line between docile and lazy,” Kopycinski said. “You don’t want to breed so much tameness into cattle that they don’t do their job of raising calves; however, they should be docile enough to handle with low-stress techniques.”

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Maintain the right attitude “In order to implement low-stress livestock handling techniques, cattle producers must make two main changes in attitude,” Ingram of the University of California said.

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March 2015 — Issue 1

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News

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Paddles and stock sticks are okay to use as long as they are used in the right way.

Attitude, from Page 17 breath. They sense your mood and your high stress transfers to them. The cattle become more nervous, flighty, and harder-to-handle.

“Personal stress transfers to cattle stress, so deal with your personal stress before handling cattle.”

“You have to be in a good mood to handle cattle in a lowstress environment,” said Rod-

This is a very choice set of replacement cattle consigned by leading commmercial ranches throughout Texas.

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ney Schmidt of Schmidt Land and Cattle Co. in LaGrange. “If you enter a pen while you are mad at somebody or something, you had better go back out and cool off. Cattle cannot be handled efficiently unless the handler calmly focuses all of his attention and thoughts on the task.”

Schmidt is in the stocker business and knows that stress de-

See MEASURED, Page 19

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The Land & Livestock Post

News Inventory, from Page 11

Other findings from the January USDA report were: • The number of milk cows in the U.S. increased to 9.3 million.

• U.S. calf crop was estimated at 33.9 million head, up 1 percent from 2013.

• Of the 89.8 million cattle and calves, 39 million were all cows and heifers that have calved.

• All cattle on feed increased to 13.1 million, up 1 percent from 2014.

More stockers on pasture may indicate a larger number coming to market in the March-May period than last year, Anderson noted.

The 2014 U.S. calf crop was estimated at 33.9 million head, up 1 percent from 2013, according to the report.

Calves born during the first half of 2014 were estimated at 24.6 million, up slightly from 2013.

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The same handling procedures need to be exercised horseback as on foot.

Measured, from Page 18 presses weight gains and costs him money. He practices good stockmanship and expects his employees to do the same.

“Slow is quicker when handling livestock,” AgriLife’s Gill said. “This is a statement that I have made many times and it needs some clarification.

“The slow part refers to the handler, not the cattle. Most people handling cattle make much quicker, bigger and more aggressive moves around and towards cattle than they realize.

If handlers move in slow measured movements, they can get more predictable and desirable responses from the cattle.

“Moving slowly and calmly around cattle seems to take more time; but at the end of the day, you will find that the cattle were worked in a shorter period than required before improved and effective stockmanship skills were adopted.

“When handlers are not stressed, fewer mistakes are

made and work efficacy is improved. Ranchers, who use proper stockmanship techniques, say that they are less tired at the end of the day than when they worked cattle more aggressively,” Gill said.

Low-stress handling of livestock can only be achieved after stockmanship skills are improved and become part of the regular process of handling cattle. Effective stockmanship requires patience and if you are short of it, you will probably be unsuccessful in using the techniques properly.

The Land & Livestock Post

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SEEDED BERMUDAGRASS STUDY ANNUAL DRY MATTER FORAGE YIELDS 2011, 2012, & 2013 MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY STARKVILLE, MISSISSIPPI Variety

Harvest Date LB / ACRE

LB / ACRE

LB / ACRE

2011

2012

2013

Total Yield 3 YEAR AVG

RANK

Texas Tough +

4,646

11,488

7,618

7,917

1

Sungrazer +

3,516

11,281

6,599

7,132

2

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Buckaroo

3,979

10,881

6,428

7,096

3

Cowboy

3,426

10,054

7,301

6,927

4

Ranchero Frio

3,051

10,374

7,013

6,713

5

Numex Sahara

3,201

10,293

6,772

6,755

6

15% higher yield (four year average) than Coastal Bermudagrass.

Amarillo King

3,586

9,873

6,561

6,673

7

Laredo

3,410

9,975

6,654

6,680

8

Highlander

2,379

10,880

6,159

6,473

9

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Mohawk

3,163

9,739

6,321

6,408

10

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Cheyenne II

3,612

9,334

5,941

6,295

11

Rancher

2,830

9,740

6,085

6,218

12

Planting Date: 6/4/11 (Replanted 7/13/11) 10 lbs (P.L.S.) Planting Rate, LSD (0.05) Commercially available varieties only included in these results.

I first planted Texas Tough + Bermudagrass in the Spring of 2009 for grazing and baling. My Texas Tough + has been free of disease with no loss of stands. My yields have remained consistent with no loss in production even through our drought of the last four years. It establishes fast with excellent forage quality and much finer stems than Coastal Bermudagrass. It has increased my grazing time from 90 days on native grasses to 150 days on my Texas Tough stands. I plan on planting more in 2015.

Denny Chaney- Bertram, TX



March 2015 — Issue 1

19

News LIVESTOCK MARKET REPORT Brazos Valley

Results of the Brazos Valley Livestock Commission’s Feb. 10 sale: Head: 642 Steers: 200-300 lbs., $285-$345; 300-400 lbs., $270-$375; 400500 lbs., $240-$315; 500-600 lbs., $224-$265; 600-700 lbs., $210-$230; 700-800 lbs., $195-$205.

Heifers: 200-300 lbs., $285$360; 300-400 lbs., $232-$335; 400-500 lbs., $230-$290; 500-600 lbs., $220-$248; 600-700 lbs., $200-$220; 700-800 lbs., $178-$188.

Slaughter bulls: $118-$139.

Slaughter cows: $85-$114.

Bred cows: $1,200-$1,825.

Cow/calf pairs: $1,775-$2,200.

Buffalo

Results of the Buffalo Livestock Marketing’s Feb. 7 sale: Head: 893 Steers: 200-300 lbs., $300-$425; 300-400 lbs., $275-$385; 400500 lbs., $245-$340; 500-600 lbs., $225-$280; 600-700 lbs., $212-$240; 700-800 lbs., $195-$222.

Mad cow from Page 3 lopathy is a fatal and untreatable wasting disease of the brain and nervous systems. Humans who eat infected beef can develop a fatal variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Fewer than 250 human cases have been reported worldwide.

Canada’s first known case was discovered in 1993 in a cow from a farm near Red Deer, Alberta. The animal had been imported from Britain.

The first instance of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in a Canadian-born beef cow was

Heifers: 200-300 lbs., $328$385; 300-400 lbs., $280-$350; 400-500 lbs., $250-$300; 500-600 lbs., $235-$285; 600-700 lbs., $215-$260; 700-800 lbs., $210-$250.

Slaughter bulls: $105-$140.

Slaughter cows: $60-$118.

Stocker cows: $1,250-$2,725.

Cow/calf pairs: $1,100-$3,350.

Caldwell

Results of the Caldwell Livestock Commission’s Feb. 11 sale: Head: 410 Steers: 200-300 lbs., $365-$400; 300-400 lbs., $3003-$375; 400-500 lbs., $260-$315; 500600 lbs., $240-$265; 600-700 lbs., $212-$240; 700-800 lbs., $190-$215.

Heifers: 268-330 lbs., $268$330; 300-400 lbs., $263-$310; 400-500 lbs., $250-$297; 500-600 lbs., $216-$250; 600-700 lbs., $208-$250; 700-800 lbs., $187-$200.

Slaughter bulls: $104-$1502.

Slaughter cows: $85-$123.

Stocker cows: $1,550-$2,600.

Cow/calf pairs: $2,250-$2,600. in May 2003. It’s suspected that animal became infected through contaminated animal feed that contained a protein supplement made with ground meat and bone meal.

That case devastated Canada’s beef industry as more than 40 markets immediately closed their borders to Canadian cattle and beef products. Many of those markets since have reopened.

Testing of cattle was strengthened following the mad cow crisis and specified risk materials, such as brains and spinal columns, were banned for use in feed and other products.

Groesbeck

Results of the Groesbeck Auction & Livestock Co.’s Feb. 12 sale: Head: 328 Steers: 300-400 lbs., $340-$390; 400-500 lbs., $385-$340; 500600 lbs., $240-$285; 600-700 lbs., $235-$265.

Heifers: 300-400 lbs., $300$360; 400-500 lbs., $290-$340; 500-600 lbs., $230-$265; 600-700 lbs., $215-$260.

Slaughter bulls: $127-$139.

Slaughter cows: $78-$122.

Bred cows: $1,400-$2,700.

Cow/calf pairs: $1,700-$3,500.

Jordan

Results of the Jordan Cattle Auction’s Feb. 5 sale: Head: 1,308 Steers: 200-300 lbs., $300-$350; 300-400 lbs., $275-$327.50; 400-500 lbs., $250-$302; 500600 lbs., $230-$270; 600-700

lbs., $215-$258; 700-800 lbs, $200-$230.

Heifers: 200-300 lbs., $300$340; 300-400 lbs., $270-$325; 400-500 lbs., $235-$370; 500-600 lbs., $220-$276; 600-700 lbs., $200-$231; 700-800 lbs., $193-$198.

Slaughter bulls: $128.50$138.50.

Slaughter cows: $95-$118.

Bred cows: $1,900-$2,100.

Cow/calf pairs: $2,600-$3,050.

Milano

Results of the Milano Livestock Exchange’s Feb. 10 sale: Steers: 300-400 lbs., $272-$349; 400-500 lbs., $260-$298; 500600 lbs., $242-$259; 600-700 lbs., $210-$229.

Heifers: 300-400 lbs., $239-$291; 400-500 lbs., $200-$243; 500600 lbs., $185-$239; 600-700 lbs., $181-$212.

Show your student

Slaughter bulls: $123-$135.

Slaughter cows: $85-$118.50.

Bred cows: $1,275-$1,875.

Cow/calf pairs: $1,700-$2,125.

Navasota

Results of the Navasota Livestock Auction Co.’s Feb. 7 sale: Head: 852 Steers: 150-300 lbs., $225-$470; 300-400 lbs., $225-$375; 400500 lbs., $185-$350; 500-600 lbs., $175-$285; 600-700 lbs., $110-$231.

Heifers: 150-300 lbs., $195-$420; 300-400 lbs., $185-$340; 400500 lbs., $185-$290; 500-600 lbs., $175-$270; 600-700 lbs., $170-$230.

Slaughter bulls: $90-$142.

Slaughter cows: $75-$116.

Stocker cows: $1,300-$2,400.

Cow/calf pairs: $1,500-$2,800.

— Special to The Post

Section Deadline March 6, 2014

how special they are with a greeting in the

59th Annual Brazos County Youth Livestock Show

Mail: BCYLA Parents Attn: Kristi P.O. Box 3000 Bryan, TX 77805

Program Guide

Congratulations

Mary

on doing so well raising your Lamb!

Love, Mom

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March 2015 — Issue 1

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The Land & Livestock Post

News

A Texas A&M AgriLife Research study determined the biggest factor in corn silage quality is water.

Texas A&M AgriLife Research photo

AgriLife Research study: Water is the major limiting factor to corn silage

By Kay LedBeTTeR Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

AMARILLO — Minimizing yield losses while reducing groundwater usage is a continued goal for Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists on the High Plains, where quantities of water from the Ogallala Aquifer are diminishing.

That was the goal of a 2014 study led by Wenwei Xu, AgriLife Research corn breeder in Lubbock, and Thomas Marek, AgriLife Research irrigation engineer in Amarillo, and contributed to

by Texas Tech University graduate students Karl Brauer and Traci Bland, which showed the biggest factor in corn silage quality was water.

The objective of this study, sup-

ported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Ogallala Aquifer Program, is to determine if the brown midrib trait affects wateruse efficiency, as well as length of maturity and level of irrigation, Xu said.

Two brown midrib and four non-brown midrib corn hybrids with maturity of 100-110 days were grown under four different irrigation treatments in the northern Panhandle. Data were collected on the amount of irrigation, total plant biomass, moisture content at harvest, forage quality and other agronomic traits.

A separate grain trial also was conducted at Halfway to compare water-use efficiency in hybrids with relative maturities of 100110 days. Grain yield data were

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collected on six corn hybrids varying in maturity under four irrigation levels.

“In the Texas Panhandle, we’re on the southern end of the Ogallala Aquifer, and of course the aquifer is drying up from south to north,” said Brauer during a presentation at the American Society of Agronomy-Crop Science Society of America-Soil Science Society of America international meeting in Long Beach, California.

“This will affect producers pretty much throughout the High Plains as the problems increase with groundwater shortages and allocations, and how that gets distributed,” Brauer said. “In the Panhandle, corn is

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March 2015 — Issue 1

21

News Corn, from Page 21 used predominantly in dairies and feedlots. The ability to continue production will depend on how cropping systems adapt to the lower water allocations and stricter management of that resource.”

Overall, the study showed that irrigating at 100 percent of evapotranspiration provided no yield or quality advantages over 75 percent evapotranspiration irrigation, so essentially can be viewed as a “waste,” Brauer said.

And in general, yields and quality both began crashing below irrigation levels of 75 percent evapotranspiration, which is the measurement of total water utilized during crop development, he said.

“We determined we need to be irrigating at 75 percent of our past evapotranspiration levels as estimated with the current model and finding hybrids that better tolerate stress,” Brauer said, adding this was from studies conducted by Xu and Marek over several years.

“You’re still going to have heat stress and other factors, so we want to find the toughest hybrids out there.”

Quality is such an important part of silage that if a producer is even a half inch short on irrigation, it can affect silage quality,

he said. The reduction in forage quality represented by starch content was consistent across hybrids tested as water amounts were decreased. Protein content was the only nutritional parameter that responded positively to stress.

“Irrigated corn requires a balance between water conservation and silage quality,” Brauer said.

This study demonstrated there is little economic advantage to irrigating to 100 percent evapotranspiration, but also indicated that somewhere between 65 and 75 percent evapotranspiration, yield and quality will begin to decrease, Marek said “Short-season corn is expected to perform better under drought, however we discovered there was not generally a yield advantage under water deficit and instead, long-season hybrids outperformed at the 100 and 75 percent evapotranspiration levels.”

“Likewise, we found brown midrib did not outperform nonbrown midrib under drought conditions,” Xu said. “Silage quality decreased with decreasing evapotranspiration.

“While some differences existed between hybrids per parameter, overall digestibility was similar for brown midrib and non-brown midrib hybrids, as well as short- and long-season hybrids in this study.”

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The Land & Livestock Post

News Information systems bring better management decisions

By Steve Swigert The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation

It’s often said that you can’t manage what you don’t measure. With many agricultural operations, decisions are made on a daily basis without adequate supporting information.

Every enterprise should have some type of information management system for the records it generates.

The type of information generated and how well it is used will help determine success.

The quality and quantity of the information gathered only has value if it is used to make wise management decisions, however.

The basic areas of any information management system should include a cash accounting system with a depreciation schedule, financial statements, inventories (cattle, equipment, feed, etc.) and production records to measure performance.

These types of records should be kept to answer questions about different areas within the operation.

In most cases, a cash accounting system can be handled adequately by computer programs such as Quicken.

QuickBooks may be useful for more complicated operations.

These and similar programs can provide the information to meet tax obligations and to provide basic data for financial statements.

Information prepared for tax purposes, however, does not measure the profitability of a business or its financial position.

The Farm Financial Standards Guidelines identifies the following statements as the minimum needed to document financial position and performance: • Balance sheet with both cost and market valuation.

• Accrual adjusted income statement.

• Statement of cash flow.

• Statements of owner equity.

Another part of an information management system should

which to make decisions. understand- and production performance, Management strategies should • Controlling and monitoring ing and less not be made on tax information the business, risk.

All of these areas of informa- because it only tells part of the A management ac- tion management should be ad- story. It is critical that financial counting sys- dressed in each operation. Too and management information be tem should many producers only have had collected and analyzed to make be designed, tax-based information from good decisions. operated and staf fed to provide Rural Land Loans management information Country Home Loans to support the following Farm & Ranch Loans internal busiLivestock Loans ness manageGraphic courtesy of The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation ment funcIt is critical that financial and management information be colEquipment Loans tions such as: Bryan Credit Office lected and analyzed to make good decisions.

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A complete inventory by category of cattle (cows, bulls, heifers, stockers, etc.) should be done at least twice a year.

If only done twice, the inventory should be taken at the beginning of the fiscal year and at the beginning of the breeding season. This inventory should include a record of all deaths, purchases and sales.

After completing data collection, it is important to analyze the information.

Financial accounting deals with historical records of financial activities, position and performance, particularly as it relates to tax and external financial reports.

Management accounting focuses on providing data and reports with information useful for making decisions.

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News

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Ag news you can use, now at the click of a mouse!

Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Kathleen Phillips Today’s restored lecture room in Scoates Hall on theTexasA&M University campus in College Station features its architectural heritage along with modern teaching equipment.

Restore, from Page 12 McCoy worked to obtain a grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Searcy chipped in funds from his department and worked to secure funding from a variety of campus entities for the lecture hall restoration and renovation.

“The original architect for

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the building was Samuel C.P. Vosper, and he is not as wellknown because he always worked under another architect,” McCoy noted. “But there is a building he designed right next to the Alamo that is supposedly the second-most photographed building in San Anto-

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News

Government approves Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, AgriLife Research for drone-based plant health study were issued a permit to conduct research on in-flight operations for precision agriculture.

“This technology will eventually improve agriculture and, in addition, could bring an entirely new remote-sensing, multi-million dollar industry to Texas.”

The first test flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle, a fixedwing lightweight platform called a Sensefly eBee, will happen within days, according to Michael Starek, assistant professor of geospatial surveying engineering at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

“This technology has huge potential,” Starek said. “Such systems can be equipped with

Photo courtesy of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

Michael Starek, assistant professor of geospatial surveying engineering at Texas A&MCorpus Christi, holds a Sensefly eBee unmanned aerial vehicle, the type to be used in agricultural research at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Corpus Christi.

Tests could lead to improved crop quality, increased yields

By Rod Santa ana Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

CORPUS CHRISTI — Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and Texas A&M AgriLife Research have received the state’s first permit to use drones to conduct agricultural research at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Corpus Christi.

Research will begin soon in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, sometimes called drones,

• Federal Aviation Agency issues proposed commercial drone regulations, Page 32 specialized cameras to map precisely where crops are stressed, assess moisture conditions, image 3-D plant structure, detect pest infiltration, and potentially determine early on where crops are diseased.

“Compared to traditional aircraft or satellites, [unmanned aerial vehicles] provide the capability to scout crops at a fraction of the cost and at spatial and temporal scales previously unattainable.”

Current FAA regulations prohibit flying unmanned aircraft

systems for commercial purposes, Starek said. While a few companies have received waivers or permits, the permit that A&MCorpus Christi and AgriLife Research received is specific to their role as state agencies and does not pertain to commercial uses.

The technology for growers is already here, he said. But challenges still remain on how to operate effectively and process data that easily is useable for the end users.

“I see small-scale [unmanned aerial vehicles] becoming an integral tool for growers, big and small, enabling them to tar-

See DRONES, Page 30

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“This represents another excellent opportunity for us to continue conducting cutting-edge agricultural research,” said Juan Landivar, director at AgriLife Research’s Corpus Christi center.

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The Land & Livestock Post

News AgriLife Research remains No. 1 in ag sciences spending

By Kathleen PhilliPs Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Texas A&M AgriLife Research was ranked No. 1 in agricultural sciences expenditures for fiscal year 2013, the latest year for which figures are available, according to the National Science Foundation.

The ranking marks the second year in a row the agency has topped almost 200 universities nationwide, according to Craig Nessler, AgriLife Research director at College Station.

AgriLife Research, part of the Texas A&M University System, accounted for more than $179 million of the more than $3.35 billion spent on agricultural research by more than 35 U.S. universities, surpassing the University of Florida, University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, University of California-Davis and Purdue University in the top five positions.

Prior to 2012, AgriLife Research had totaled the third or fourth highest expenditures.

“It’s gratifying to see that we rank No. 1 again, because this is a measurement of the outstanding work our scientists do to positively impact the lives of Texans, our fellow citizens across the nation and people worldwide

Funding, from Page 30 nio after the Alamo because of its decoration.

“Texas A&M was lucky enough to get him for about three years, and he built 10 buildings, which are still there,” McCoy said. “And they are beloved because they are full of decoration and color and details and beautifully crafted. It required a lot of labor, which was cheap at the time, so they took advantage of that.”

She said not only is the ex-

The A&M AgriLife Research photo

by Kathleen Phillips

Turf grass in the green house at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Dallas. with important scientific discoveries in agriculture and natural resources,” Nessler said.

“In an era when research budgets have been cut, we continue to attract funding to support our work to advance agriculture.”

The National Science Foundation, created in 1950 by Congress “to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense,” annually measures the total research spending in several categories, including agriculture.

“AgriLife Research is a model and an asset for the entire System,” said John Sharp, chancellor of The Texas A&M University System.

“The agency has a successful, innovative approach to securing funds that enable our scientists to concentrate on their projects, thus making our world a better place.”

AgriLife Research officials said the increased funding is up from $176.4 million the previous reporting period and is $22 million higher than No. 2 ranked University of Florida. terior decorated with tiles and animal busts, but “the insides of the 10 buildings have incredible interiors with features such as leaded stained glass, murals and ornamental plaster detailing aspects of the solar system that has an impact on the weather and growing things.

“In Scoates, there are wrought iron features and decorative light fixtures,” she added.

“This level of detail is not normally seen in an institutional building anywhere.”

See Hall, Page 30

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March 2015 — Issue 1

29

News DRONES, from Page 25 get their needs to better manage crops,” Starek said. “It’s relatively inexpensive, capable, and a technology that is evolving rapidly.

“Eventually these platforms will perform all kinds of applications beyond crop scouting, such as precisely watering or distributing insecticides. The possibilities and potential are impressive.”

Starek said the current flight permit has very strict guidelines about how, when and where the fixed-wing drone can be used. Initial operations will include conducting baseline surveys of crops fields at the Corpus Christi center.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and AgriLife Research are in the process of applying for another agricultural drone permit.

“A second permit would use a roto-copter that operates more like a helicopter to hover and focus in on a particular problem in a field,” Starek said.

Depending on the objective

30

and the particular sensors on a drone, an entire field crop can be surveyed in less than 30 minutes, Landivar said. The data then could be plugged into a “smart” tractor via a computer jump drive. The tractor would proceed through the field, responding to plants’ needs based on a data map showing the tractor where to apply herbicides, insecticides, water, growth hormone regulators or whatever the crop requires.

“That’s precision agriculture,” he said. “It would apply only what’s needed where it’s needed.

It will make for a higher-quality, higher-yielding crop, saving the grower time and money.”

Landivar said unmanned aerial vehicles eventually could reduce drastically the amount of time crop managers spend in the field evaluating crop performance.

“This technology could help in phenotyping, or evaluating the thousands of prodigy lines that now must be done by hand, plant by plant,” he said. “With the

proper sensors on the platform, the UAV could do in very short order what normally can take up to several days, depending on the size of the study.”

A new, technology-based industry for the state could result from the preliminary work now being done, he said.

“In addition to aiding in the production of crops, other uses for this technology include the management of water, minerals, livestock and wildlife,” Landivar said.

Craig Nessler, AgriLife Research director in College Station, said this new field of research fits well with the organization’s goals of agricultural research.

“AgriLife Research has long been known for setting the scientific bar, which ultimately benefits the grower, consumer and national food security,” he said. “With this sophisticated technology, our researchers will be able to advance their studies and solve agricultural issues in new ways.”

Hall, from Page 24 Over the years, many of the original features at Scoates had been hidden or painted over — including colorful stenciled ceiling tiles that partially had been painted white before an acoustical drop-ceiling was installed.

“That is extremely rare on any campus to have an incredible interior along with the exterior,” McCoy observed. “But Texas A&M had benefitted from the Santa Rita oil gush of 1923, and the 10 buildings were constructed at a cost of about $3 million.”

So, along with constructing a building befitting the need to show farm equipment came the elaborate detail. Texas artist Gertrude Babcock was commissioned to paint murals and Theodore Voss, who owned Voss

March 2015 — Issue 1

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Metalworks in San Antonio, was hired to create the farm equipment chandelier and other intricate metal features for the building.

The circulating platform that had been seemingly encased forever in concrete, Searcy said, has been exposed and resurfaced as one of the building’s original features.

While the lecture hall has reopened, Searcy and McCoy agree that other areas of Scoates Hall need restoration. One mural painted on canvas and adhered to the wall is loose, and the paint is chipping or fading in other areas, for example.

“We are still in a fundraising mode,” Searcy said, estimating another $700,000 is needed to complete the historic restoration. The iron entryway, the foyer and the ornamental plaster features need restoration.

The Land & Livestock Post

News FAA issues proposed regulations for use of commercial drones

By The Associated Press

Some highlights of rules proposed on Feb. 15 on routine flights by small, commercial drones and on privacy protections when the government uses drones to collect information:

Drone flights • Proposed Federal Aviation Administration regulations would permit commercial operation of remote-controlled aircraft weighing less than 55 pounds.

They would be permitted to fly up to 100 mph and up to 500 feet in altitude.

• Story about A&M AgriLife Research drone study, Page 25 keep an eye out for other aircraft, another concession.

• Operators would have to keep drones within eyesight at all times, which significantly limits the distance they can fly. The restriction probably would prevent drone delivery as proposed by Amazon.

• Flights would be prohibited within 5 miles of an airport and over crowds and over people not involved in the drone’s operations.

• Drones would not be required to have an FAA airworthiness certificate similar to those required of manned aircraft, another concession. They would, however, have to be registered with the FAA and would receive an “N number” for identification purposes similar to the numbers on airplane tails.

• The FAA will accept comments for 60 days after the proposal is published. It’s expected to be two or three years before

the rules are final.

• The FAA will continue to grant waivers case by case to its current ban on commercial drone flights while working on final rules. A few dozen requests for waivers have been granted; more than 300 requests are pending.

• Current rules for model aircraft, which are often indistinguishable from small drones, would remain the same.

Privacy

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• Operators would have to pass an FAA test of aeronautical knowledge and a Transportation Security Administration background check. Operators would not need a private pilot license, a concession to industry.

• Only one operator would be required instead of an operator and a spotter to

• A presidential memorandum requires federal agencies to ensure that policies are placed on government drones to protect against their abusive use.

• The policies should “prohibit the collection, use, retention, or dissemination of data in any manner that would violate the First Amendment or in any manner that would discriminate against persons based upon their ethnicity, race, gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or gen-

der identity, in violation of law.”

• Agencies must publish information within one year describing how to access their drone policies and procedures.

• Agencies must examine their drone policies and procedures before deploying new unmanned aircraft technology, and at least every three years.

• The Commerce Department, working with other agencies, must launch an effort that includes business groups, privacy advocates and others within 90 days to develop privacy rules for commercial and private drones.

• The American Civil Liberties Union praised the memorandum as an important step, but said it falls short of fully protecting the privacy of Americans.

For example, the proposal allows the use of data gathered by domestic drones for any “authorized purpose,” which is not defined, leaving the door open to inappropriate drone use by federal agencies, the ACLU said.

Let us know how we can help.

Reach over

40,000

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March 2015 — Issue 1

March 2015 — Issue 1

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The Land & Livestock Post 31

News FAA issues proposed regulations for use of commercial drones

By The Associated Press

Some highlights of rules proposed on Feb. 15 on routine flights by small, commercial drones and on privacy protections when the government uses drones to collect information:

Drone flights • Proposed Federal Aviation Administration regulations would permit commercial operation of remote-controlled aircraft weighing less than 55 pounds.

They would be permitted to fly up to 100 mph and up to 500 feet in altitude.

• Story about A&M AgriLife Research drone study, Page 25 keep an eye out for other aircraft, another concession.

• Operators would have to keep drones within eyesight at all times, which significantly limits the distance they can fly. The restriction probably would prevent drone delivery as proposed by Amazon.

• Flights would be prohibited within 5 miles of an airport and over crowds and over people not involved in the drone’s operations.

• Drones would not be required to have an FAA airworthiness certificate similar to those required of manned aircraft, another concession. They would, however, have to be registered with the FAA and would receive an “N number” for identification purposes similar to the numbers on airplane tails.

• The FAA will accept comments for 60 days after the proposal is published. It’s expected to be two or three years before

the rules are final.

• The FAA will continue to grant waivers case by case to its current ban on commercial drone flights while working on final rules. A few dozen requests for waivers have been granted; more than 300 requests are pending.

• Current rules for model aircraft, which are often indistinguishable from small drones, would remain the same.

Privacy

We love Springtime!

• Operators would have to pass an FAA test of aeronautical knowledge and a Transportation Security Administration background check. Operators would not need a private pilot license, a concession to industry.

• Only one operator would be required instead of an operator and a spotter to

• A presidential memorandum requires federal agencies to ensure that policies are placed on government drones to protect against their abusive use.

• The policies should “prohibit the collection, use, retention, or dissemination of data in any manner that would violate the First Amendment or in any manner that would discriminate against persons based upon their ethnicity, race, gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or gen-

der identity, in violation of law.”

• Agencies must publish information within one year describing how to access their drone policies and procedures.

• Agencies must examine their drone policies and procedures before deploying new unmanned aircraft technology, and at least every three years.

• The Commerce Department, working with other agencies, must launch an effort that includes business groups, privacy advocates and others within 90 days to develop privacy rules for commercial and private drones.

• The American Civil Liberties Union praised the memorandum as an important step, but said it falls short of fully protecting the privacy of Americans.

For example, the proposal allows the use of data gathered by domestic drones for any “authorized purpose,” which is not defined, leaving the door open to inappropriate drone use by federal agencies, the ACLU said.

Let us know how we can help.

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e rang angus s a x r e of T stered B ss s e r regi 0 ac sine readers by advertising in 3,00 ial and our bu and 1 n tha mmerc eeping e state s Quality Fuels & Delivery e r Quality Livestock Feeds & Nutritional Services mo co r ad s th of k the Land & Livestock Post! aims n 3,000 nt part s acros ough ou eʼve l c n a X a r t w o h h r e i t t o rcl more Fertilizers, Planting Seed &CiAgronomic Full Line Animal Health tion les mpSolutions licat to g is an i ny pub more sa publica e m a r n othe in m is ho rtisi rated the Livestock Handling Equipment and . Adve vertise e gene an any ee if as it Fencing & Hardware s v h d e o t a l t a x on catt g. We ut we h k Post ailbo ng as so c n b o m t o , s r e y i t e r s g as th ount d & Liv eck tarts rin d as far c h e c h n t to ea es e La . have ur phon liced br n nce in th tised in e s v udie istently r te . O since a ʼ e d n v d e o d e v a d ns et We has arri st thing targ ost co ed to a e s he ne kP eb ssue reac ivestoc n they ake the est i t. Itʼs th n w o i o e t L i t n u tm la es o rned. ircu Land & informa ers tha le to c m o e e d c p d t e conc state-wi ng. Th relevan hose rea rive peo i Iʼm t , d d e y s a l h ʼ o T re It me le t To place your ad Call them s with ti usiness. t vehic s p e c r b e e e f r k r i d and des rea t of the t the pe Jesse Wright at i s s Steve Densmore prov the mo tock Po e s Cattle Manager mak & Live .

(979) 731-4721 or email s d 1800 N. Texas Avenue in Bryan www.producerscooperative.com Circle X Land & Cattle Lan busines jesse.wright@theeagle.com your

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The Land & Livestock Post 32

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March 2015 — Issue 1

March 2015 — Issue 1



The Land & Livestock Post 31